Growing a Park, Protecting a Legacy: 50 Acres Added to Mill Branch Park

Growing a Park, Protecting a Legacy: 50 Acres Added to Mill Branch Park

Big things are happening in Goshen, and they’re happening in a way that will last forever.

Thanks to a strong partnership between the City of Goshen and NWALT, Mill Branch Park just got a lot bigger. An additional 50 acres of beautiful, forested land are now permanently protected and officially part of the park, expanding this beloved community space by roughly 50%.

This project is a great example of what’s possible when people come together around a shared vision. Local landowner Dick Bennett generously donated his property to NWALT with one goal in mind: to see it protected and enjoyed by the public. From there, NWALT placed a conservation easement on the land, ensuring it will remain undeveloped, and then worked with the City of Goshen to incorporate it into Mill Branch Park.

The result? More space for the community to explore, and a permanent safeguard for the natural beauty that makes this area special.

If you’ve spent time at Mill Branch Park, you already know how important it is to Goshen. With this addition, visitors can enjoy even more room to walk, connect with nature, and take in the peaceful, wooded landscape. The newly protected land includes mature oak-hickory forest, a small pond, and a stream that feeds into Mill Branch- features that not only add to the experience of the park but also play an important role in keeping local ecosystems healthy.

And while this project brings clear benefits to park visitors, its impact goes much further.

Protecting this land also helps safeguard the Beaver Lake watershed, a primary source of drinking water for communities across Northwest Arkansas. Forests and natural stream corridors like those on the Bennett property act as natural filters, helping keep our water clean and resilient. It’s a reminder that conserving land isn’t just about scenery, it’s about supporting the systems that sustain our daily lives.

This project also preserves something less tangible, but just as important: a sense of place. The views along Fire Tower Road and within Mill Branch Park will remain green, open, and unmistakably Ozark. As development continues across the region, projects like this ensure that future generations will still be able to experience the landscapes that define Northwest Arkansas.

For the City of Goshen, the expansion of Mill Branch Park is a meaningful investment in the community’s future, enhancing quality of life, supporting outdoor recreation, and maintaining the rural character that residents cherish. For NWALT, it’s another step toward building a connected network of protected lands that benefit both people and wildlife.

And for all of us, it’s something worth celebrating.

Because when a city grows its park system and protects land at the same time, everyone wins.