Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Conservancy Protects Land

Protecting the land and creatures who live on it is the primary goal of the Nature Conservancy.

Brett Gulley, who works with the conservancy, informed members of the Gurdon Rotary Club of the work he does during their regular meeting Thursday.

A major problem, he said, is the world is simply overpopulated. In addition, much development has led to erosion which strips vital vegetation from the land.

In Arkansas, however, Gulley said wildlife is everywhere.

He told the Rotarians the conservancy works with blackland prairies, such as there are in Clark County, to help expand the openings and cut back on the tree populations in the prairies.

The soil on these blackland prairies, he said, originated when the Gulf of Mexico was in what is now Arkansas. Gulley said aquatic shells can be found in these areas, which resembles the gulf shoreline.

Burning, he said, is the conservancy's basic tool in fighting the overgrowth of the eastern red cedar trees, which infest blackland prairies. In addition, burning helps stimulate the regeneration of other more required grasses and vegetation.

The heat of the fire, Gulley said, helps promote the growth of desired vegetation.

In the state's bottoms there are cypress trees 1,200 to 1,500 years old, he said. Using specific techniques, the conservancy is able to note weather changes during this period of time because of the trees.

Gulley told the Rotarians it is important to introduce young people to the outdoors and teach them how to conserve nature.