Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nature Conservancy restoring area sites

As a non-profit conservation group, the Nature Conservancy has been working to conserve natural resources for 25 years in Arkansas. One of the groups most recent projects is the restoration of the Blackland Praries  some of which are located near Clark County.

According to Susan Borne of the Nature Conservancy, the group restores natural resources while using science-driven research, market driven solutions and non-confrontational efforts. Over 250,000 acres are protected by the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas alone.

The Blackland Praries are areas that have been managed for hundreds of years by fire. The fire would burn back underbrush and make way for plush vegetation that improved the area for wildlife, Borne said. There were once 12 million acres of Blackland Praries, but in 1975 only one percent remained.

The modern human is credited with destroying the Blackland Praries, Borne said. Once methods of controlling wildfires were invented, areas were no longer allowed to burn freely. This allowed for the growth of much more brush and trees that choked out grasslands and wild flowers.

Borne said that as it became more popular to fence in areas to graze cattle, prairies were grazed to death.

The Nature Conservancy has adopted five conservation areas for Blackland Prairies in the upper west. One is in Clark County.

One of the hardest parts of Blackland management is cedar removal, Borne said.

Cedars are one of the most common trees that grow in former Blackland Praries, and they must be removed in order for the prairies to be restored.

Fires are then reintroduced to the areas, and before long, the numerous types of wild flowers and other vegetation begin to appear.

Another program managed by the Nature Conservancy is the conservation forestry program. Borne said this program seeks to create prime wildlife habitats while providing economic returns for the landowners. Over 25,000 acres have come under the program in the last year along.

One of the groups proudest accomplishments is the Moro Big Pine Conservation Easement located north of El Dorado. Borne said the 16,000 acre area is owned by Potlatch but is open for public hunting. As a part of the agreement, Potlatch will not convert the area into a pine plantation.

Having areas like the Moro Big Pine Conservation Easement have provided habitats for the Red-cockaded woodpecker which is endangered.

This is a great example of the public, private sector and government all coming together for conservation, Borne said.