Sept. 13 officials from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Arkansas Forestry Commission, Potlatch Corporation and the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas gathered in south-central Arkansas to dedicate the state’s newest natural and wildlife management area.

    One year ago the same state agencies and the Conservancy announced they had purchased, from Potlatch, the largest conservation easement ever established in Calhoun County, between El Dorado and Hampton.

   The 15,923-acre Moro Big Pine Natural Area Wildlife Management Area officially opened to the public on Sept. 1, the opening day of rabbit and dove season in Arkansas. During the dedication ceremony Director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Scott Henderson said, judging by inquiries his agency has fielded, outdoor enthusiasts are anxiously awaiting the opening of hunting seasons for deer, quail and turkey.

    Brady Baker, regional wildlife supervisor for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said that for years Potlatch has utilized management practices, like prescribed fire, for the benefit of site’s resident red-cockaded woodpeckers.

    “These practices create a more open forest and allow sunlight to reach the forest floor, increase the diversity and abundance of plant species and help game populations like deer, quail and turkey,” Baker said.

    Baker said those wanting to hunt deer at Moro Big Pine must submit their names into a lottery. Successful applicants are required to pay a $10 fee to receive their permits. There will be a total of three six-day modern gun hunts, one six-day muzzleloader hunt and one two-day youth modern gun hunt for deer at the WMA. The Game and Fish Commission will draw 250 names for each of these hunts.

    Individuals hunting any type of game, including those drawn for the deer hunt lottery, will be required to purchase $20 leased land permits before hunting on the WMA. A purchase of a leased land permit will enable archers to hunt for deer at Moro Big Pine, so long as all other regulations are followed.

    Baker also said the Game and Fish Commission is constructing five campgrounds, each about an acre, and will build a wildlife check station by the beginning of the deer hunting season.

    “We are excited to have added another wildlife management area in south Arkansas,” Henderson said. “There is a long and rich heritage of hunting and other outdoor recreation in this part of the state. Moro Big Pine is good for the people of Arkansas, good for wildlife and good for conservation.”

    As a condition of the easement, the project partners developed a forest management plan that includes a wildlife section and guidelines for harvesting timber. The plan allows for traditional forest uses, such as timber operations and hunting, that are both ecologically sustainable and economically viable

    “We are pleased to be a part of this ‘working forest easement,’ which will continue to provide forestry jobs, wood products and also protect the environment for future generations,” said Steve Kozlowski, Potlatch’s Arkansas unit resource manager.

    Moro Big Pine is home to loblolly-shortleaf pines, one of the least-protected plant communities in the nation, according the U.S. Forest Service. The site also supports approximately two dozen red-cockaded woodpeckers, a cardinal-sized bird that’s been on the U.S. endangered list since 1970.

    “This beautiful land is invaluable for many reasons,” Karen Smith, director of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, said. “It is an ecologically significant area that faces immediate threats. Conserving this area means saving a part of Arkansas’s heritage.”

    “The Moro Big Pine Natural Area WMA is a great conservation achievement made possible by the cooperation of state agencies, non-profit organizations and Potlatch,” Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, said.

    The partners closed on the purchase of the $6.7 million conservation easement in Dec. 2006. The project is being funded by the state agency partners and the Conservancy, and will benefit from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council grant program.

    Last year, the Arkansas Forestry Commission applied for a grant for Moro Big Pine though the U.S.D.A. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy program. A grant of $500,000 was approved by the USFS in 2007. The Arkansas Forestry Commission has since submitted a second grant request for $2,450,000 for the 2008 Forest Legacy budget.