The forested, stream-dissected hills of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas form a distinct bioregion known as the Ozarks. Clearly different from surrounding areas in topography, watershed characteristics, plant distribution and wildlife populations, the natural qualities of this area have affected the development of human culture within it.

Every year since 1980, a group of ecology-minded folks has gathered to discuss, celebrate, and learn about all things Ozark. The Ozark Area Community Congress (OACC) was originally organized to offer a forum for Ozarkers working in various fields considered “alternative” at that time, and to encourage them to consider themselves as part of the emerging bioregional movement.

Early proponents of that movement asked congress participants to envision a future in which the economy of their bioregion was based on local goods that were produced in a manner that did not exploit or defile natural resources. In the early years, the Congress created and adopted a set of resolutions with which it was hoped Ozark residents might create a regionally-oriented culture. The resolutions were grounded in ecological principles and were intended to foster an economy and land use practices that might sustain our children and their children.

OACC was the first bioregional congress ever established, and it inspired the formation of other such congresses. In 1984, OACC participants played a big role in the convening of the first continental bioregional congress. These continental gatherings have been held approximately every two years since.

OACC is not a formal organization nor is it an advocacy group that promotes an agenda. Rather, it is more of an ecological network; individual participants work in their own respective fields, but meet annually to share ideas.

Decision-making for OACC is made by consensus during a whole-group plenary session held annually. Typically the OACC body does not state positions on current issues, but sticks to the job of providing an annual forum for idea exchange.

The structure of OACC – or more precisely, the lack of structure – means no one person can officially represent OACC, beyond carrying out a specific task assigned during the plenary session, such as coordinating the next year’s congress or serving as webmaster.

Frequently Asked Questions

+ What is a bioregion?

In 1983, David Haenke defined bioregions as: …geographical areas which are defined by natural boundaries, such as rivers, or particular land forms which set them off as distinct from adjacent regions. Each bioregion is further defined by the kinds of flora and fauna that grow within it, which may be unique to it, or just exist in greater numbers or density than in adjoining areas. Unique human cultures which are shaped by the rigors, abundances, and general nature of the bioregion also contribute to its definition. Bioregional boundaries, being created by nature, often cross the arbitrary political lines drawn by humans in their creation of nations, states, and other subunits.

+ Who decides where one bioregion ends and another begins?

Bioregional boundaries can be thought of as emerging from the geologic and living systems that constitute the region. Unlike political boundaries, which are imposed, bioregional boundaries are discovered by observation of natural features and the manner in which the people living within them interact with their surroundings. Peter Berg of Planet Drum wrote of bioregional boundaries that:
Geographic areas having common characteristics of soil, watershed, climate, native plants and animals that exist within the whole planetary biosphere as unique and contributive parts…The final boundaries of a bioregion, however, are best described by the people who have lived within it, through human recognition of the realities of living in place…there is a distinctive resonance among living things and the factors that influence them which occurs specifically within each separate part of the planet.

+ What are the natural boundaries of the Ozark Bioregion?

The Ozarks is an ideal example of a bioregion because its boundaries are fairly easy to identify on relief maps of North America. Bioregional boundaries can be sharply demarcated or more diffuse. For example, the southeast boundary of the Ozark Bioregion lies distinctly where the mountains end abrubtly as they abut the alluvial plain of the Mississippi River. The western boundary of the Ozarks is more diffuse, where the prairies intermingle with, and gradually give way to the forested hills of the Ozark Bioregion. The northern boundary roughly follows the Missouri River, but may be more accurately thought of as the most southern reaches of the glaciers in the last ice age that flattened the terrain north of the Ozarks. The eastern boundary follows the Mississippi River from near the confluence of the Missouri River south to the Mississippi alluvial plain. An exception is that the hilly terrain across the Mississippi (in the far southern tip of what is politically defined as Illinois) that is sometimes thought of as part of the Ozark Bioregion. However some think the area across the Mississippi culturally distinct enough to be a separate region. The southern boundary of the Ozark Bioregion might be the Arkansas River, or it might be the southern extent of the Ouachita Mountains. It depends who you ask.

+ I’ve lived in the Ozarks for years. How come I’ve never heard of OACC?

While any number of newspaper and magazine articles about OACC have been published over the years, the organization has remained low-profile overall. Word of mouth emerged as the most effective method of publicity for OACC. It has often been said that if each attendee would bring two people with them to the next Congress, that in time the entire Bioregion would be represented while maintaining a level of growth that might keep the values and principles of the Congress intact.