The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) recently closed on a 67-acre addition to Slippery Hollow Natural Area (NA) in Marion County.

The tract was purchased with private grant funding made available to address potential impacts caused by construction and maintenance of Diamond Pipeline LLC’s Diamond Pipeline Partnership Project with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Located in the Springfield and Salem Plateaus of the Ozark Mountains, Slippery Hollow NA consists of Ozark woodland, glade, forest, and karst communities. The area provides critical habitat for the federally endangered Ozark big-eared bat and the federally threatened northern long-eared bat. The new addition to Slippery Hollow NA will support recovery of these bat species by protecting essential surface foraging habitat, potential roost trees, and movement corridors.

Slippery Hollow NA also supports rare plant communities and provides public recreation opportunities, including hunting and hiking. The natural area is managed cooperatively with an adjacent tract owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The new tract borders U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property on Bull Shoals Lake, helping to ensure water quality for Bull Shoals Lake and the White River downstream.