Animals

Arkansas is home to some amazing animals! Over 100 species are found here and nowhere else in the world (endemic). Others are becoming rare and are found in only a few, protected places, such as natural areas. This page includes downloads with information and activity sheets about Arkansas animals and descriptions of animal programs available from our professional staff.

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Habitats and Ecology

Arkansas is a mosaic of different habitats and diverse ecology, including mountains, prairies, rivers, caves, swamps, and forests. This section includes information about some of these habitats, including both current ecological issues and examples of how we are tied to the land. This section also includes special ANHC projects that highlight aspects of Arkansas's ecology:

Natural Communities Poster Series - this is a collection of posters with unique illustrations and information the plants and animals that live in six of Arkansas's chief natural communities or habitats.

Bill Clark Presidential Park Wetlands - this is a special outdoor interpretive project in downtown Little Rock that tells the story in text and pictures of a restored urban wetland on the Arkansas River. Panels on the site contain QR codes that link to information in the Education section of this site.

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GENERAL ECOLOGY

Arkansas: A Changing Climate, A Changing Land (1148 KB)

Bio-dilemmas (242 KB)

Fire Ecology (1646 KB)

Prairies, Forests, and Aquatic Habitats (33 KB)

Headwater Swamps (282 KB)

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Prairies

The booklet details the region's natural history, the current status of its natural communities, and new information about prairie restoration activities. A unique map detailing the presettlement vegetation of the Grand Prairie is also included. Hard copies of this booklet are available in limited quantities.

The workshop is an extension of the information in the booklet and takes a broader look at prairies as a habitat.

The Grand Prairie of Arkansas: Past, Present, Future (4221 KB)

Grand Prairie Geography (1238 KB)

Arkansas Blackland Prairies (3071 KB)

Tallgrass Prairie Word Search (589 KB)

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KARST

Ozark Karst: A Fragile Landform (117 KB)

Karst in the Arkansas Ozarks (1945 KB)

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People and Ecology

BEATRIX POTTER -- SCIENTIST, ARTIST, AND AUTHOR

Helen Beatrix Potter is well-known for her children's books (with characters such as Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck), but few know that the acclaimed children's book author was also a mycologist and conservationist. This guide uses the story of Potter’s life to introduce facts about the mushrooms and lichens she illustrated, the struggles of women to be recognized in science and publishing, links to art and nature, and the importance of safeguarding public lands.

Beatrix Potter Complete Educator's Guide (2422 KB)

 

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Ecoregions/Natural Divisions of Arkansas

When ecologists first began considering that different parts of Arkansas have different characteristics, they called those areas "natural divisions." Today, that term is synonymous with "natural regions" and "ecoregions." We are proud that ANHC took the lead more than 30 years ago to produce materials to help teach about Arkansas. We continue to use and update these materials today, with programs, lessons plans, worksheets, and even a new, downloadable Power point program.

NATURAL DIVISIONS OF ARKANSAS - A CLASSROOM GUIDE

This is a fourth printing of one of the cornerstones of Arkansas’s natural history education. In addition to original text and illustrations, this edition includes a glossary, website resources, and correlations to state curriculum frameworks, along with information about the six natural communities from the ANHCposter series.

Natural Divisions - Text and Appendix (11818 KB)

PROGRAMS AND WORKSHOPS

Both programs and workshops provide an overview of the six main natural divisions or regions of Arkansas (Ozarks, Ouachitas, Arkansas Valley, Coastal Plain, Mississippi Alluvial Plain, and Crowley’s Ridge). More in-depth programs are also available on each individual natural division.

LESSON PLANS AND WORKSHEETS

Boom and Bust in the Ozark Forests (85 KB)

Comparing Populations Through Arkansas History Using the Five Themes of Geography (51 KB)

Crowley's Ridge (184 KB)

The Ouachita National Forest (289 KB)

Black and White line maps, blank and labeled (669 KB)