The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) has finalized the acquisition of a 1,073-acre addition to Longview Saline Natural Area, funded in part by a $901,791 Recovery Land Acquisition (RLA) Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and grants from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council (ANCRC) totaling $915,000. The ANHC will work in conjunction with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), who administers the RLA Grant for the USFWS, to protect and maintain this biologically diverse Saline River ecosystem.

Department of Arkansas Heritage Director Stacy Hurst said “We thank everyone who helped with the acquisition of this great addition to the System of Natural Areas. This addition to Longview Saline Natural Area was ranked as a national priority by the Federal Recovery Land Acquisition Grant funding program, which provides funding for species and habitat conservation actions on non-federal lands.”

The 4,910-acre natural area represents one of the best remaining examples of six declining rare natural communities within the lower Saline River watershed – saline soil barrens, seasonally flooded saline barrens, Carolina ash sloughs, Delta Post Oak flatwoods, prairie mound woodlands, and pine flatwoods. The addition protects habitat along the Saline River that supports three federally endangered species and one federally threatened species.

AGFC Chief of Wildlife Management Brad Carner says the combined benefit of protecting these rare habitats while offering more access to the public for hunting, fishing and wildlife watching is a result that could not be achieved without many partners working together for the common cause of conservation.

The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission will manage the property collaboratively with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said ANHC Director Chris Colclasure.