Arkansas Wetlands Reserve Program

Arkansas Wetlands Information

• Map of Project Locations
• Photos of Projects
• Success Story — Raft Creek Bottoms

Overview

The focus of WRP in Arkansas remains in consonance with the national program objectives of protecting, restoring and enhancing the functions and values of wetland ecosystems. Specifically, our focus is narrowed to restoring bottomland hardwood forests and hydrology. By placing agricultural lands into WRP, we provide resting and feeding habitat for migratory waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds, fur bearing animals and other wetland dependent species. Arkansas, centered in the Mississippi flyway, harbors a large population of ducks and geese in the winter.

Arkansas currently has 67,165 active acres of WRP lands and a backlog of more than 32,000 acres on unfunded registers. With special emphasis and funding, an estimated 40,000 acres could be brought into WRP in just one area of the state. During the 1997 and 1998, in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, NRCS has reforested approximately 17,000 acres. Several tracts of land are to be restored by natural regeneration and in some cases, the landowners contracted for seedling plantings. Hydrology has been restored on approximately 2,500 acres using ditch plugs and other water control structures.

Wildlife Habitat Benefits

The Arkansas State NRCS office has received reports of increased wildlife use in restored areas from NRCS District Conservationists, Arkansas Game and Fish Biologists and other scientifically oriented participants in the WRP process. There have been increased sitings of eagles and other raptors, black bear, ducks, geese, shorebirds and small fur bearing animals. In many cases, WRP lands form a valuable link between refuges and other areas that are conducive to wildlife management. Landowners are genuinely concerned with the depletion of the State's wetlands and are eager partners in the Arkansas restoration effort.

Environmental and Ecological Benefits

Demand on stressed water tables in the heavily irrigated areas of eastern Arkansas are reduced when acreage is taken out of production. In some cases, excessive irrigation has introduced chloride as a problem. WRP provides a land use option where chloride reduces cropping potential. Restored wetlands are providing a great variety of other benefits such as increased flood water storage, carbon sequestration, and sediment disposition areas.

Social and Economic Benefits

In many cases, placing lands in WRP is socially and economically redeeming as it allows families to keep land and pass it on to future generations. This eliminates the stigma of a landowner losing the family property and destroying family pride and esteem. During the brutally dry, hot summer of 1998, interest in WRP increased. WRP offers an alternative to farming while affording all the benefits of wetlands and allows landowners to retain their land. Over the life of WRP the program has disbursed approximately $50,000,000 in Arkansas.

Focal Areas

Lower Saint Francis River Bottom: (Eastern and Northeast Arkansas)  Flood protection, endangered species, wildlife habitat, conservation education and migratory bird resting site. Approximately 3,000 acres are recorded and restored; and 6,000 acres have been funded and are in the contracting process. Another 7,000 acres are on the state register waiting for funding. This area reduces the effects of floodwaters from the Saint Francis River. It is in the mainstream of the Mississippi flyway and is used by ducks, geese and other migratory birds. This area is part of "The Big Woods of Arkansas."  Arkansas'Big Woods is one half million acres of bottomland hardwoods and is a spectacular and irreplaceable ecosystem. It is one of the most important ecological resources of the Mississippi River Alluvium. Many of these same comments apply to the lower end of the Cache, White, Arkansas and L'Anguille Rivers, Bayou DeView and other streams in eastern Arkansas.

This area has been targeted by the Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited and several state agencies as critical to conservation efforts in the Mississippi River Alluvium.

Chloride Area: (Southeast Arkansas)  Social, economic, ecological, environmental and wildlife habitat. 8,000 acres have been recorded, 2,625 acres are in the contracting process and approximately 6,160 acres are waiting to be funded. The introduction of chloride in the subsurface water in this area resulted in degenerated crop production. The use of groundwater left deposits of chloride on the surface in cases of extensive irrigation. Restoration of wetlands has reduced the demand for groundwater to irrigate rice, cotton, and soybeans. Landowners were faced with contamination of their lands by continued pumping of chloride to surface areas and thereby spoiling the ecological and economic value of their lands. The WRP provided landowners a way to retain their lands, pass them on to future generations and provide all the benefits of restored wetlands.

Red River Alluvium: (Southwest Arkansas)  Environmental, social, economic, migratory bird resting and feeding, flood control and wildlife habitat. 7,029 acres have been recorded in Arkansas' part of the Red River Alluvium. There are currently 3,570 acres in the contracting process with another 1,850 acres on our register. This area is also considered as part of the Mississippi River Alluvium and the Mississippi Flyway.

Contact

Jim Caudle, 501-301-3131

Last updated: 1/1/00

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