Smith Creek Preserve
Smith Creek In April
One of the benefits of writing The Barefoot Traveler is that once in a while I get to be part of something really cool. My good friend Alf Carter called me and asked if I wanted to attend the dedication of a new nature preserve on Saturday, April 30. I jumped at the chance and that saturday we went down to the Old Boxley Church where everyone was supposed to meet. From there the Nature Conservancy intended to shuttle folks to the site of the dedication.
Alf and I, along with some others, decided to hike down from the highway just to stretch our legs and get the lay of the land. As we walked down the access road we introduced ourselves and chatted. We had to stop for a bit as we came across a large bear paw print in the muddy road. It had rained the night before so this seemed to be a fairly fresh track. Once at the bottom of the road we crossed the bridge into Smith Creek Preserve.
We had an hour or so to wait until the dedication ceremony so Tim Snell, Ozark Karst program director for The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, gave us a short tour of some features that were close by. The first spot was an opening in the ground. Tim explained that this was one entrace to a cave system, but was not used because they did not want to disturb the bats and it was usually full of water from the creek. It was pretty nifty. Then he took us over to a spot along Smith Creek where a portion of the water dove underground. It looked like at some point a serious gully washer would move the large rocks surrounding the hole and the creek may just disappear completely into the cave or underground.
About 11 a.m. the ceremony got underway. There was light snacks and drinks provided by the Coservancy. Scott Simon, director for the Nature Conservancy's Arkansas program gave the dedication speech. There was a short bit about how the property came to become a preserve, a short tribute to the Roenigks, and a little information about the Wal-Mart/National Fish and Wildlife Foundation "Acres for America" partnership program. After all was said and done the ribbon was cut and the Smith Creek Preserve was officially open.
Smith Creek Preserve is a 1,226-acre tract of land near the Buffalo National River that lies above a cave that serves as a hibernaculum for the largest colony of Indiana bats, a federally endangered species, in the state. The ecological benefits of the property caught the attention of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The foundation recently unveiled a new conservation partnership with Wal-Mart, "Acres for America." and Smith Creek Preserve was one of five signature projects announced under the Wal-Mart program.The foundation granted $400,000 to the Conservancy for the Smith Creek preserve, which also serves as an additional connection between the 1.2-million acre Ozark National Forest and the 95,000-acre Buffalo National River Wilderness Area.
The Nature Conservancy purchased the property from Marty and Elise Roenigk of Eureka Springs, Ark., The Roenigks sold the ecologically significant tract to the Conservancy for $400,000, far below market value. When asked what prompted them to work with The Nature Conservancy, Marty said, "We've known of The Nature Conservancy for years, and we just know they are a great organization. And we know about the Conservancy's projects and programs in Arkansas, and it gave us comfort knowing an organization of this scale and strength would be managing it."
Smith Creek Preserve is a 1,226-acre tract of land near the Buffalo National River that lies above a cave that serves as a hibernaculum for the largest colony of Indiana bats, a federally endangered species, in the state. The ecological benefits of the property caught the attention of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The foundation recently unveiled a new conservation partnership with Wal-Mart, "Acres for America." and Smith Creek Preserve was one of five signature projects announced under the Wal-Mart program.The foundation granted $400,000 to the Conservancy for the Smith Creek preserve, which also serves as an additional connection between the 1.2-million acre Ozark National Forest and the 95,000-acre Buffalo National River Wilderness Area.
The Nature Conservancy purchased the property from Marty and Elise Roenigk of Eureka Springs, Ark., The Roenigks sold the ecologically significant tract to the Conservancy for $400,000, far below market value. When asked what prompted them to work with The Nature Conservancy, Marty said, "We've known of The Nature Conservancy for years, and we just know they are a great organization. And we know about the Conservancy's projects and programs in Arkansas, and it gave us comfort knowing an organization of this scale and strength would be managing it."
The Nature Conservancy had three experts on hand to give guided walks. One for birds, one for flowers, and one for rocks. Alf and I didn't feel like joining any of those so we went ahead and started up the road and then moved down onto the creek. We walked up the creek for awhile until we found a really nice spot to rest for awhile. We had been informed that the last shuttle out would be at 1 p.m., so after exploring for awhile we decided to walk out and grab a shuttle back to the church.
I want to thank Tim Snell for his efforts to make all of the above happen. We are lucky to have him and all the other people who make up the Nature Conservancy's Arkansas program putting forth their best efforts to help protect and preserve what we all have come to take for granted sometimes, our beloved Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. As time moves forwards and more of the land gets developed or utilized for agriculture, I am sure we will all be thankful for their perseverance. Since 1982, the Conservancy's Arkansas program has helped protect more than 262,000 acres of land throughout the state. For more information, contact The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas at (501) 663-6699 or visit www.nature.org/arkansas.