Background

The Riparian Restoration Program was a partner-driven program funded by the  Walton Family Foundation  and  Arkansas Department Agriculture - Natural Resource Division (ADA-NRD)  as well as landowners, other public agencies, municipalities, and private companies through cost-share. The program focused on enhancing, restoring, and protecting riparian areas located in priority subwatersheds of  Upper Illinois River Watershed (UIRW)  using voluntary water quality  best management practices (BMPs) . The program began in 2018 and was completed in 2024. This story map provides an overview of the program.

The Watershed

Roughly half of the Illinois River watershed is located in Arkansas, the focal area of the Riparian Restoration Program due to the region’s location in the headwaters of the Illinois River and importance in protecting overall watershed health. The Riparian Restoration Program worked exclusively on projects in Arkansas portions of the watershed.

Restoration Vignettes

These are just a few of the restoration projects that were completed through the Riparian Restoration Program. Click on the project to learn more about it and see some fun restoration videos.

Program Results and Partners

Recommendations for Future Programming

Future funding should be aligning with recommendations in the  Watershed Management Plan . Recommendations focus on cost-effective BMPs to help streams attain water quality criteria including riparian buffers, streambank stabilization and restoration, alternative watering facilities and livestock access control, failing septic systems, bioretention basins, and other best management practices.

Photos from other projects supported by the Riparian Restoration Program.

Acknowledgements

IRWP would like to thank the Walton Family Foundation and Arkansas Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Division (ADA-NRD) for providing funding for the Riparian Restoration Program. Other funders and partners we would like to thank, in no particular order, include United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), The Nature Conservancy, Springdale Water Utilities, City of Springdale, City of Rogers, City of Siloam Springs, City of Fayetteville, City of Johnson, Bentonville, Benton County, and Washington County. We are particularly thankful for our landowner partners who play a critical role in restoring and protecting the Illinois River watershed. We would also like to thank IRWP and partner staff Travis Chaney, Dr. Nicole Hardiman, Jake Owens, Ryan Benefield, Sue Filat-Alami, Jeremy Pate, Meredith Bergstrom, and others who contributed much to making this program a success. This work could not have been done without the support of Natural State Streams, Watershed Conservation Resource Center (WCRC), Flow State Inc., Steep Creek LLC., Ozark Ecological Restoration Inc. (OERI), Comprehensive Botanical Services, and many other partners in water quality. 

Illinois River Watershed Partnership

 www.irwp.org 

Roughly half of the Illinois River watershed is located in Arkansas, the focal area of the Riparian Restoration Program due to the region’s location in the headwaters of the Illinois River and importance in protecting overall watershed health. The Riparian Restoration Program worked exclusively on projects in Arkansas portions of the watershed.