SPRINGTOWN -- The Northwest Arkansas Land Trust has announced the donation of 67 acres by the family of John Wasson that greatly expands the Flint Creek Headwaters Preserve.
The mission of the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust is to preserve and enhance quality of life through the permanent protection of land. By holding and managing donated land and providing conservation easement services, the land trust protects water quality, local farms, wildlife habitats and places for outdoor recreation while enhancing quality of life, according to a news release.
The land trust's service area includes 13 counties with a core focus on Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties.
Wasson, born and raised in Springtown -- which is in western Benton County, just east of Gentry -- spent his youth surrounded by the natural beauty of Flint Creek, according to a news release from the land trust.
Wasson was responsible for the beginnings of what is now Flint Creek Headwaters Preserve in Springtown, and his family decided to honor his vision for perpetual protection of the area by donating most of the remaining Wasson property to the land trust, more than quadrupling the size of the preserve from 20 to 87 acres, the news release stated.
Wasson was a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was recognized as a world expert on meteorites. In the last decade of his life, he became passionate about protecting the headwaters of Flint Creek so others could enjoy the clear water, limestone cliffs and dense canopy of overhanging trees his family had for decades, according to the release.
He donated the creek property he inherited from his parents as well as adjacent property he purchased near the Arkansas 12 bridge to the trust. This was the start of Flint Creek Headwaters Preserve, the release states.
Wasson died in September 2020. His family decided to honor his vision by donating the remaining Wasson property to the trust, according to the news release.
"My favorite memories of my father are his eyes twinkling as he waded Flint Creek with me, always curious about the fish and birds and trees along the way," said his daughter, Kerstin Wasson. "He would be so glad to know that others can continue to enjoy the creek and nearby habitats and that these places will remain the same as in his childhood, even as development expands in Northwest Arkansas."
The newly donated land will allow access to Flint Creek Headwaters Preserve from Springtown's Main Street as well as from the parking area on Peach Blossom Lane. There are plans for a path along the former Arkansas 12 to connect these so a longer hike can be taken through the riparian habitat, according to the release.
"My grandmother, Ruth Taylor Wasson Brooks, liked to walk this path to her favorite swimming hole," said daughter Christina Wasson. "I'm glad it will be maintained for future generations."
"It's places like Flint Creek Headwaters Preserve that protect so much of what makes Northwest Arkansas special," said Pam Nelson, land trust director of land protection. "NWALT is honored to be part of the Wasson family legacy through this generous donation. It enhances wildlife habitat, protects water quality in the Illinois River watershed, and preserves a way of life where people can easily get outside to connect with nature and each other."