2,212 Acres Added to Flatside Wilderness, Renamed 'Flatside-Bethune' Preserve

The Flatside Wilderness Additions Act is pretty straightforward: it takes roughly 2,212 acres of land currently in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas and permanently designates it as protected wilderness. This land, generally shown on the map titled “Flatside Wilderness, Proposed Addition Designation,” dated November 12, 2024 (SEC. 2), is being added to the existing Flatside Wilderness area. The bill’s main purpose is to lock down this specific acreage under the strictest form of federal land protection, ensuring it stays wild and undeveloped.

The New Name and the Real-World Impact

One key administrative change is the renaming of the entire expanded area. Once this bill is enacted, the wilderness area established by the original Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984 will officially be known as the Flatside-Bethune Wilderness (SEC. 4). This means every map, regulation, and official document referencing the old name will need to be updated. For regular folks, this is a win for conservationists and anyone who values undeveloped public land. Wilderness designation essentially stops commercial logging, mining, and most motorized vehicle use, meaning those 2,212 acres are now permanently off-limits to development.

Who Gets the Keys to the Forest?

If you’re a hiker, a backpacker, or just someone who likes knowing there are places untouched by development, this expansion is great news. It ensures that this chunk of the Ouachita National Forest remains a pristine natural habitat. However, this change will definitely affect groups that rely on the land for other uses. If you’re a local business that relies on timber harvesting or if you use ATVs or other motorized vehicles for recreation in that specific 2,212-acre area, you’re out of luck. Wilderness designation means non-motorized recreation only.

Keeping the Firefighters on Speed Dial

The bill also includes an important clarification regarding land management. It explicitly states that the Act does not limit the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to manage issues like fire, insects, and diseases (SEC. 3). This is crucial because, even in protected wilderness, managers need the ability to step in when a wildfire threatens the area or when a beetle infestation could wipe out entire tree populations. This provision ensures that the Forest Service can still use necessary measures—like prescribed burns or targeted treatments—to keep the ecosystem healthy, even though the land is now designated as wilderness. Basically, they can still fight the good fight against natural threats, but they have to stick to the rules already established in existing law.