Trusten H. Holder

The Arkansas Planning Commission, in cooperation with the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, has completed a study of the loss of wetlands and woodlands in Eastern Arkansas. Although the detailed study was limited to the Arkansas portion of the Mississippi River Delta Region, essentially the same conditions prevail in the Delta portions of five other states and the recommendations to alleviate the problem are applicable Regionwide. Shortly after the study got underway, it was recognized that the destruction of wetlands, woodlands and other environmental qualities in the Delta was precipitating...

The hardwood forests that grow on rich alluvial soil are our most valuable wildlife habitat. All states in the Southeastern Region and some other states were originally endowed with an abundance of this type of wildlife habitat. The soil which supported this habitat is also valuable for agriculture and this has caused the clearing of millions of acres. Shortly after World War II the rate of clearing of the bottomland hardwoods increased alarmingly. In the last ten years, the destruction of our most productive wildlife habitat has reached almost catastrophic proportions. A study of...