The Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Arkansas will grow by 435 acres, according to an announcement Wednesday by the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit organization partnering with the federal government on the project. This expansion builds on the refuge’s existing 73,000 acres across Jackson, Monroe, Prairie, and Woodruff counties.
The addition will introduce new public access points and extend the refuge’s protected riverfront by 1.2 miles. The Cache River refuge, recognized as a critical wintering habitat for ducks, is home to the largest remaining contiguous tract of bottomland hardwood forest in North America.
“This addition to the refuge is significant not only for conservation of incredible wildlife habitat, but for creating needed access to these cherished wildlands along Cache River,” said Stacey Shankle, program director for the mid-South region of the Trust for Public Land.
“This expansion protects important habitat along the Mississippi Flyway and gives people more opportunities to enjoy Arkansas’s outdoors,” added Holly Gaboriault, southeast regional chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Established by Congress in 1986, the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge protects a waterway that escaped large-scale alterations common to others across the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Before its establishment, the river faced threats from proposed projects by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1970s, which aimed to reduce flooding by altering the natural course of the river. Persistent community efforts and legal action halted those plans, safeguarding the refuge’s ecological integrity.
Popular for outdoor recreation, the refuge draws more than 200,000 visitors annually, the Trust for Public Land stated.
The newly protected acreage symbolizes an ongoing commitment to preserving vital habitats along the Mississippi Flyway, a major migration route for waterfowl, while enhancing opportunities for Arkansans and tourists to experience the state’s natural heritage.