New Nature Center Dedicated at Jonesboro

Craig Ogilvie, travel writer
Arkansas Tourism

JONESBORO -- Gov. Mike Huckabee and a host of local and state dignitaries participated in the formal unveiling of the new Forrest L. Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature Center on Aug. 25, 2004. It is the second of four such Arkansas Game and Fish educational facilities planned in the state.

The Jonesboro center was named in honor of Forrest Wood, Arkansas' bass boat manufacturing pioneer and current chairman of the state Game and Fish Commission. It covers some 160 acres, including about 100 acres of woodlands.

The $4.3 million project includes exhibits on the origins and history of the ridge, topographical models, an animated two-story diorama, and a 23-foot-long satellite photo of the unique delta landscape. Other displays feature a wildlife kiosk, prehistoric artifacts, aquarium, duck hunting adventure, and special turkey, deer, bear and red wolf exhibits.

The crescent-shaped landform known as Crowley's Ridge was created by water, wind and other natural forces over millions of years. It has been proclaimed as one of the great geological oddities of North America and is the only "highlands" in the eastern Arkansas delta.

"The Ridge has many stories and differs greatly from its beginnings in southeastern Missouri to its end at Helena," director Jodi Morris said. "The center strives to embrace all sections of the ridge, using dioramas, motion pictures, computerized simulators, nature trails and more."

Even before entering the 17,000-sq.-ft. building, visitors cross a bridged stream populated with native aquatic species. Assorted plantings will also attract butterflies and birds to the grounds. A massive diorama of the ridge and its wildlife welcomes visitors inside. Sounds of distant thunder warn that rain is near and the resulting runoff illustrates how natural forces carved the ridge and delta. The diorama may be viewed from two levels of the facility.

A high-definition movie on the history and characteristics of the land is a "must-see" part of the center. Beware of the realistic recreation of the 1811-12 New Madrid earthquake, depicted in the film, because the tremors reach every seat in the theater. A $900,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration helped with many of the innovative exhibits, including a computerized "fly-over" of the entire ridge country. The project received the grant because of its close proximity to Crowley's Ridge Parkway, a National Scenic Byway.

In addition, the facility has a wildlife viewing room (overlooking bird feeders and a wooded valley), a meeting room, natural prairie preserve, small lake with nature trail and an observation tower (reached by elevator) that provides an overview of the tree-covered ridge and delta farmlands. The center is just south of Craighead Forest City Park and a new nature trail connects the two attractions.

The Arkansas Game and Fish nature projects were made possible by the 1996 voter-approved Amendment 75 conservation tax. The Gov. Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center opened in Pine Bluff in 2001. Others will be located in Fort Smith and in the central Arkansas area.

The Forrest L. Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature Center is located off Lawson Road, between Ark. 141 and Ark. 1, south of Jonesboro. No admission is charged and the facilities are open daily, except Mondays.

For more information, call the center at (870) 933-6787 or visit www.crowleysridge.org.