U of A Tech Park

In 2025 the Watershed Conservation Resource Center (WCRC) partnered with the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) and the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas to receive funding for restoration of the University of Arkansas Research and Tech Park (ARTP) through a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Watershed Conservation Resource Center (WCRC) will coordinate the land restoration, which consists of 17 acres of riparian/floodplain, 6 acres of forest, and 12 acres of prairie restoration in the project area. The property has been divided into three main habitat groups, floodplain, prairie / savanna, and forest restoration. Each of these have different actions that need to take place to improve overall habitat of the property. In general, the focus of the restoration approach for all three groups will be to begin treating and removing non-native and invasive species and allowing natives to repopulate the area.