On Thursday night, a crowd will gather for an event along the banks of the Little Maumelle River in far west Little Rock. Tickets are $250 each, allowing attendees to listen to live bluegrass music and have dinner under the stars. That's an expensive dinner by anybody's standards, but the purpose of this event is to raise funds for what will be known as the Ranch North Woods Preserve, an oasis on the edge of the state's largest city.
Last December, the Nature Conservancy of Arkansas purchased 247 acres of undeveloped fields and woods, including 1.7 miles of Little Maumelle River frontage. The property, valued at $4.45 million, was sold for only $1 million by Ranch Property Inc. The company developed the commercial and residential district known as The Ranch, and there were plans to turn those 247 acres into residential neighborhoods. But property owners Belinda Shults, Rob Shults, Cathy Shults, Ed Willis and Gene Pfeifer had another idea.
"Donating this land to conservation was important to all of the partners," Belinda Shults said at the time of the sale. "Through the years, we've watched our children discover nature here and want that experience to continue for future generations. We're fortunate to have found the ideal owner and manager of this beautiful property."
The Nature Conservancy has protected almost 120 million acres worldwide. Since the purchase, Nature Conservancy representatives have worked with Ranch residents to finalize a public access plan. "We'll start slowly and with time get a better idea of how people are using the preserve and what recreational features will enhance their experience," says Scott Simon, the director of the Nature Conservancy of Arkansas. "Possibilities include walking and biking trails, primitive camping and picnic areas, canoe launches, a fishing pier, a covered pavilion and a wildlife observation tower. As we develop these possible amenities, we may work with other partners who share our vision for the preserve and can help make it better. Keeping Ranch North Woods in its natural state conserves the quality of water in the Little Maumelle River and its wetlands. It also helps give shelter to a variety of birds and other wildlife."
The Ranch North Woods Preserve will complement the adjoining Pinnacle Mountain State Park, in essence creating a large natural area that adjoins the state's biggest metropolitan area. Few metro areas in the country can claim such an amenity. What's now the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce began working in the early 1970s to turn Pinnacle Mountain into a state park. The Fulk family, which owned the largest tract in the area, supported that effort. Chamber members helped pay for feasibility studies and master plans, and the Arkansas Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission approved creation of the park in 1972. In the fall of that year, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development gave the state a $658,578 grant for land acquisition. The federal Bureau of Outdoor Recreation later awarded $375,000 for park development. Final approval was granted by the Arkansas Legislature during its 1973 session with the state appropriating money to match the federal grants.
"Twenty-four tracts of land involving 17 landowners were included in assembling the original 1,395 acres," James Mullins wrote for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. "The largest portion was acquired from the Fulk estate. Since the park's creation in the mid-1970s, four additional acquisitions have expanded the park to 2,069 acres. The park provides environmental protection and conservation for a relatively unspoiled tract of hills, forests and waterways near a growing metropolitan area. It also provides recreational and educational facilities and programs for visitors. The park's diverse habitats range from high upland rocky peaks and upland forests to wetlands and bottomlands along the Maumelle and Little Maumelle rivers."
An International Paper Co. gift in 1991 allowed the establishment of the Arkansas Arboretum, a 71-acre site along the Little Maumelle River within the park that exhibits native flora from the state's six natural divisions--the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, the Ouachita Mountains, the Ozark Mountains, the Gulf Coastal Plain, the Arkansas River Valley and Crowley's Ridge. There's an interpretive trail with several spurs in each of the six divisions. Pinnacle Mountain is bordered on the northwest by 9,000-acre Lake Maumelle, adding to the "oasis in the city" effect.
"After the land was acquired for the park, the modern visitor center and parking areas were built within an old quarry to avoid additional environmental damage," Mullins wrote. "Adjacent to the visitor center is a green water quarry pond with a sheer bluff backdrop of bedded massive gray sandstone and shale. Highly acidic groundwater leaches into the former quarry pit, killing most all aquatic life forms except for blue-green algae, which gives it its characteristic color."
Add to the mix Two Rivers Park, the 1,000-acre tract co-owned by the city of Little Rock and Pulaski County at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Maumelle rivers, and you now have quite the outdoors area stretching west from the capital city.
As they listen to bluegrass and eat their meals Thursday evening, those at what will become the Ranch North Woods Preserve will celebrate past developments while looking to carry the momentum into the future, to the benefit of all Arkansans.
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Freelance columnist Rex Nelson is the director of corporate communications for Simmons First National Corp. He's also the author of the Southern Fried blog at rexnelsonsouthernfried.com.
Editorial on 09/30/2015