By By Chandler Myers
Magnolia Branch Wildlife Reserve is close to making a decision on how they will continue to further the advancement of their park.
Six development companies are currently developing a “master plan” that could help boost the attraction and amount of visitation Magnolia Branch receives.
Tracy Sells, an employee at Magnolia Branch, said the development teams are presenting their ideas this month, which has everything still in preliminary stages.
Currently, Magnolia Branch offers primitive camping, hookups for RVs, tubing, canoes and kayaks. There are also walking trails and a beach area to relax by the creek.
For those who enjoy riding horses, Magnolia Branch offers two horseback riding trails with one being seven miles, and the other being 10 miles. To accomodate horses, there are currently 10 stalls to house them.
Also on the grounds is Lake Menawa, which is a 15-acre lake that was built last year. There are primitive sites around the lake.
Sells said work is still being done to get a fish population in the lake.
For the future there are plans for extra walking trails, a swinging bridge, cabins, an air-conditioned pavilion and a lodge.
Sells said the swinging bridge would allow visitors more areas to walk around.
At this time, work is being done to make it easier to begin work on one of the other additons to the park.
Sells said that land is being moved out to make room for places for visitors to stay. She added not too far from the cabins a pavilion might be built to protect some visitors from the heat.
As for the future of Magnolia Branch, general manager Billy Smith said he wants the reserve to be an asset to the Tribe as well as to the area.