About Our Fall Foliage Reporting Method

Many foliage report writers rely on a number of "spotters". The person writing the report calls these spotters to ask what state of color the foliage display is in where the spotter lives. Authors then compile their foliage report based on what spotters tell them. The only weakness to a spotter approach is that no one person sees the foliage in all locations. The result is that no accurate comparison of foliage conditions from location to location in the reporting area can be made.

We drive the highways and back roads. We float the waterways in various watercraft. We hike the trails and follow small creeks through deep valleys. Then, as the peak approaches, we fly over our entire reporting area at 2,000 feet. We cover hundreds of miles on land and in the air. Our reports are based 100% on what we see with our own eyes. We've used this approach since 1997 so we are well familiar with the Ozark color turn.

We also know that people enjoy fall for reasons other than foliage. Photographers, nature watchers, birders, hikers, fishermen, and hunters all love getting outside in cool, clear fall weather. For all these folks we include what we are seeing that is of interest to them such as wildflowers, insects, animals, what animals eat (nuts, berries, fruits, insects), and anything else that seems to matter for outdoor recreation.

We are a for-profit corporation. Our foliage reporting efforts pay us back in many ways, so we are motivated to continue providing an accurate, useful report. Yet we'd be liars if we said we do what we do only for profit. We love what we do. Our reporting for business purposes is a very handy excuse for getting out of the office!

We do not in any way benefit from biased reporting for any particular location, and therefore are not in any way obligated to promote any specific location or cause. Our only motive is accurate, unbiased information for our readers.

Our Reporting Area
Our office is on Norfork Lake near the town of Mountain Home, Arkansas. We travel north about 45 miles as a crow flies to Ava, Missouri, and about 35 miles south as a crow flies to the town of  Mountain View, Arkansas. We travel about 30 miles east and west as a crow flies. This slice of the Ozarks can be used as a guide to foliage all across the southern Ozark Mountains in both Missouri and Arkansas.

Who Are The 2Cooleys?
Gary Cooley and Mary Cooley, husband and wife, are the two Cooleys. Gary and Mary are both 50-something. They live on Norfork Lake near Mountain Home Arkansas. Gary and Mary have been promoting Outdoor Recreation in the Ozarks since 1995.