“Any Master Plan written before last June was a wish list,” Director Justin Huss said at the March 20 Parks Commission meeting. Until passage of the Lake Leatherwood City Park tax, Parks had no means to accomplish projects, but Huss said now it does and he’ll bring a Master Plan outline identifying longstanding targets to the next workshop.
He emphasized creating an updated Master Plan will be a long process because there will be a mountain of data to be collected and compared with information they already have. He noted botanist/ecologist Theo Witsell of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission had submitted his first extensive assessment of Lake Leatherwood Park, and he’ll be back three more times this year at a cost of about $4000 per visit. Huss mentioned those who have recently expressed concerns about the Parks Master Plan could donate to the cause.
During the Master Plan process Parks will conduct public meetings to gather input and prioritize points to chart a course. “The plan does not need to be specific down to the micro,” Huss said. All considerations will be on the table, and discussion on the Master Plan can begin at the April 3 workshop.
Regarding Witsell’s research and its inclusion in the Master Plan, commissioner Steven Foster commented the 88-page Preliminary Terrestrial Ecological Assessment from Witsell (posted on the Parks website) covers background material on habitats and plant communities, and offers recommendations for management on at least the downhill trails section of LLCP.
Witsell’s document states, “Field work was concentrated in the vicinity of proposed mountain bike trail routes and areas likely to support species or natural communities of state conservation concern.”
Foster said Witsell had identified 13 different habitats with recommendations for management, and 312 plant species – one-third of the vascular plant species in Carroll County – were identified at LLCP. Foster said the document gives Parks a baseline of what is in LLCP and a preliminary plant species list.
Foster said Witsell’s research, though not cheap, was worth every penny because his initial assessment “was a great document” rich in detail with recommendations for habitat management. One bit of advice from Witsell was to remove all cedars that inhibit native plants, then conduct controlled burns every two to three years.
He also mentioned Lake Leatherwood is a dying man-made lake which needs attention. There will need to be a drawdown of the water level so sediment can be removed and hauled away. However, to haul the sediment the park will need improved roadways, and Foster said the project might cost a couple million dollars just to get started.
On another note, Foster said LLCP would be crawling with snake experts April 20-22. The Arkansas Herpetological Society will conduct its Spring Field Trip at LLCP. For more information, go to herpsofarkansas.com, look in the Forum Posts columns and click on Spring Field Trip.