Fred Berry

"I hold a special place in my heart for Crooked Creek and all the unique rivers and streams of the Ozarks. I just hope my contribution will help keep these places as beautiful for generations to come."

Fred Berry of Yellville, a longtime member of The Nature Conservancy, has made a gift of $710,000 to the Conservancy's Ozark Rivers Legacy Program. Berry's donation, which the Conservancy hopes to double with additional grants and contributions, will be used to support targeted education and demonstration projects than reduce sedimentation and nutrification in Ozark rivers.

Over the past 10 years, water quality has declined noticeably in most Ozark streams. The Ozark Rivers Legacy Program brings together federal and state agencies and private landowners to address problems in streams and rivers throughout the Ozarks.

"Most of the aquatic species found in these water bodies require clean water to survive, just like people do," said Mike Fuhr, The Nature Conservancy's director of aquatic conservation. "If water quality continues to decline, we face serious threats to a number of species - some found nowhere else on Earth."

With this latest gift, Fred Berry continues his commitment to keeping Ozark rivers and streams clean and healthy. "I hold a special place in my heart for Crooked Creek and all the unique rivers and streams of the Ozarks," he said. "I just hope my contribution will help keep these places as beautiful for generations to come."

The Nature Conservancy first began working with Berry on Ozark river issues in the mid-1990s when gravel mining pressure began to mount at Crooked Creek. In 1999, he donated $1 million to the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation for acquiring 421 acres that included almost three miles of river frontage on Crooked Creek. In recognition of his gift, he was inducted into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame in October 2000.

A life-long resident of Marion County, Berry retired this year after 15 years as an elementary school counselor at Yellville-Summit schools. He continues to teach Arkansas history, American history and western civilization at North Arkansas Community/Technical College in Harrison, as he has done for more than 20 years. His family owned and operated the Bank of Yellville, which was recently acquired by Arvest.

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The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.