The Green Room

Acres for America adds sites in Arkansas and New Mexico

By Jeff Trandahl on September 20, 2012 Leave a comment

Almost 2,000 acres of forest and waterfront land in the Ozarks near Bentonville, Ark., will be conserved as part of the Acres for America program.

Walmart and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have just announced two new projects in our Acres for America program – one in Arkansas and another in New Mexico. These additions to our acclaimed land conservation effort will further expand the precious natural areas our native plants and wildlife need to thrive.

Now in its eighth year, Acres for America is a partnership that conserves vital habitat across the country. It shines as a model of cooperation between the corporate and environmental communities. Since 2005, we’ve helped to permanently protect 690,000 acres for birds, fish and other wildlife. The new sites, on Beaver Lake in the Ozarks and along the Rio Grande near Albuquerque, bring the total number of Acres for America projects to 45.

The Arkansas property, just a few miles from Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, is a jewel. It’s a beautiful 1,950-acre lakefront parcel that harbors a rich diversity of animals and plants native to the Ozark region. In addition to the spectacular vegetation (12 different varieties of hardwood live here), there’s an abundance of wildlife, several live springs and underground caves and aquifers. Visitors are drawn to the beauty of these caves and the unique geology found only in the Ozarks. NFWF is thrilled to join with Walmart to protect this place for future generations to enjoy.

Near Albuquerque, N.M., this land along the Rio Grande River is slated to become a new urban National Wildlife Refuge with recreational space for residents and habitat for wildlife.

The site in New Mexico is an exciting project, too. It’s part of Acres for America’s new urban focus, which seeks to protect and restore priority wildlife habitat in cities while engaging community groups and Walmart volunteers. Just five miles south of Albuquerque, this land along the Rio Grande will form the basis for a proposed new urban National Wildlife Refuge with great recreation opportunities for residents and added habitat for wildlife. The site’s strategic location adjacent to the river and the Rio Grande Valley State Park will offer links to local trail systems and a proposed National Historic Trail.

“Linkage” is a key component of many of our Acres for America projects. Many of the lands we conserve connect areas that have already been protected, allowing even greater freedom for wildlife to roam. To date, Acres for America has connected more than 7.4 million acres of vital wildlife corridors – an area nearly the size of Maryland and Delaware combined.

NFWF is proud to be Walmart’s partner in conserving our nation’s lands and natural heritage to benefit people, wildlife and local economies. Visit us online or post your thoughts here. We’d love to hear from you.