A coalition will receive a $3.9 million grant to conserve and restore War Eagle Creek in Northwest Arkansas, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced Wednesday.
“Nature is our greatest ally in the fight against climate change,” Haaland said at the event at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale.
Members of the War Eagle Creek Collaborative Restoration Initiative attended the announcement. The 15 organizations in the group include the state Game and Fish Commission, the nonprofit Beaver Watershed Alliance, local governments and landowners.
The money will go to replace four, low-water crossings of the creek with bridges, to restore the stream in the area of the removed Huntsville dam and to help pay for tree replanting and other restoration work along the creek and tributaries, according to the restoration group.
The work already in progress was expected to take at least four years to complete with local and state resources, said Eric Brinkman, assistant chief of fisheries for Game and Fish. Now the work will finish in about 18 months after the grant is received and be more comprehensive, he said.
The grant also will help pay for biological sampling and testing to make sure the project helps native fish and wildlife as intended, something local sources would not have covered, Brinkman said. The $3.9 million will pay the bulk of the projects, but state, local and landowner contributions including materials and labor will mean an estimated total worth of $5.5 million will go into the restoration effort, he said.
Speakers at Wednesday’s announcement said the biggest challenge the creek and other waterways in the region face is sediment from erosion. The problem is caused by changing land use, clearing away trees and other plants from stream banks and barriers in the water such as built up low-water-level crossing points, which allow sediment to settle and collect. Barriers such as the crossing points also interfere with movement of native water species, speakers said.
Erosion is a recurring issue in other watersheds. For example, studies of both the Illinois and White rivers, which have their headwaters in Northwest Arkansas, identify erosion as the main cause of degrading water cleanliness.
The War Eagle flows through Madison County, eastern Benton County and a small slice of Washington County. The stream flows into Beaver Lake near the War Eagle community east of Rogers.
The War Eagle and White rivers are the main tributaries of Beaver Lake. The reservoir is the drinking water source for some 550,000 people in Northwest Arkansas and beyond, Beaver Watershed Alliance Executive Director Becky Roark previously noted.
The grant announced Wednesday comes from bipartisan support for President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda and the “America the Beautiful” initiative, Haaland said. The secretary met with members of the Game and Fish Commission and local leaders at the nature center before Wednesday’s announcement to discuss issues including the impacts of climate change throughout the state and the ongoing efforts to collaborate on restoring and conserving outdoor spaces.
The project’s efforts along 400 miles of War Eagle and its tributaries make this the largest stream restoration project ever undertaken in Arkansas, according to a prepared statement by the Interior Department.
The administration’s America the Beautiful initiative set a goal to conserve and restore 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland speaks Wednesday with Eric Brinkman, assistant fisheries chief with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, after both spoke about improvements to War Eagle Creek, a main tributary of Beaver Lake at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale. The reservoir is the drinking water source for most of Northwest Arkansas and beyond. Go to nwaonline.com/photos for today's photo gallery..(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff)Flip Putthoff
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (center) speaks on Wednesday alongside Becky Roark (left), executive director of the Beaver Watershed Alliance and Chris Davidson with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Arkansas, at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale. Go to nwaonline.com/photos for today's photo gallery..(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff)Flip Putthoff
Becky Roark (center), executive director of Beaver Watershed Alliance, talks Wednesday about War Eagle Creek at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale. Deb Haaland (left), U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Chris Davidson with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Arkansas, hear Roark's remarks.Flip Putthoff
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (from left), stands Wednesday alongside Becky Roark, executive director of the Beaver Watershed Alliance, Eric Brinkman with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Chris Davidson with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Arkansas, as they wait to speak at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale. Go to nwaonline.com/photos.(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff).Flip Putthoff