Lake Frances Ecological Design Project Update

The Lake Frances Ecological Design project is now moving forward with more wetland and education plans. In 2013, Brian Haggard, director of the Arkansas Water Resources Center, and Steven Patterson, restoration ecologist at Bio x Design, organized an ecological design workshop and charette. The purpose was to develop a plan of what to do with the Lake Frances wetland area. 

“We’re having a process over the next eight or nine months of various workshops, field trips and seminars to explore and generate ideas about what might be done out there,” said Patterson. 

Flood damage to the Lake Frances dam in the 1990’s caused the formerly 500-acre lake to shrink down to 50 acres. The goal is to develop the lake’s abandoned floodplain area as the Lake Frances Wetlands Center.  

The project aims to elevate wetland functions, focusing on water quality improvement and flood control, while offering valuable educational experiences for the community. During each workshop and seminar, participants will engage in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and community-based ecological design process. 

“We want to equally privilege doing something for the wetlands and for various educational opportunities,” said Patterson. 

The initial workshop in September 2023 served as an introduction to the project. The following workshops in November and December delved into design options for the Lake Frances wetland and developed the educational programs. In 2024, more workshops and seminars will cover wildlife benefits, river access, potential issues and new technology.  

The project will demonstrate ecological restoration practices for the public and potentially generate support for more such projects in the Illinois River Watershed.  

“If we build more wetlands and ponds, along with regrowing vegetation along the streams on these 260 acres, that will be just a piece that will provide an incremental benefit to water quality and flood storage,” said Patterson. “But the way we hope to magnify that is by communicating to people that [the Lake Frances Wetlands Center] is a demonstration of what can be done throughout the watershed, not just here.”  

For more information about the Lake Frances ecological design plan, please visit https://www.bioxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/EcoDesign-Final.pdf 

Article written by Leah Greene

Image courtesy of Grand River Dam Authority