CPRG – Johnson Clear Creek

In 2025 the Watershed Conservation Resource Center (WCRC) partnered with Metroplan and the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) and the City of Johnson to receive funding for restoration of the Clear Creek-Johnson Park riparian, prairie, and forest areas through a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Johnson Park is near a federally designated Low-Income and Disadvantaged Community (LIDAC) census tract. Historically managed as pasture, several natural features traverse the property including springs and wetlands.  In addition, Clear Creek borders the southern end of the property. The City of Johnson wants to restore the natural features on the property for residents to enjoy as a nature park.  Clear Creek is a major tributary to the Illinois River, and the environmental restoration of natural features will improve and protect upper Clear Creek watershed.   The estimated combined carbon reduction and sequestration from this project is 12,337 metric tons during 2025-2050.

The WCRC will conduct land restoration, which consists of 31.3 acres of riparian, 4.5 acres of wetland, 27.7 acres of forest, and 45.4 acres of prairie restoration in the project area. In addition, 1,504 feet of stream will be restored along with 31.1 acres of riparian.  If funding allows additional riparian areas and tributaries in the vicinity of trout springs will be restored.

For the purposes of simplifying management actions, the property has been divided into three main habitat groups, riparian, prairie, and forest. 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. This project includes restoring a section of Trout Spring and its riparian area. All stream restoration designs will be based on natural channel design principles that consider the stream morphology and urban stream restoration practices that the WCRC has found successful in NWA.  Stream restoration design will be submitted as they are developed.