By Dustin Lynch
One of the most important things the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) has done throughout our 50-year history is the conservation of previously unprotected habitat for the state’s rarest species through the ANHC System of Natural Areas. We protect and manage 79 Natural Areas encompassing more than 74,000 acres across the state. Acquisition is often driven by the presence of populations of rare terrestrial plants and animals, but recent years have seen a focus on creating natural areas to protect some of the state’s most diverse and imperiled aquatic communities as well, through both direct acquisition of stream reaches with populations of rare species as well as protection of headwater tributaries to contribute to overall watershed health.
The Saline River is one of our state’s most beautiful and ecologically diverse watersheds and one of the few undammed rivers of substantial length remaining in Arkansas. It rises in the eastern Ouachita Mountains from four headwater streams, the South, Middle, North and Alum Forks, which converge near Benton. It then flows for more than 200 miles to its confluence with the Ouachita River near Felsenthal in the Gulf Coastal Plain ecoregion. During the course of its journey, the Saline goes from clear, cascading upland headwaters in the mountains to a slow-moving lowland bayou near its mouth. As one might imagine, very different aquatic species inhabit different portions of the river along the way.
Disagreement exists over how the river got its name. Some say it was due to a salty marsh known as the “Marais Saline” near its mouth, while others claim it was the extensive salt works along the river near Benton which once supplied much of the salt consumed in the territory and in surrounding states. It has been known as the Merry Saline, Marie Saline, Saline Bayou and other names.
Alum Fork Natural Area became part of ANHC’s System of Natural Areas in 2018, shortly after I started working at the agency. Some of my earliest work for ANHC was conducting the first aquatic biological inventories of it, where I documented many species, including one of Arkansas’ seven state endemic fish species, the Ouachita Madtom (Noturus lachneri). This diminutive catfish, only around 3.5 inches when fully grown, is primarily restricted to the forks of the upper Saline River in the Ouachita Mountains. These streams are characterized by fast-flowing clear water and a streambed of gravel, cobble and bedrock. Rare plants grow along this stretch of the Alum Fork as well, including Three-way Sedge (Dulichium arundinaceum) and Sticky Hedge-Hyssop (Gratiola brevifola) in the river channel and Ouachita Indigo-Bush (Amorpha ouachitensis) on rocky banks and elevated scour bars.
Photos: Ouachita Madtom (Notorus lachneri) (top), one of seven endemic fish species in Arkansas, in a riffle in the Alum Fork of the Saline River at Alum Fork Natural Area (bottom). Photos by Dustin Lynch.
The following year I participated in a survey of another tract on the Alum Fork 3.5 river miles downstream. This section is home to mussel beds containing such rare species as the Little Spectaclecase (Leaunio lienosus), Purple Lilliput (Toxolasma lividum) and the federally endangered state endemic Arkansas Fatmucket (Lampsilis powellii). During snorkeling surveys here, I encountered such fascinating species as the massive and formidable Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) and one of the state’s few fully aquatic salamanders, the Red River Mudpuppy (Necturus louisianensis). This tract would later become part of Alum Fork Natural Area, doubling its size. The addition of a third tract earlier this year increased the size of this natural area even further, protecting approximately 2.4 miles of overall river frontage along the Alum Fork. The river is not the only important aquatic habitat at the natural area which also protects many small tributaries that are home to such rare regionally endemic species as Ouachita Mountain Crayfish (Fallicambarus tenuis).
More than 30 river miles to the south along the Alum Fork lies one of ANHC’s newest natural areas, Goat’s Beard Bluff, which became part of the system in 2022. It sits within the transition zone between two of the state’s major ecoregions – the Ouachita Mountains and Gulf Coastal Plain along a geological feature known as the fall line, a boundary where an upland ecoregion meets the lowlands. Transitional areas between biological communities, known as ecotones, are often very biodiverse, as they are home to species from both neighboring communities. During preliminary surveys in spring and summer 2022, ANHC Chief of Research Theo Witsell documented a diverse mixture of upland and lowland plant species and I found something similar when I explored the river. The fish community here contains both upland species such as the Northern Studfish (Fundulus catenatus) and Highland Stoneroller (Campostoma spadiceum), and species more often found below the fall line, such as Harlequin Darter (Etheostoma histrio) and Blacktail Shiner (Cyprinella venusta). In addition to a diverse fish community and extensive mussel beds, Goat’s Beard Bluff Natural Area is home to species like the Razorbacked Musk Turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) and Ouachita River Crayfish (Procambarus ouachitae).
The Alum Fork is not the only branch of the Saline River that falls within an ANHC natural area. Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area near Hot Springs Village is best known for the botanical diversity contained in its shale glades, barrens and oak woodlands. Among the many rare plants that can be found at the natural area are the state endemic Pelton’s Rose-Gentian (Sabatia arkansana) and regionally endemic Ouachita Bluestar (Amsonia hurichtii). At the right time of year, those same habitats at Middle Fork Barrens are also a great place to find our official state butterfly, the Diana Fritillary (Argynnis diana). But Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area also protects a half mile of river-front habitat along the Middle Fork Saline River, where I’ve documented a diverse assortment of more than 30 species of fish, including species like the Creole Darter (Etheostoma collettei), Pirate Perch (Aphredoderus sayanus) and Southern Brook Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon gagei). A few years ago, ANHC restored a section of the river here that previously had badly eroding banks, not only improving the habitat for species living at the site but also reducing sedimentation downstream.
Nearly 170 river miles south of the place where the forks converge to form the main-stem Saline River, ANHC protects a vastly different part of the watershed at Longview Saline Natural Area. Deep within the West Gulf Coastal Plain ecoregion, this part of the river is characterized by a bed of sand and fine gravel rather than the coarser substrates found in the mountains. As you would expect, the aquatic species that live here are quite different. Darter species found at Longview Saline Natural Area include delicate Scaly Sand Darters (Ammocrypta vivax), who bury themselves in the sand leaving only their eyes and snouts exposed and robust Stargazing Darters (Percina uranidea) that occupy the swifter, deeper riffles. While the Sand Darters prefer to feed on the larvae of midges and other tiny aquatic insects, the Stargazing Darters specialize in a diet of snails, limpets and other mollusks. The Stargazing Darter was once a fairly widespread species but has declined in rivers across most of its range, leaving Arkansas its last true stronghold.
Schools of minnows at Longview Saline Natural Area include species like Blacktail Shiner (Cyprinella venusta), Ribbon Shiner (Lythrurus fumeus) and Bullhead Minnow (Pimephales vigilax), as well as one of our state’s rarest fish, Peppered Shiner (Notropis perpallidus). Historic accounts referred to this diminutive fish (our smallest minnow), as being one of the most abundant species in the Saline River. Peppered Shiners were also once found in the Ouachita and Caddo rivers of Arkansas and the Kiamichi and Little rivers of southeast Oklahoma. Troublingly, this species has vanished from most of its range in recent decades. The Saline River is the last remaining refuge for this tiny fish, which is named for its unusual pigmentation – its pale, nearly translucent body is covered in scattered concentrations of dark pigment resembling large flakes of pepper. Peppered Shiners and many other fish species depend on the cover provided by dense beds of Water Willow (Justicia americana) that grow along the margins of the stream.
Photos: Peppered Shiners (Notropis perpallidus) (top), one of Arkansas' rarest fish species, today found only in the Saline River, utilize beds of Water Willow (Justicia americana) (bottom left and right) as crucial habitat. Photos by Dustin Lynch.
In terms of aquatic biodiversity, the mussel beds at Longview Saline Natural Area are one of the crowning jewels of ANHC’s System of Natural Areas. While the natural areas in the upper Saline (Alum Fork, Middlefork Barrens and Goat’s Beard Bluff natural areas) all are home to a handful of mussel species, the beds at Longview Saline Natural Area contain upwards of 30 species, including critically imperiled mussels such as the federally endangered Winged Mapleleaf (Quadrula fragosa), federally threatened Rabbitsfoot (Theliderma cylindrica) and many more with such evocative and imaginative names as Pistolgrip (Tritogonia verrucosa), Pimpleback (Cyclonaias pustulosa) and Monkeyface (Theliderma metanerva). The sandbars here are covered in hundreds of shells left behind by these species, a truly impressive sight to behold.
Mussels are filter-feeders that are sometimes likened to the “kidneys of our rivers.” They also have one of the most fascinating reproductive cycles in all of nature. Each species relies on a fish host to transport its larvae, which are known as glochidia. Glochidia are parasitic, though they do not harm the host fish. They hitch a ride on the fish’s gills, usually for only a short period of time, after which they detach and fall to the streambed to continue growth into adulthood. This stage of development is not only required for the mussel’s development but is also how mussels are able to colonize new areas of a stream. Some species, such as the Plain Pocketbook (Lampsilis cardium), have even evolved a fleshy lure that resembles a small fish or other aquatic prey. The pulsating lure entices a fish to approach, at which point the female mussel releases her glochidia to attach to the would-be predator.
Photos: Plain Pocketbook (Lampsilis cardium), one of more than 80 mussel species in Arkansas, can be found in the Saline River at several ANHC Natural Areas. Females use a fleshy lure (bottom) to attract fish hosts, which are needed to carry their larvae. Photos by Dustin Lynch.
Unfortunately, freshwater mussels are the single most imperiled taxonomic group in North America and receive far less attention than others. Historically, mussels were targeted by the pearl button-making industry, which led to the decline of some formerly widespread species. Today they face very different threats. Increased pollution and sedimentation have pushed the “kidneys of our rivers” to their limits. And, barriers to fish passage affect mussels’ host species, preventing them from carrying out their life cycles or propagating in new areas of the streambed. Of the more than 80 species that occur in Arkansas, more than half are considered species of concern, and more than a dozen of those are listed as federally threatened or endangered.
Although acquisition of natural areas is one important aspect of protecting aquatic ecosystems, it is only part of the solution. Rivers are complex and dynamic. What happens upstream and downstream has a strong impact on species living in a section of flowing water, whether it’s on a protected area or not. To truly protect aquatic communities requires watershed-wide solutions to address pollution, sedimentation, aquatic organism passage, hydrologic alteration and other challenging issues involving many stakeholders. ANHC works closely with partners to conduct research and conservation efforts throughout the Saline River watershed, as we do in several other watersheds across Arkansas.
As I selected photos from the past six years of surveys to accompany this article, I was struck by just how many of my favorite memories of fieldwork come from the Saline River. These experiences have ranged from encountering huge Alligator Snapping Turtles on the bottom of pools in the Alum Fork to watching Scaly Sand Darters burrow in the sand off a shoal at Longview Saline Natural Area to walking along a beach strewn with the shells of dozens of mussel species and being overcome with an appreciation for the biodiversity there, not only of the mussels themselves but of the implication that all those host fish species are still swimming in those waters. The Saline River is one of our state’s most unique and irreplaceable natural resources.
Photos: A variety of turtle species call the ANHC natural areas on the Saline River home, including Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) (top), Razor-backed Musk Turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) (bottom left) and Mississippi Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni) (bottom right). Photos by Dustin Lynch.
One of the most important things the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) has done throughout our 50-year history is the conservation of previously unprotected habitat for the state’s rarest species through the ANHC System of Natural Areas. We protect and manage 79 Natural Areas encompassing more than 74,000 acres across the state. Acquisition is often driven by the presence of populations of rare terrestrial plants and animals, but recent years have seen a focus on creating natural areas to protect some of the state’s most diverse and imperiled aquatic communities as well, through both direct acquisition of stream reaches with populations of rare species as well as protection of headwater tributaries to contribute to overall watershed health.
The Saline River is one of our state’s most beautiful and ecologically diverse watersheds and one of the few undammed rivers of substantial length remaining in Arkansas. It rises in the eastern Ouachita Mountains from four headwater streams, the South, Middle, North and Alum Forks, which converge near Benton. It then flows for more than 200 miles to its confluence with the Ouachita River near Felsenthal in the Gulf Coastal Plain ecoregion. During the course of its journey, the Saline goes from clear, cascading upland headwaters in the mountains to a slow-moving lowland bayou near its mouth. As one might imagine, very different aquatic species inhabit different portions of the river along the way.
Disagreement exists over how the river got its name. Some say it was due to a salty marsh known as the “Marais Saline” near its mouth, while others claim it was the extensive salt works along the river near Benton which once supplied much of the salt consumed in the territory and in surrounding states. It has been known as the Merry Saline, Marie Saline, Saline Bayou and other names.
Alum Fork Natural Area became part of ANHC’s System of Natural Areas in 2018, shortly after I started working at the agency. Some of my earliest work for ANHC was conducting the first aquatic biological inventories of it, where I documented many species, including one of Arkansas’ seven state endemic fish species, the Ouachita Madtom (Noturus lachneri). This diminutive catfish, only around 3.5 inches when fully grown, is primarily restricted to the forks of the upper Saline River in the Ouachita Mountains. These streams are characterized by fast-flowing clear water and a streambed of gravel, cobble and bedrock. Rare plants grow along this stretch of the Alum Fork as well, including Three-way Sedge (Dulichium arundinaceum) and Sticky Hedge-Hyssop (Gratiola brevifola) in the river channel and Ouachita Indigo-Bush (Amorpha ouachitensis) on rocky banks and elevated scour bars.
Photos: Ouachita Madtom (Notorus lachneri) (top), one of seven endemic fish species in Arkansas, in a riffle in the Alum Fork of the Saline River at Alum Fork Natural Area (bottom). Photos by Dustin Lynch.The following year I participated in a survey of another tract on the Alum Fork 3.5 river miles downstream. This section is home to mussel beds containing such rare species as the Little Spectaclecase (Leaunio lienosus), Purple Lilliput (Toxolasma lividum) and the federally endangered state endemic Arkansas Fatmucket (Lampsilis powellii). During snorkeling surveys here, I encountered such fascinating species as the massive and formidable Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) and one of the state’s few fully aquatic salamanders, the Red River Mudpuppy (Necturus louisianensis). This tract would later become part of Alum Fork Natural Area, doubling its size. The addition of a third tract earlier this year increased the size of this natural area even further, protecting approximately 2.4 miles of overall river frontage along the Alum Fork. The river is not the only important aquatic habitat at the natural area which also protects many small tributaries that are home to such rare regionally endemic species as Ouachita Mountain Crayfish (Fallicambarus tenuis).
More than 30 river miles to the south along the Alum Fork lies one of ANHC’s newest natural areas, Goat’s Beard Bluff, which became part of the system in 2022. It sits within the transition zone between two of the state’s major ecoregions – the Ouachita Mountains and Gulf Coastal Plain along a geological feature known as the fall line, a boundary where an upland ecoregion meets the lowlands. Transitional areas between biological communities, known as ecotones, are often very biodiverse, as they are home to species from both neighboring communities. During preliminary surveys in spring and summer 2022, ANHC Chief of Research Theo Witsell documented a diverse mixture of upland and lowland plant species and I found something similar when I explored the river. The fish community here contains both upland species such as the Northern Studfish (Fundulus catenatus) and Highland Stoneroller (Campostoma spadiceum), and species more often found below the fall line, such as Harlequin Darter (Etheostoma histrio) and Blacktail Shiner (Cyprinella venusta). In addition to a diverse fish community and extensive mussel beds, Goat’s Beard Bluff Natural Area is home to species like the Razorbacked Musk Turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) and Ouachita River Crayfish (Procambarus ouachitae).
The Alum Fork is not the only branch of the Saline River that falls within an ANHC natural area. Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area near Hot Springs Village is best known for the botanical diversity contained in its shale glades, barrens and oak woodlands. Among the many rare plants that can be found at the natural area are the state endemic Pelton’s Rose-Gentian (Sabatia arkansana) and regionally endemic Ouachita Bluestar (Amsonia hurichtii). At the right time of year, those same habitats at Middle Fork Barrens are also a great place to find our official state butterfly, the Diana Fritillary (Argynnis diana). But Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area also protects a half mile of river-front habitat along the Middle Fork Saline River, where I’ve documented a diverse assortment of more than 30 species of fish, including species like the Creole Darter (Etheostoma collettei), Pirate Perch (Aphredoderus sayanus) and Southern Brook Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon gagei). A few years ago, ANHC restored a section of the river here that previously had badly eroding banks, not only improving the habitat for species living at the site but also reducing sedimentation downstream.
Nearly 170 river miles south of the place where the forks converge to form the main-stem Saline River, ANHC protects a vastly different part of the watershed at Longview Saline Natural Area. Deep within the West Gulf Coastal Plain ecoregion, this part of the river is characterized by a bed of sand and fine gravel rather than the coarser substrates found in the mountains. As you would expect, the aquatic species that live here are quite different. Darter species found at Longview Saline Natural Area include delicate Scaly Sand Darters (Ammocrypta vivax), who bury themselves in the sand leaving only their eyes and snouts exposed and robust Stargazing Darters (Percina uranidea) that occupy the swifter, deeper riffles. While the Sand Darters prefer to feed on the larvae of midges and other tiny aquatic insects, the Stargazing Darters specialize in a diet of snails, limpets and other mollusks. The Stargazing Darter was once a fairly widespread species but has declined in rivers across most of its range, leaving Arkansas its last true stronghold.
Schools of minnows at Longview Saline Natural Area include species like Blacktail Shiner (Cyprinella venusta), Ribbon Shiner (Lythrurus fumeus) and Bullhead Minnow (Pimephales vigilax), as well as one of our state’s rarest fish, Peppered Shiner (Notropis perpallidus). Historic accounts referred to this diminutive fish (our smallest minnow), as being one of the most abundant species in the Saline River. Peppered Shiners were also once found in the Ouachita and Caddo rivers of Arkansas and the Kiamichi and Little rivers of southeast Oklahoma. Troublingly, this species has vanished from most of its range in recent decades. The Saline River is the last remaining refuge for this tiny fish, which is named for its unusual pigmentation – its pale, nearly translucent body is covered in scattered concentrations of dark pigment resembling large flakes of pepper. Peppered Shiners and many other fish species depend on the cover provided by dense beds of Water Willow (Justicia americana) that grow along the margins of the stream.
Photos: Peppered Shiners (Notropis perpallidus) (top), one of Arkansas' rarest fish species, today found only in the Saline River, utilize beds of Water Willow (Justicia americana) (bottom left and right) as crucial habitat. Photos by Dustin Lynch.In terms of aquatic biodiversity, the mussel beds at Longview Saline Natural Area are one of the crowning jewels of ANHC’s System of Natural Areas. While the natural areas in the upper Saline (Alum Fork, Middlefork Barrens and Goat’s Beard Bluff natural areas) all are home to a handful of mussel species, the beds at Longview Saline Natural Area contain upwards of 30 species, including critically imperiled mussels such as the federally endangered Winged Mapleleaf (Quadrula fragosa), federally threatened Rabbitsfoot (Theliderma cylindrica) and many more with such evocative and imaginative names as Pistolgrip (Tritogonia verrucosa), Pimpleback (Cyclonaias pustulosa) and Monkeyface (Theliderma metanerva). The sandbars here are covered in hundreds of shells left behind by these species, a truly impressive sight to behold.
Mussels are filter-feeders that are sometimes likened to the “kidneys of our rivers.” They also have one of the most fascinating reproductive cycles in all of nature. Each species relies on a fish host to transport its larvae, which are known as glochidia. Glochidia are parasitic, though they do not harm the host fish. They hitch a ride on the fish’s gills, usually for only a short period of time, after which they detach and fall to the streambed to continue growth into adulthood. This stage of development is not only required for the mussel’s development but is also how mussels are able to colonize new areas of a stream. Some species, such as the Plain Pocketbook (Lampsilis cardium), have even evolved a fleshy lure that resembles a small fish or other aquatic prey. The pulsating lure entices a fish to approach, at which point the female mussel releases her glochidia to attach to the would-be predator.
Photos: Plain Pocketbook (Lampsilis cardium), one of more than 80 mussel species in Arkansas, can be found in the Saline River at several ANHC Natural Areas. Females use a fleshy lure (bottom) to attract fish hosts, which are needed to carry their larvae. Photos by Dustin Lynch.
Unfortunately, freshwater mussels are the single most imperiled taxonomic group in North America and receive far less attention than others. Historically, mussels were targeted by the pearl button-making industry, which led to the decline of some formerly widespread species. Today they face very different threats. Increased pollution and sedimentation have pushed the “kidneys of our rivers” to their limits. And, barriers to fish passage affect mussels’ host species, preventing them from carrying out their life cycles or propagating in new areas of the streambed. Of the more than 80 species that occur in Arkansas, more than half are considered species of concern, and more than a dozen of those are listed as federally threatened or endangered.
Although acquisition of natural areas is one important aspect of protecting aquatic ecosystems, it is only part of the solution. Rivers are complex and dynamic. What happens upstream and downstream has a strong impact on species living in a section of flowing water, whether it’s on a protected area or not. To truly protect aquatic communities requires watershed-wide solutions to address pollution, sedimentation, aquatic organism passage, hydrologic alteration and other challenging issues involving many stakeholders. ANHC works closely with partners to conduct research and conservation efforts throughout the Saline River watershed, as we do in several other watersheds across Arkansas.
As I selected photos from the past six years of surveys to accompany this article, I was struck by just how many of my favorite memories of fieldwork come from the Saline River. These experiences have ranged from encountering huge Alligator Snapping Turtles on the bottom of pools in the Alum Fork to watching Scaly Sand Darters burrow in the sand off a shoal at Longview Saline Natural Area to walking along a beach strewn with the shells of dozens of mussel species and being overcome with an appreciation for the biodiversity there, not only of the mussels themselves but of the implication that all those host fish species are still swimming in those waters. The Saline River is one of our state’s most unique and irreplaceable natural resources.
Photos: A variety of turtle species call the ANHC natural areas on the Saline River home, including Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) (top), Razor-backed Musk Turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) (bottom left) and Mississippi Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni) (bottom right). Photos by Dustin Lynch.