Help still needed to preserve prairie

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

GENTRY -Additional help is still needed to move forward with plans to save a native prairie remnant located in Gentry, just to the west of the Gentry City Park.

Burnetta Hinterthuer, botanist and instructor at Northwest Arkansas Community College; Joe Neal, retired from the National Forest Service and an expert birder; and Steve Smith, Burnetta Hinterthuer’s assistant, visited the prairie remnant last week to continue work on compiling a species list of the plants and animals on the prairie.

In addition to their visit, plants and animals there are being identified through photographs posted on the Gentry Prairies Facebook page.

A grassroots movement is under way to preserve the 8-acre prairie remnant because it is one of few remnants left of native prairie in northwest Arkansas, and it is home to a wide variety of prairie plants and animals not commonly found on lands which have been tilled or developed.

At last word, another $300 was needed to get the property appraisal done - a step in the process of seeing if it can be purchased and preserved.

Those who would like to donate toward the $600 needed for the appraisal may send their donation to Terry Stanfill, P.O. Box 594, Gentry, AR 72734.

Photos and more information on the prairie remnant are available at Facebook.com/Gentry-Prairies.

Community News, Pages 8 on 07/24/2013