The Northwest Arkansas Land Trust[1] (NWALT) said it will permanently protect a 62-acre cattle farm on Beaver Lake and 45 acres of forest near the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the White River in Hazel Valley (Washington County).
The cattle farm property is expected to continue its agricultural use under a conservation easement, protecting the property from being developed.
According to NWALT, “between 2017 and 2022 more than 41,000 acres of agricultural land were lost to development in Benton and Washington counties.” Landowner Jacklyn Perry Ryan donated the conservation easement to NWALT, and Beaver Water District contributed long-term stewardship money for the project as part of its sourcewater protection strategy. The land is in the district’s Tier 1 Source Water Protection Area.
“It is important to me to retain the last bit of heritage of my father’s land,” Ryan said. “My home is built where my great-grandparents originally homesteaded on a section of land (640 acres). This will never be split up for development with the future Highway 412 East bypass forthcoming.”
The forest property is along about 1,100 linear feet of stream that will be protected with a conservation easement.
Landowner and area artist Don House and his partner Sabine Schmidt worked with NWALT to protect their property for water quality protection and wildlife habitat.
The Beaver Water District paid for the project as part of its Beaver Lake Watershed Protection Strategy and a grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 319 program.
Related
References
- ^ Northwest Arkansas Land Trust (www.nwalandtrust.org)