Clarendon AR: Birder's Haven

Hunter's Paradise

Birder's Haven

Dining and
Accommodations

Fast Facts

Rare News:
After a year-long search in an April 28, 2005 press release, the Big Woods Conservation Partnership led by The Nature Conservancy and Cornell Lab of Ornithology has officially confirmed an earlier sighting of an ivory-billed woodpecker in the Big Woods of Arkansas. Other news links regarding this special find include: www.ivorybill.org, Science Magazine, and "The Search for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker."

(Be sure to pick up or order our 2005 Big Woods Birding Festival poster - a commemorative of this re-discovered treasure of the Big Woods. Poster cost is $5; add $5 for shipping and handling if ordering by mail. Purchase at City Hall or, by mail, send check or money order to:

Visions for Clarendon
270 Madison
Clarendon, AR 72029

Official Ivory-billed Woodpecker Conservation Print

Official Ivory-billed Woodpecker Conservation Stamps and Prints are now available at www.ivory-bill-woodpecker.com. The Elusive Ivory is a reproduction print of an original painting by artist Larry Chandler. It is also available at Grisham's Waterfowl Art on the web at www.grishamsart.com. Proceeds from the sale of these Official Ivory-billed Woodpecker Conservation Stamps and Prints will benefit the Arkansas Game & Fish Foundation, The Nature Conservancy and Cornell Lab of Ornithology as they lead the efforts of the Big Woods Conservation Partnership. The program will help the Ivory-billed Woodpecker by providing funding for public education, habitat acquisition, and research expenses.

The Big Woods of Arkansas
Wood Ducks

Cache River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1986, and is made up of approximately 55,000 acres of non-contiguous land. The White River NWR was established in 1935 and is approximately 160,000 acres in size. Ninety miles of the White River lie within the boundary of the refuge. These refuges are comprised of rivers, oxbow lakes, cypress-tupelo swamps, and bottomland hardwood forests and make up what is known as the Big Woods of Arkansas. These forests have a flooding regime that is important to the survival of the ecosystem. Each year, the river floods about 75% of the refuge during the winter. This flooded area returns nutrients to the soil and provides refuge for wintering waterfowl. Flooded areas in the spring provide important nursery areas for fish and other aquatic organisms.

Bird Watching

This bottomland hardwood system in the Arkansas Delta includes some of the most intact and least disturbed bottomland hardwood forests in the Mississippi Valley. These wetlands have been designated by the RAMSAR Convention as "wetlands of international importance." The Nature Conservancy calls the half million acres of forested wetlands the "Big Woods of Arkansas," and has been working with public and private partners to conserve, restore, expand, connect and sustainably use the natural resources of the Big Woods.

Photo top: Wood ducks. Photo courtesy of D. Menke/USFWS.

Photo bottom: Birdwatchers enjoy a beautiful day. Photo by Leslee Spraggins.

Next>>