Protected area in Arkansas, US
The
Flatside Wilderness
is a 9,507-acre protected area in the
U.S. state
of
Arkansas
.
[2]
It is one of six
wilderness areas
in the
Ouachita National Forest
and also the easternmost.
[2]
Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the area in a number of ways, including an 8.9-mile section of the
Ouachita National Recreation Trail
.
History
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]
The Flatside Wilderness was designated by passage of "The Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984", Public Law 98-508, which was signed by President
Ronald Reagan
on October 19, 1984. Senator
Dale Bumpers
(D-AR) sponsored the Act in the
U.S. Senate
, which was co-sponsored by Senator
David Pryor
(D-AR) and Senator
John Tower
(R-TX). An earlier version of the bill called "The Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1983" had been sponsored in the House of Representatives by Representative
Beryl Anthony
(D-AR) and Representative
Ed Bethune
(R-AR).
[3]
On September 8, 2019, a bill sponsored by
Congressman French Hill
was signed into law which expanded the wilderness area by 640 acres.
[4]
The area was named the Bethune Woods segment, in honor of the
politician
who helped create the original wilderness in the first place. The bill also directed the US Forest Service to study additional woodlands surrounding the wilderness in the hopes that they are eligible to add to the area.
The wilderness' namesake, Flatside Pinnacle, lies just outside of the area and is known as one of the best vistas in Arkansas.
[5]
Geography
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Flatside Wilderness is located in southern
Perry County
and northwestern
Saline County
, though most of it (about 70%) is in
Saline County
. It is approximately 8 miles north of
Hot Springs Village
and 21 miles west of
Little Rock
, and is accessible from
Arkansas Highway 7
and
Arkansas Highway 9
.
It is located in the eastern terminus of the
Ouachita National Forest
, which covers approximately 1.8 million acres of western
Arkansas
and southeastern
Oklahoma
. It is part of the
Ouachita Mountains
and features a number of ridges and summits exceeding 1,000 feet in elevation. The highest is White Oak Mountain (1,790 feet), a broad ridge spanning the western edge of the area. Others include (in order of descending height): Crystal Mountain, Grindstone Mountain, Flatside Pinnacle, and Forked Mountain. These rise high above the forest and offer spectacular vistas for miles.
Mount Magazine
, the highest point in
Arkansas
, can even be seen on clear days.
Flatside Wilderness is home to multiple streams. The two most notable ones are Cedar Creek and Crystal Prong. Cedar Creek is joined by Little Cedar Creek and flows along the eastern edge of Forked Mountain just before its confluence with the South Fourche La Fave River. Crystal Prong flows generally east to west and merges with Cedar Creek near Forked Mountain. The South Fourche La Fave River empties into the
Fourche La Fave River
east of
Nimrod
, which empties into the
Arkansas River
southeast of
Bigelow
.
Geology
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The Flatside Wilderness consists of two geologic formations:
Pennsylvanian
Jackfork Sandstone
and
Mississippian
Stanley Shale.
[6]
Because Jackfork Sandstone is composed almost entirely of
quartz
and has undergone low-grade regional
metamorphism
, it has weathered at a lesser rate than the Stanley Shale, hence the high-relief
sandstone
ridges like White Oak Mountain.
[6]
See also
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References
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External links
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