Saline County conservation district outlines partnerships, grants and trash‑trap plan for Saline River

Jenny Lanier, a representative of the Saline County Conservation District, outlined the district’s recent work and near‑term plans to the Saline County Court on an evening agenda item. The district said it helps landowners with natural‑resource issues ranging from beaver control to stream restoration and provides equipment rental and educational outreach to local schools.

The conservation district highlighted that county contributions—about $12,000—were matched to roughly $350,000 in state and federal funds over the last two fiscal years to support projects including a Nature Conservancy‑led Saline River conservation and recreation master plan. “Every year we . . . try to look for things to do in the county to help landowners with their natural resources,” Lanier said. She handed the court a year‑end highlight sheet summarizing programs and upcoming demonstration days.

Tate Wentz of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Division said the county funds have been used to leverage grants and technical partnerships. Wentz said the Nature Conservancy is updating an EPA‑approved watershed management plan; once approved, he said, the plan would allow funding for conservation practices such as no‑till drills and bank stabilization. “What they’re doing is taking your $12,000 and matching that to, over, right now, around $350,000 in the last two fiscal years,” Wentz said.

Wentz described recent grant awards and targets: a roughly $37,000 grant approved in fiscal 2025 tied to district field days and purchase of a no‑till drill, and a three‑year target of about 5,000 acres for conservation practices tied to that work. He also said the state allocated funding for a beaver control program; county staff reported 68 beavers were removed in the prior fiscal year.

Lanier and Wentz described a small, floating “trash trap” already installed on one Saline County stream; Wentz said the district received a roughly $7,000 nonpoint‑source pollution grant in FY26 to purchase an additional trap. Lanier said the traps collect periodic loads of litter — “supposedly every six weeks, there’s like 16 pounds of trash in one of these things” — and that the district hopes to partner with the local technical career center for fabrication and student volunteer support.

Court members praised the partnerships and said the watershed work supported a larger, no‑match conservation grant of nearly $3 million for the Saline River. County officials also discussed outreach plans that would let the district teach lesson plans in local classrooms and demonstrate equipment such as no‑till drills in the spring.

The district left brochures and contact information with the court and said it will notify members about demonstration days and a locally led workshop planned for spring.