15 Years of Saving Land – 15 Places We Protect
Updated: Nov 13, 2018
2018 marks the 15th year that the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust has been working to Save Land in our growing region! To celebrate this milestone, we’ll be sharing stories of the places we protect, the history of the land trust, and the people who make it happen.
To kick things off, we’re highlighting 15 places protected by the land trust, and a quick look at what makes them special. Click the link to read more about each property.
15 Places Protected by the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust
1. Kessler Mountain Reserve – 386 acres in Washington Co
This public preserve, owned by the city of Fayetteville and forever protected by a conservation easement with the land trust, features more than 7 miles of natural surface trails for hiking, biking, birding and relaxing in the heart of Fayetteville. It also provides critical habitat for wildlife.
2. Graham Family Homestead – 92 acres in Benton Co
This private property in the Monte Ne area of the Beaver Lake Watershed helps protects clean drinking water for our region.
3. Steele-Stevens Heritage Park – 1 acre in Washington Co
Open to the public and with park enhancement plans underway, this small, historic property protects the namesake spring of Elm Springs, as well as water quality in the Illinois River Watershed. The Elm Springs Heritage Association initiated the preservation of this important site.
4. Historic Johnson Farm – 168 acres in Washington Co
This private farm property located at the base of Kessler Mountain was highly ranked in the NWA Open Space Plan due to its important heritage, wildlife habitat, and cultural and scenic values.
5. Lukens-Bachmann – 31 acres in Washington Co
This private property protects approximately 4,000 feet of the West Fork of the White River, an important tributary to Beaver Lake, our region’s drinking water supply.
6. Dead Horse – 26.5 acres in Washington Co
This private property protects a restored reach of the West Fork of the White River, a tributary of Beaver Lake, our region’s drinking water supply.
7. Osage Creek-Gibbs Property – 53 acres in Benton Co
This private property protects a riparian corridor along Osage Creek, an important tributary of the Illinois River near it’s confluence in Siloam Springs, AR.
8. Smith Family Farm – 200 acres in Benton Co
This private family farm includes a long stretch of the Illinois River adjacent to the U.S. Forest Service’s 15,000 acre Wedington Wildlife Management Area. Protection of this property provides connectivity of wildlife habitat, while preserving prime farmland soils and the scenic and cultural value of the area.
9. Leflar Family Property – 50 acres in Washington Co
By protecting this privately owned, undeveloped, forested hillside in South Fayetteville, we can save a place for wildlife and plant diversity in our community while preserving this important and prominent viewshed as seen from Martin Luther King Boulevard.
10. Wilson Springs Preserve – 121 acres in Washington Co
The land trust’s Wilson Springs Preserve is a unique wet prairie located at the headwaters of Clabber Creek in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This 121-acre preserve is the largest wetland remnant in Fayetteville and one of the last tall grass prairies in the region. With major habitat restoration phases almost complete, public access plans are underway.
11. Whooping Hollow Woods – 577 acres in Carroll Co
With spring-fed ponds, woodland streams, ridge lines and ravines, Whooping Hollow Woods provides year-round habitat and refuge to some of our most iconic Ozark wildlife, including black bear, elk, wild turkey and deer.
12. Frog Bayou Preserve – 151 acres in Crawford Co
A land trust preserve, this remote forested property along Frog Bayou provides ideal habitat for wildlife and has over a mile of protected high quality riparian area which contributes to the water quality of Lake Fort Smith.
13. Town Branch Preserve – .77 acres in Washington Co
The Northwest Arkansas Land Trust worked with developers in Fayetteville to protect a stretch of urban creek in order to help preserve our clean drinking water. This “pocket preserve”, located along the paved trail system, also offers scenic creek views and habitat for wildlife in an a dense urban setting.
14. Flint Creek Headwaters Preserve – 7 acres in Benton Co
This land trust preserve is open to the public and includes a natural surface trail loop through a wooded riparian buffer along spring-fed Flint Creek, a tributary of the Illinois River. Riparian corridors protect water quality, provide habitat to a wide variety of plants and animals, and serve as important migration corridors for wildlife to move between habitat areas.
15. Pine Hollow Preserve – 7 acres in Marion County
This forested property on the shores of Bull Shoals Lake protects water quality, wildlife habitat, and scenic values to the recreational users of the lake.