The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission has received a $3.9 million federal grant for a project to restore War Eagle Creek in northwest Arkansas.
The funds from the U.S. Department of the Interior will be used to restore watershed functions through improved corridor connectivity and to improve water quality for the creek’s surrounding habitats and communities. The project will reconnect more than 400 stream miles, making it the largest stream restoration project ever in Arkansas.
It will also remove or replace hazards along a 28-mile stretch of the waterway, making it safer for recreation and helping to establish the War Eagle Creek Water Trail, the Interior Department said in a news release.
The creek, a tributary of the White River that runs through Benton, Washington and Madison counties, is a popular destination for kayaking and fishing. It offers scenic limestone bluffs, forested hillsides and Class 1 rapids.
Matching funds bring the total investment in the project to $4.4 million. The project includes providing community services, such as conservation education training and informative data.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale on Wednesday to announce the grant.
The grant is a portion of $141.3 million awarded to 74 conservation projects across 46 states, three U.S. territories, and 21 tribal nations through the America the Beautiful Challenge, an initiative of the federal government and the nonprofit National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Overall, the projects are expected to improve management of 13 million acres; reconnect nearly 900 miles of stream or river; restore more than 650 acres of wetlands; and open more than 6,600 acres for public access.
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