| Fast Facts |
location
140 miles northwest of Memphis
ecoregion
Ozarks
project size
470 square miles
preserves
Strawberry River Preserve and Demonstration Ranch
partners
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Sharp County Soil and Water Commission, Sharp County Conservation Board, Federation of Fly Fishers, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, private landowners
natural events
Strawberry River orangethroat darter spawns, February–May | |
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Cattle-grazing practices threaten the survival of an unusual treasure trove of aquatic diversity in one of the state’s last free-flowing rivers. |
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Above the Strawberry River.
© Mike Fuhr/TNC |
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Wending its way through the eastern Ozark Mountains on a 70-mile journey, the Strawberry River meanders through rolling hills of pasture and woodland. Limestone bluffs rise sharply from its banks to heights of 100 feet, and overhanging tree limbs form a cool canopy—relief for canoeists in the summer sun. Although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers periodically has considered damming the river since 1938, the dam project was recently de-authorized and the Strawberry remains one of the few free-flowing rivers in the state.
Best known to fly fishers for its smallmouth bass, the Strawberry River’s waters also harbor 107 other species of fish. Particularly prized is the 2-inch-long Strawberry River orangethroat darter, found nowhere else in the world. The river’s gravel bed and rocky shoals are awash in healthy populations of 39 types of freshwater mussels and at least four species of crayfish—two of the country’s most imperiled species groups. |
Smallmouth bass.
© Doug Wilson/Corbis |
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But current practices on nearby cattle ranches are turning these clear waters murky. Cattle allowed to wade in the Strawberry and its tributaries trample streambank vegetation, causing the banks to erode and fill the river with sediment. Their waste adds excess nutrients, another major threat to water quality in the watershed. | |
The Nature Conservancy in 2000 purchased more than 1,000 acres here, including a five-mile stretch of the Strawberry River, to establish a nature preserve and demonstration farm to showcase ecologically friendly cattle ranching techniques that also are profitable for ranchers. We are working with local ranchers here and on their own farms to fence cattle out of streams and restore degraded streambanks. Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local agriculture agencies, we are also helping landowners pay the costs of switching to these river-friendly practices.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in Arkansas. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
freshwater fish, mussels and crayfish, Strawberry River orangethroat darter
stresses
habitat destruction, water quality decline caused by forest conversion, current agricultural practices, runoff from roads
strategies
acquire land, restore ecosystems, promote ecologically compatible land-use practices, engage community in natural resource management
results
1,457 acres and seven miles of stream frontage in conservation management; demonstration farm established to showcase ecologically friendly cattle ranching techniques | | | | |
