Protecting important urban wetlands
For nearly a decade, Audubon Arkansas has spearheaded a growing effort to protect the Fourche Creek Watershed, arguably the most important urban watershed in the state of Arkansas. The watershed drains and filters runoff from Little Rock, Arkansas’s capital.
Despite years of abuse and neglect, Fourche Creek continues to support a highly diverse population of flora and fauna and an 1,800 acre core bottomland region that still maintains its wetland functions and character.
Coursing along the southern reaches of Arkansas's capital city, Fourche Creek provides a natural escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.
The 108,800-acre Fourche (pronounced "fush") Creek Watershed includes six third-order streams and nine primary tributaries.
A partnership to protect one of the nation's largest urban wetlands
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Miles of floatable creek located right in the heart of Little Rock.
Fourche Creek recreation was the focus of Little Rock's 2016 Sustainability Summit. Join Mayor Mark Stodola on a float along Fourche and meet some of the Friends of Fourche Creek.
2016 City of Little Rock Sustainability Summit Video
An interview with artist Marcus Vasquez.
Thanks to Arkansas Canoe Club members and Friends of Fourche Creek volunteers Cowper Chadbourn and Kendal Strayhorn, there are now river mile markers along the Fourche Creek Urban Water Trail. This 4.4-mile stretch of Fourche Creek winds through beautiful bottomland hardwood forest. Access points are at Benny Craig Park (upstream) and Interstate Park (downstream).
Over 200 people attended the 2018 Drain Smart Meet the Artists Celebration at the Centre at University Park on June 26. Guests talked with the artists about their murals, voted for their favorite art, donated to support the project, and learned that you should never litter because trash on the street gets washed into our creeks through storm drains. Checkout photos from the event by Susan Williamson. Vote online now through July 26. The top three vote-getters win prize money.
Thanks to our caterers: Bravo! Flyway Brewing, and Lake Liquor. Michael Eubanks performed wonderful jazz. Thanks also to our 2018 Drain Smart sponsors: The Bernice Garden, Central Arkansas Library System, Downtown Little Rock Partnership, Hillcrest Residents Association, Hillcrest Merchants Association, and the Promenade at Chenal. Support for Drain Smart is also provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Thanks to Audubon's awesome partners who help make Drain Smart happen: Arkansas Arts Center, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Arkansas Department of Transportation, Central Arkansas Water, City of Little Rock, Friends of Fourche Creek, Keep Little Rock Beautiful, Little Rock Parks and Recreation, Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, The Promenade at Chenal, and THV11.
