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Lyon Big Piney Creek Preserve

Lyon Big Piney Creek Preserve
Lyon Big Piney Creek Preserve
© Mike Fuhr/TNC

Why You Should Visit
Completely forested, the Lyon Big Piney Creek Preserve hosts a number of typical Ozark plant and animal species, from pine and oak to warblers and hawks. The preserve is bordered by approximately one-quarter mile of Big Piney Creek on the north, a small feeder creek on the east and the Ozark National Forest on the west and south. Also found on this site is an 80-foot bluff with a suite of Arkansas wildflowers.

Location
Newton County, on the upper reaches of Big Piney Creek north of Clarksville.

Size
61 acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Special permission is required from a neighboring landowner whose property you must cross to access the Conservancy preserve.

There are no marked trails. Bluffs are not fenced; please use extreme caution when hiking near the edges.

Directions
Please contact the Conservancy's Arkansas Field Office at (501) 614-5076 or arkansas@tnc.org for directions and access information.

What to See: Plants
The site contains typical Ozark oak-pine woodlands with glade openings on the bluff tops. Look for native grasses and flowers such as:

  • little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
  • broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus)
  • black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
  • Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora)

River cane (Arundinaria gigantea) can be seen near the stream side.

List of plants at Big Piney

What to See: Animals
Several aquatic species in Big Piney Creek are endemic to the Ozark Mountains ecoregion. Creatures such as the checkered madtom (Noturus flavater), Arkansas saddled darter (Etheostoma euzonum), and longnose darter (Percina nasuta) are of special concern due to their limited range.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The preserve was created in 2002 with a land donation from David and Virginia Lyon of Iowa.  It is part of the threatened Interior Highlands oak ecosystem that spans the Ozark and Ouachita mountains -- a high Conservancy priority for large-scale restoration.  

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Conservation planning for this site is currently under way and will center on restoring fire as an important ecological process for maintaining native plant communities.