Coler Creek – Bentonville, Arkansas

Before

After

The Watershed Conservation Resource Center (WCRC) in cooperation with the Peel Compton Foundation and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, began a low-water crossing removal and site restoration effort on Coler Creek in Bentonville Arkansas in January 2023. The low water crossing created a fish passage barrier as well as created unsafe conditions for users of the Coler Creek Preserve. The WCRC developed a restoration plan and obtained permits that would allow construction activities to take place within the stream channel and the adjacent floodplain. The restoration work generally consists of created grade control structures from large boulders as well as re-establishing a healthy and vibrant riparian zone with native plant species.

Project Completed:

A low-water crossing on Coler Creek was removed, and approximately 200 feet of the channel and riparian area were restored. The WCRC received funding from the Peel Compton Foundation and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Stream Habitat Program to conduct the work. Coler Creek is a tributary to Mckisic Creek which then flows to Little Sugar Creek. The Mckisic Creek and Little Sugar Creek watersheds are known to be the home of several Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). Seventeen SGCNs are found in the McKisic Creek watershed. The low-water crossing acted as a fish barrier and its removal and subsequent stream restoration will support these species and allow fish access to upper Coler Creek.

Additional Project Photos