The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) recently closed on an 80-acre addition to Slippery Hollow Natural Area (NA) in Marion County. The addition of this tract brings the acreage at the natural area to 1,382.

The tract was purchased with grant funding through a Federal Recovery Land Acquisition (RLA) grant through 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. It provides critical habitat for the federally endangered Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens), federally endangered gray bat (Myotis grisescens), and the federally threatened northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis). This new addition to Slippery Hollow NA will support current recovery efforts of these bat species by protecting additional essential surface foraging, potential roost trees, and movement corridors.

The natural area also supports rare plant communities and provides public recreation opportunities, including hunting and hiking. It is managed cooperatively with an adjacent tract owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC).