View Article - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
View Article - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission View Article - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
naturally speakingWin Big With‘Talkin’ Outdoors’Time Change on KARK Begins in JanuaryTime is running out to enter the“Watch and Win” drawing, brought toyou by “Talkin’ Outdoors at the CornerCafé.”Host Steve “Wild Man” Wilson,public affairs coordinator for theArkansas Game and Fish Commission,will draw a winner during the Dec.3-4 episode. The show airs at 9 a.m.Saturdays on KNWA in northwesternArkansas and 9 a.m. Sundays on KARZin central Arkansas. It also airs at 11:30p.m. Sundays on Little Rock’s KARK,although that time slot will change to 11p.m. in January.Prizes for this year’s drawing include aSony 55-inch, 3-D, high-definition TV;two pairs of 3-D glasses; a 3-D emitter; aPlayStation 3, and a Sony Alpha33 digitalcamera, complete with camera bag,tripod and a 4-gigabyte memory card.All those prizes are furnished byBedford Camera & Video, with stores inRogers, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, LittleRock and North Little Rock. See www.bedfords.com for details.The winner also receives a LifetimeResident Hunting and FishingSportsman’s Permit worth $1,000,thanks to the Arkansas Game and FishFoundation.To enter, send a postcard with name,address, phone number and email address(optional) to : Talkin’ Outdoors Watchand Win, KARK, Suite 104, 1401 W.Capitol Ave., Little Rock, AR 72201-2940. Enter as many times as you like;entries must be received by Nov. 28.The contest is open only to Arkansasresidents.Study Predicts HighWetlands at Greater RiskAccording to a studyreleased earlier this year,the risk of wetland habitatloss is greater in areassuch as the Boston andOuachita mountains thanit is in lowlands such asthe Coastal Plain and theMississippi Basin.Baylor University andthe USDA Forest Service’sRocky Mountain ResearchStation developed a modelbased on the study thatpredicts the risk of wetlandhabitat loss. The modelcovers 13 states, includingArkansas. The studyappeared in EcologicalApplications.“Because conservationresources are scarce,it is essential to focusconservation efforts onthose geographic areasAll wetlands face risky futures, although those at higher elevations facea lower survival rate. Photo by Jeff Williams.where the risks for further wetland habitat loss are the greatest,” said Dr. Kevin Gutzwiller,a Baylor biology professor and coauthor of the study. “Our predictive model can be used toplan protection efforts by helping to prioritize wetland areas for conservation. The modelalso can be used to assess the effectiveness of current wetland conservation programs.”According to government figures, between 1992 and 1997, more than 500,000 acres ofwetlands were lost in the U.S. The greatest loss was in the South.Some of the variables that best predicted wetland habitat loss in the study were landcover and land use of the surrounding landscape, size of developments within 1,900 feetof wetlands, road density within 1,900 feet of wetlands and land ownership. Throughoutthe study area, higher predicted risks of wetlands habitat loss occurred in and near largeurban areas.“Wetland fate is thought to be influenced by both local and landscape-level processes,”said Curtis Flather, coauthor and research wildlife biologist at the Rocky MountainResearch Station. “Because of their topographic and edaphic characteristics, highlands arelikely to be better drained than are lowlands. Wetlands situated in highlands may thereforebe less extensive and more isolated than wetlands situated in lowlands.”28ARKANSAS WILDLIFE NOVEMBER • DECEMBER 2011
Federal Grant WillExpand ANHC SystemRed-cockaded woodpeckers, pink mucket mussels and wingedmapleleafs are a few species that will benefit from a federal grantof more than $1.5 million. The grant will be administered by theArkansas Game and Fish Commission.The money will pay for about 1,700 acres to be added toLongview Saline Natural Area in Ashley County, an ArkansasNatural Heritage Commission site. Wintering Henslow’ssparrows, a species of conservation concern, use saline soil barrenson the property. The barrens also support salt slicks, a tiny habitatthat may support geocarpon, a federally endangered plant speciesknown from four sites in Arkansas (three of which are protectedby ANHC).Opportunities for outdoor recreation and hunting also willbe available.The grant came through the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService’s Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund,which provides money for species and habitat conservation onnon-federal lands. For more information about the ANHC andthe system of natural areas, visit www.naturalheritage.com.About 1,700 acres will be added to Longview Saline Natural Area. Photo courtesy ofArkansas Natural Heritage Commission.New Loop TrailExplores Cove CreekA new 1.5-mile primitive loop trail will help visitors explore CoveCreek Natural Area, which covers 228 acres in Faulkner County.Cove Creek Loop Trail is rated easy to moderate. Highlightsinclude two scenic overlooks of free-flowing Cove Creek and twofoot bridges that were constructed from cedars and lumber salvagedfrom old natural area entrance signs.From the trailhead, hikers meander through a cedar gladebefore the landscape transitions into an upland hardwood forestdominated by oak and hickory trees. After roughly half a mile,hikers reach Cove Creek overlook. This outcrop gives hikers theirfirst look at Cove Creek, a tributary of Cadron Creek. During wetweather, a cascading waterfall flows immediately south ofthe overlook.From the overlook, hikers follow an old game trail and reachanother vista in about a quarter of a mile. From the secondoverlook, the trail continues down a natural bench to Cove Creek.The trail meanders through the bottomlands before returning toupland hardwood forest and the trailhead.This primitive trail is a good day-hike destination and providesopportunities for low-impact use such as bird watching orphotography, as well as scientific research and education. Fordirections and more information about the area, visit www.naturalheritage.com/natural-area/cove-creek.Cove Creek Loop Trail offers a day hike into a scenic natural area, which includes thecreek. Photos courtesy of Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.NOVEMBER • DECEMBER 2011ARKANSAS WILDLIFE29
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Federal Grant WillExp<strong>and</strong> ANHC SystemRed-cockaded woodpeckers, pink mucket mussels <strong>and</strong> wingedmapleleafs are a few species that will benefit from a federal grantof more than $1.5 million. The grant will be administered by the<strong>Arkansas</strong> <strong>Game</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Fish</strong> <strong>Commission</strong>.The money will pay for about 1,700 acres to be added toLongview Saline Natural Area in Ashley County, an <strong>Arkansas</strong>Natural Heritage <strong>Commission</strong> site. Wintering Henslow’ssparrows, a species of conservation concern, use saline soil barrenson the property. The barrens also support salt slicks, a tiny habitatthat may support geocarpon, a federally endangered plant speciesknown from four sites in <strong>Arkansas</strong> (three of which are protectedby ANHC).Opportunities for outdoor recreation <strong>and</strong> hunting also willbe available.The grant came through the U.S. <strong>Fish</strong> <strong>and</strong> WildlifeService’s Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund,which provides money for species <strong>and</strong> habitat conservation onnon-federal l<strong>and</strong>s. For more information about the ANHC <strong>and</strong>the system of natural areas, visit www.naturalheritage.com.About 1,700 acres will be added to Longview Saline Natural Area. Photo courtesy of<strong>Arkansas</strong> Natural Heritage <strong>Commission</strong>.New Loop TrailExplores Cove CreekA new 1.5-mile primitive loop trail will help visitors explore CoveCreek Natural Area, which covers 228 acres in Faulkner County.Cove Creek Loop Trail is rated easy to moderate. Highlightsinclude two scenic overlooks of free-flowing Cove Creek <strong>and</strong> twofoot bridges that were constructed from cedars <strong>and</strong> lumber salvagedfrom old natural area entrance signs.From the trailhead, hikers me<strong>and</strong>er through a cedar gladebefore the l<strong>and</strong>scape transitions into an upl<strong>and</strong> hardwood forestdominated by oak <strong>and</strong> hickory trees. After roughly half a mile,hikers reach Cove Creek overlook. This outcrop gives hikers theirfirst look at Cove Creek, a tributary of Cadron Creek. During wetweather, a cascading waterfall flows immediately south ofthe overlook.From the overlook, hikers follow an old game trail <strong>and</strong> reachanother vista in about a quarter of a mile. From the secondoverlook, the trail continues down a natural bench to Cove Creek.The trail me<strong>and</strong>ers through the bottoml<strong>and</strong>s before returning toupl<strong>and</strong> hardwood forest <strong>and</strong> the trailhead.This primitive trail is a good day-hike destination <strong>and</strong> providesopportunities for low-impact use such as bird watching orphotography, as well as scientific research <strong>and</strong> education. Fordirections <strong>and</strong> more information about the area, visit www.naturalheritage.com/natural-area/cove-creek.Cove Creek Loop Trail offers a day hike into a scenic natural area, which includes thecreek. Photos courtesy of <strong>Arkansas</strong> Natural Heritage <strong>Commission</strong>.NOVEMBER • DECEMBER 2011ARKANSAS WILDLIFE29
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