Buck Island and the
Lower Mississippi River Fishing & Boating Trail

Buck Island Open to Public;  New Lower Mississippi Water Trail Launched!
View the Slideshow! 

The Lower Mississippi River begins at the confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois and extends 954 river miles to the Gulf of Mexico. This massive alluvial valley is one of the biggest in the world, encompassing some 22 million acres across six states. It contains 91 species of freshwater fish, supports numerous threatened and endangered species, and is the migration corridor for 60% of North America’s bird species.  Many stretches of the "Lower Miss" also hold the potential for world-class nature tourism. Tourism research shows that a growing number of boaters, anglers, canoeists, birders, hikers, and campers are seeking new and unique destinations, such as could be found in the lower river. But currently almost all of the islands and land along the river banks are privately owned. A chain of publicly-owned wilderness islands and primitive campgrounds could greatly benefit riverside communities in this economically depressed region. The perfect place to begin is Buck Island.

More Information and Multimedia Canoe & Kayak Magazine Feature on the Lower Miss! {Article | Video | Slideshow} Buck Island Opens to Public/Lower River Trail Launched {Press Release (10/2011) | Story | Slideshow}  Public Access Easement Signed with AGFC (4/2011)  Conservation Easement Signed with NRCS (10/2011) Mark Twain's Mississippi (ALC Newsletter Feature)  Buck Island Fact Sheet (pdf)

About Buck Island

Located near Helena, Arkansas, Buck Island is a 1,500-acre forested island and an ideal, user-friendly wilderness destination, with five miles of year-round hiking trails and large white sand beaches during lower water stages (typical from July through February). ALC acquired the island in 2005 and since that time has worked to ensure permanent protection of its natural resources while also opening it to public use.

In October 2010 ALC negotiated a conservation easement with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, protecting the island’s 800 acres of native forests. In May, 2011 ALC completed a public access easement with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, which ensures public use and enjoyment of the island in perpetuity (subject to AGFC regulations). With public access in place, Buck Island can now become the launching point for the growing number of people who wish to experience America's Greatest River.

A True Mark Twain Experience

Just 3 minutes by motorboat from the public boat ramp in Helena, Arkansas and two miles south of the St. Francis National Forest, Buck Island offers the rare taste of outdoor adventure immortalized by Mark Twain in his tales of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. The island's natural setting offers something for any outdoors enthusiast:

• High-quality, low-maintenance hiking trails wind five miles through a 1,000-acre hardwood forest.
• Huge sand bars cover more than 500 acres for most of the year and are a haven for bird-watching, camping, picnics, fossil hunting, and outdoor photography.
• Opportunities abound to watch wildlife, including deer, turkey, beaver, squirrel, opossum, rabbit, raccoon, bats, frogs, and turtles.
• Three miles of Mississippi River frontage and three miles of side channel water offer great fishing for catfish and white bass.
• Opportunities to explore the area by boat, kayak or canoe can be ideal at nearly every river water level.

Bringing the Lower Mississippi River Water Trail to Arkansas

ALC's vision, along with our partner, the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee, is to establish a Lower Mississippi River Water Trail from St. Louis, Missouri down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana that will eventually become a national tourist destination as renowned as the Appalachian Trail or the Grand Canyon.

The river trail already exists upriver featuring a series of public boat ramps and protected natural areas in public ownership totaling 25,000 acres. Buck Island would help establish the trail in Arkansas, linking Helena to the Choctaw Island Wildlife Management Area at Arkansas City, 106 miles down river.

This new trail segment would connect the Mississippi to the famed White and Arkansas rivers, whose confluences with the Mississippi occur between Helena and Arkansas City. Eventually, as other islands and access points are added, a new, nationally significant recreation complex for boaters, canoeists, kayakers, birders, wildlife watchers, and nature lovers will be created.

Regional Revitalization and Economic Development

The Lower Mississippi River Water Trail can jump-start a regional revitalization by drawing recreational river users to the Delta. With each site added to the trail, there will be new opportunities for local businesses to provide food, gas, bait, tackle, canoe and kayak rentals, and boat rides to a new influx of tourists.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service economic impact study for eastern Arkansas estimates that public access tp Buck Island and creation of a new river trail would help create 364 jobs, $8,662,900 in job income, $18,408,000 in retail expenditures, $23,622,100 in economic output, $994,100 in local tax revenue, and $1,691,700 in federal tax revenue, based on anticipated increases in sport fishing and wildlife watching. For Helena and the Delta region, a natural asset like Buck Island can make a world of difference. (See "Mississippi River Ripe for Tourism Revenue", Southeast Missourian news article.)

Now that public access to Buck Island is secured, additional access can be created on the river, more riverside habitat can be protected and enhanced, and more recreation opportunities can be created through the protection of additional islands and properties adjacent to the river.