Northwest Arkansas Land Trust conserves 830 acres in Benton County – Talk Business & Politics

Fayetteville nonprofit Northwest Arkansas Land Belief (NWALT) has acquired 830 acres of the historic Lake Frances property close to Siloam Springs.

In keeping with a Wednesday (Oct. 5) information launch, the deal was made doable with a grant from the Walton Household Basis. NWALT spokesman Ryder Snell stated the acquisition worth was roughly $3 million.

NWALT will handle the property, now often called the Lake Frances Protect, for wildlife habitat, water high quality and future public entry.

NWALT bought the property from the descendants of Frances Sloan Thomas, for whom the lake was named. It’s the largest tract bought by NWALT, making it their most outstanding conservation property in Benton County.

The protect lies on the Arkansas/Oklahoma border east of the Illinois River and the previous 70-acre Lake Frances. In keeping with the discharge, it is likely one of the most intensive tracts of contiguous forest in western Benton County. It’s thought-about one of the important pine/oak woodlands in Northwest Arkansas. There may be additionally a big publish oak savanna of regional conservation significance alongside Lake Frances Gate Rd.

“Completely defending the Lake Frances property ensures a chunk of Benton County’s pure heritage is protected ceaselessly. The shortleaf pine stands and oak savanna are distinctive in our area and assist inform the story of what it was like right here almost 200 years in the past,” stated Marson Nance, director of land stewardship and analysis. “We’ve already discovered distinctive crops on the property however have barely scratched the floor in documenting the land’s biodiversity.”

In keeping with the discharge, Lake Frances Protect has over seven miles of mapped streams, a lot of which consists of seasonal and ephemeral streams which help an abundance of crops and wildlife. Everlasting safety of those streams and their habitats will assist defend water high quality within the Illinois River.

“We’re grateful and excited to showcase one other instance of a robust conservation partnership to save lots of land in Northwest Arkansas,” stated Pam Nelson, NWALT’s director of land safety. “The Illinois River Watershed has been a precedence for us for the reason that Land Belief was based. We’re honored to protect a household legacy and the historical past of this essential property together with the pure legacy which makes Northwest Arkansas a particular place to stay.”

Public entry plans embody:

• Web site-appropriate mountain climbing trails.
• Pure floor multi-use trails.
• A tough floor multi-use path connecting Oklahoma Freeway 59 north of the WOKA Whitewater Park to Arkansas Freeway 59.

“That is NWALT’s first partnership with the event and development of mountain climbing, operating, and mountain bike single observe trails to encourage public engagement with the protect to higher perceive the importance of defending these particular habitats,” NWALT CEO Grady Spann stated. “We’re enthusiastic about this partnership and the way we offer leisure alternatives to all guests to the Lake Frances Protect.”

NWALT protects 6,000 acres in Northwest Arkansas, together with 1,300 in Benton County and 1,700 within the Illinois River Watershed.

The land belief’s service space contains 13 counties in Northwest Arkansas, with a core give attention to Benton, Carroll, Madison, and Washington counties.

LAKE FRANCES HISTORY
As soon as a resort catering to rich Tulsans opened within the Nineteen Thirties, the property included a lodge, dance corridor, cabins, swimming pool, restaurant, tennis courts, and a golf course. A dam was constructed on the Illinois River to create the 70-acre Lake Frances.

The well-known outlaw Belle Starr is believed to have hidden alongside the bluffs within the late 1800s, and Hank Williams Sr. honeymooned on the property in 1952. The amenities had been demolished within the Seventies. In 1989, the Lake Frances dam was irreparably broken, and the lake drained, restoring the course of the Illinois River.