The forgotten forest

The St. Francis National Forest is the state’s forgotten forest. In fact, this East Arkansas treasure is administered from a U.S. Forest Service office in Russellville on the other side of the state. The much larger Ozark National Forest, with which the St. Francis shares administrative staff, and the sprawling Ouachita National Forest are what first come to the minds of most Arkansans.

The Ouachita, created by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 as the Arkansas National Forest, was south of the Arkansas River. In 1908, Roosevelt signed a proclamation creating the Ozark National Forest, which was primarily north of the river. It was the only major hardwood forest to be protected by the federal government at the time. The Ozark covers more than 1.2 million acres. The Ouachita covers 1.8 million acres.

The size of the St. Francis pales in comparison. It covers just more than 20,000 acres in Lee and Phillips counties. The bulk of that is along the southern end of Crowley’s Ridge, the unique formation that runs from southern Missouri to Helena. The national forest is named for one of the rivers that forms its eastern boundary; the parts that aren’t on Crowley’s Ridge are in the lowlands near the St. Francis River and Mississippi River. The forest is 14 miles long and averages three to four miles in width.

What’s now the St. Francis National Forest was once the Marianna-Helena Project, administered by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. It was part of the National Resettlement Act, one of the Franklin Roosevelt-era initiatives designed to combat the effects of the Great Depression. The land was designated as a national forest in 1960, and placed under the administration of the Ozark National Forest on Jan. 15, 1961.

Federal budget cuts have had a detrimental effect on outdoor recreational facilities in Arkansas in recent years. Between Marianna and Helena, though, the state Department of Parks and Tourism has stepped up to make a major investment in the St. Francis National Forest. The state’s interest in the area dates back decades. In 1966, it was proposed that a state park be built near the Mississippi River, but the idea was dropped when the Legislature failed to provide funding. In 1973, the Legislature authorized development of the Mississippi River State Park. Again, there was a lack of dedicated funding.

With the narrow passage by Arkansas voters in November 1996 of a one-eighth of a cent sales tax for conservation purposes, the idea of developing the park took on new life. Forty-five percent of the tax proceeds are earmarked for capital projects at state parks. In May 1999, the State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission voted to place the park inside the St. Francis National Forest rather than purchasing its own piece of property.Six months later, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Forest Service.

Mississippi River State Park began partial operations in May 2009 following improvements at the Bear Creek Lake Recreation Area near Marianna. Things really took off earlier this year when the park visitors’ center was dedicated. The 12,208-square-foot facility, staffed by both state and federal employees, is on Arkansas 44 three miles southeast of Marianna. Development will continue for several more years at a total cost of $23 million. Eventually, the park will cover 536 acres.

Both Bear Creek Lake and nearby Storm Creek Lake were built in 1938 as Depression-era projects. Fish are stocked in both lakes. In the first phase of state development, more than $1.6 million was spent on improvements to the Beech Point Campground in the Bear Creek Lake Recreation Area, and completed last fall. An enclosed pavilion and restrooms will be added at Storm Creek Lake.

The visitors’ center cost more than $6.8 million. There’s a 9,658-squarefoot main building and an adjoining 2,550-square-foot multipurpose building. More than $1 million was spent on interactive exhibits that interpret life in the Delta and along Crowley’s Ridge.

It seems like a perfect federal-state partnership. The Forest Service, which no longer has the level of funds it once could devote to recreational areas, will continue to manage the timber and wildlife in the national forest. It also will handle law enforcement and the fighting of fires. The state will improve and manage the recreational facilities.

Such a partnership has proved successful at Mount Magazine State Park near Paris, which is in the Ozark National Forest. Greg Butts, the state parks director, says the Mount Magazine project has been “recognized nationally as an excellent example of how government can share resources and save tax dollars.”

The St. Francis is the only national forest that touches the Mississippi River. The state plans to develop a day-use site adjacent to the river that will include a picnic area and a boardwalk. Development opportunities along the river are limited due to flooding. Those hiking in the St. Francis National Forest can see dozens of species of birds, along with deer and numerous small mammals. Some of the last original Arkansas black bears live in the area. In the lowlands, alligators can be found.

With a boost from the state, Arkansas’ forgotten forest appears to have found new life as a recreational asset.

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Freelance columnist Rex Nelson is the president of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities. He’s also the author of the Southern Fried blog at rexnelsonsouthernfried.com.