County: Washington

Size: 700 Acres

Date Conserved: 2019

The Bobby Hopper Tunnel is a well-known landmark on Interstate 49, serving as the gateway welcoming northbound travelers into Northwest Arkansas. A large overpass directly north of the tunnel provides critical safe passage for wildlife to cross under the highway between large patches of forested habitat. Thanks to the generosity of land trust supporters Christina Moore and Paul Green, 700 acres of this iconic viewshed and wildlife corridor is now protected, forever.

Working with the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust, Moore and Green purchased the 700-acre property surrounding each side of I-49 just north of the Bobby Hopper Tunnel for the purpose of forever protecting the land. The land trust placed a conservation easement on the land, ensuring it will remain in its natural state in perpetuity. The property provides a crucial link between Ozark National Forest to the east and west, nearly linking to Devil’s Den State Park to the west.

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“Rotten Bluff Hollow,” as it’s now named thanks to a discovery of an old area map, will protect and keep intact a 1,000-foot natural corridor under I-49. This link provides an important connection for wildlife to safely cross under the highway between larger areas of protected lands. In addition to preserving the scenic viewshed and protecting a critical wildlife corridor, conservation of the property is crucial to protecting drinking water for more than 200,000 Arkansans who rely on the Lee Creek Reservoir.