The Nature Conservancy has purchased 1,425 acres of land near the Buffalo National River to create a nature preserve for public use, the group announced Tuesday.
The nonprofit closed on the land, which is just southwest of Mount Judea and all within 10 miles of the river, last week for about $700,000, spokesman Ginny Porter said.
"The price was generously discounted from the owners," Porter said. "They wanted it to stay in conservation."
Several years ago, the children of Johan and Frances Eliot of Michigan approached The Nature Conservancy about selling their Arkansas land, which they had dubbed Council Rock Forest, to honor their father's wishes to have the hilly, wooded property used for conservation. Johan Eliot had lived in Arkansas and found the area in the 1950s when he was working as a traveling physician for the state.
The land was used by the Eliots for recreational purposes, and they would sometimes stay in a cabin on the property when they visited, according to Scott Simon, director of The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas.
The Nature Conservancy gets calls "every day" from people looking to sell their land for conservation, Simon said.
But Simon said this deal was made for two reasons: to protect land that could affect the Buffalo River, and to protect three species of bats that are endangered.
The land sits toward the headwaters of Big Creek, which is a major tributary to the Buffalo National River. It's also a foraging area for the Indiana Bat, the Northern Long-Eared Bat and the Gray Bat. The Gray Bat lives in the limestone karst areas of the southeastern United States, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Northern Long-Eared Bat is found throughout the eastern half of the country, and the Indiana Bat is found in 21 states in the eastern half of the U.S.
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"What I think is really neat about this project in addition to its conservation benefits is that it really charts a new course for conservation of the Buffalo," Simon said. "This project is about private landowners with a piece of property that was very important and chose to work with conservation organizations on conservation outcome."
Plans for the land will depend on feedback from nearby residents, Simon said. At other nature preserves, the group has built hiking trails and mountain biking trails and allowed people to hunt and camp.
Simon said the group will wait about a year before deciding what to do with the land.
Once a decision is made on how to use the land, the group will enter into a conservation easement with the Buffalo River Foundation -- an agreement that will outline what activities will be permitted.
So far, Simon said, he's spoken with people who own property and live near the preserve, as well as Rep. David Branscum, R-Marshall. He'll speak with more people during the next year.
"I think it could be a positive development," Branscum said. "I don't really know what they've got planned."
Branscum said he would be concerned if the land were exempt from property taxes, but Simon said The Nature Conservancy pays taxes on its properties. Simon said he can apply for a waiver for the organization but never does, because leadership and the board of directors don't want to take away tax money from the communities in which they are active.
The Buffalo River Foundation works within the river's watershed and has other land trusts. The organization acquires and manages easements and raises funds for projects. It will help raise funds for activities at the Council Rock Forest preserve.
"This conservation acquisition is a great example of landowners in the Buffalo River watershed working in practical ways to conserve the natural resources and cultural heritage of the Buffalo River watershed," Mike Mills, a Buffalo River Foundation board member, said in the joint news release with The Nature Conservancy.
Metro on 11/30/2016