Description
Welcome to Rattlesnake Ridge Natural Area!
The purpose of Rattlesnake Ridge Natural Area, and Arkansas’s natural area system, is to conserve the habitats of rare plant and animal species.
Conservation of this property also protects Lake Maumelle, which is Central Arkansas’s drinking water supply, and maintains the forested floodplain along Nowlin Creek to improve water quality and reduce downstream flood impacts. We use various habitat restoration techniques, including prescribed fire, to increase rare species habitat.
How do we keep water clean?
It is all about keeping sediment (dirt and gravel) on the land and out of the water. To keep water clean, we encourage three practices when living on or near water:
- reforesting previously cleared floodplains and not building in floodplains
- installing best management practices on unpaved roads
- restoring eroding streambanks using natural channel design techniques
How do we improve habitat?
By restoring fire! Prescribed fire helps keep forests healthy in several ways:
- reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires
- improving wildlife habitat
- reducing the spread of forest diseases
- restoring woodlands to their natural, open conditions across the state.
Fire isn’t our only tool. We also use land management practices like invasive species removal to improve habitat. These practices help ensure we have a beautiful, healthy forest to live near and play and work in.