Spring 2026 Conservation Highlights

Land Protection That Flows Downstream

Steep forested bluffs over clear water define the Archey Fork of the Upper Little Red River, which winds through TNC’s Bluffton Preserve, shaping both the land and the life that depends on it.

Thanks to you, TNC and partners have conserved another 2,000 acres along the Archey Fork, more than doubling the size of Bluffton Preserve and stitching together a landscape that can now function as it was meant to—connected, resilient and wild. These forests and streams work together, filtering water, sheltering wildlife and buffering one of Arkansas’s most important Ozark rivers.

This protection also matters downstream. Water flowing through Bluffton Preserve eventually reaches Greers Ferry Lake, a drinking water source for more than 30,000 Arkansans. It matters beneath the surface, where rare freshwater mussels filter the river and where fish like the yellowcheek darter, found nowhere else on Earth, still persist.

Bluffton Preserve is also a place for people. Trails follow ridgelines, campsites sit beneath big trees, and the river invites exploration by paddling, fishing or swimming. It’s a place where conservation is something you can walk through and experience firsthand.

Land protection on this scale doesn’t happen all at once. It’s the result of steady commitment, long-standing partnerships and a shared knowledge that some places are worth keeping whole. TNC has set an ambitious goal to lead and work alongside partners to protect an additional 30,000 acres of priority lands like this by 2030, places that are vital for both people and nature. Your support helps ensure connected landscapes continue to sustain clean water, wildlife and outdoor connections for generations.

Exploration has also brought discovery. Michael and fellow cave scientists have found yet another previously unknown population of rare cave crayfish and gathered evidence of a cavefish that may be new to the state, highlighting just how much life remains unseen beneath the surface.

Caves are connected, and what happens on the surface flows underground. TNC expanded partnerships with the Beaver Watershed Alliance and the Illinois River Watershed Partnership to work with NW Arkansas landowners on improving water quality through floodplain restoration, streambank stabilization and groundwater protection. This work is collaborative, often unseen and making a measurable difference underground.

A Shared Effort for Shared Groundwater

With a $500,000 investment from Mississippi State, TNC is expanding a practical agricultural effort to a pressing groundwater challenge in the Mississippi Delta. The investment builds on a well timer pilot program launched in Arkansas, where results showed that farmers reduced irrigation water use by about 20 percent simply by tracking how long their wells ran.

More than 60,000 acres in Arkansas now use well timers. That success and the knowledge gained is now extending into Mississippi, with plans to install at least 250 timers on roughly 25,000 acres at no cost to farmers, focusing on areas where groundwater is under the greatest strain.

The approach is simple and effective. By providing better information and working with farmers voluntarily, well timers help make smart, efficient water decisions that benefit both working lands and long-term water resources.

Learning on the Land: Turning Science into Action

TNC preserves serve as living classrooms, places where scientists can test ideas, learn what works and share lessons that strengthen conservation across the state.

Research activity on Arkansas’ preserves has grown, with six new projects launched by partner universities and independent researchers, with several more continuing. These efforts aren’t just academic. They are designed to answer practical questions that landowners, agencies and partners are grappling with every day.

One of these projects is at Smith Creek Preserve, where researchers from Arkansas Tech University are studying cerulean warblers, a striking blue songbird whose numbers have steadily declined. The site offers a rare opportunity to better understand habitat needs and forest management choices that can make a difference for vulnerable birds.

Another research project is underway at Ranch North Woods Preserve. Researchers are exploring how native plants and mosquito management influence bird health. This work sits at the intersection of wildlife and human well-being and could help shape future approaches far beyond the preserve boundaries.

TNC is also leading research on how fire is used to restore forests across the state. By studying how different seasons of prescribed burning affect plant communities, insights can be applied by conservation groups, agencies and private landowners alike. By leveraging our lands, TNC is helping ensure that conservation in Arkansas is guided by science, shared widely and built to last.