Greers Ferry: Sustainable Rivers and Forests Initiative
We’ve created two new preserves along the Archey Fork and South Fork—new opportunities to explore!
Did you know that over 150,000 people get their drinking water from Greers Ferry Lake? Thanks to your support and a generous grant, they will have clean, safe water to quench their thirst for generations to come.
BHP Billiton gave $6 million to The Nature Conservancy to benefit Greers Ferry Lake, its watershed, and the people who depend on it. The gift is a part of the company’s Sustainable Rivers and Forests Initiative, which also granted $8 million to conserve the Columbia Bottomlands near Houston, Texas.
Greers Ferry Lake and the four forks of the Little Red River that feed it are not just a drinking water source; they are a natural treasure—one that needs our help. Of the 80 native fish and other aquatic animals at home there, 23 are rare and two exist nowhere else in the world. That makes conserving this part of Arkansas vitally important to protecting the diversity of life on Earth.
The greatest challenge to the area’s water quality is too much sediment. It washes into the rivers from dirt roads, unstable streambanks, and riverside land cleared of trees that once kept the soil in place. With BHP’s gift and a lot of help from local landowners and others who love the lake and rivers, the Conservancy is repairing eroding roads, restoring streambanks, and reforesting riversides. And we created two new preserves protecting eight river miles and 1,840 acres along the Archey Fork and South Fork—new opportunities for you and your family to explore!
The Conservancy is able to take on big opportunities like the BHP Billiton gift only because of the solid foundation our members have built over many years for our program in Arkansas. Thank you for giving us the means to put this amazing gift to work for the Natural State.
Thank you!
The Little Red River has benefitted from years of hard work and dedication from countless local advocates, landowners, donors and partners including the City of Clinton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwestern Energy Corporation, Arkansas Canoe Club, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, South Fork Nature Center…and YOU. Arkansas’ conservation community is amazing!