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==Geography== [[File:Wild Phlox, Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, Crossett, Arkansas.jpg|right|thumb|Wild ''[[Phlox]]'', Felsenthal NWR]] {{See also|Arkansas Delta|Arkansas Timberlands}} Ashley County is split between two geographic regions, divided by the [[Bayou Bartholomew]]. The rich, fertile, alluvial soils of the [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain]] extend into the eastern part of the county. In Arkansas, this region is called the Arkansas Delta (in Arkansas, usually referred to as "the Delta"), having a distinct history and culture from adjacent regions. West of the Ouachita, Ashley County is characterized by forests of [[Pinus echinata|shortleaf pine]] and [[Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest|hardwoods]] typical of the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]]. In Arkansas, this region is referred to as the [[Arkansas Timberlands]], a subdivision of the [[Piney Woods]]. According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|941|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|925|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|15|sqmi}} (1.6%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_05.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 25, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref> The [[List of U.S. states by elevation|lowest point]] in the state of Arkansas is located on the [[Ouachita River]] in Ashley County and [[Union County, Arkansas|Union County]], where it flows out of Arkansas and into [[Louisiana]]. The county is located approximately {{convert|58|mi|km}} north of [[Monroe, Louisiana]], {{convert|118|mi|km}} south of [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]], and {{convert|158|mi|km}} northwest of [[Jackson, Mississippi]].{{#tag:ref|Mileages from Ashley County to Monroe, Little Rock, and Jackson are based on highway miles using county seat Hamburg for Ashley County.<ref>{{cite web |title=Google Maps (Search for Hamburg, AR) |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hamburg,+AR+71646/@33.2250893,-91.8323047,13z |access-date= April 29, 2017 }}</ref> |group=Note}} ===Adjacent counties=== * [[Drew County, Arkansas|Drew County]] - north * [[Chicot County, Arkansas|Chicot County]] - east * [[Morehouse Parish, Louisiana]] - south * [[Union Parish, Louisiana]] - southwest * [[Union County, Arkansas|Union County]] - west * [[Bradley County, Arkansas|Bradley County]] - northwest ===Hydrology=== [[File:Salinerivermap.png|right|thumb|upright|The Saline River empties into the Ouachita along the western county line]] {{See also|List of lakes in Ashley County, Arkansas}} Water is an extremely important part of Ashley County's geography, history, economy, and culture. The many rivers, streams, and ditches crossing the county have featured prominently since prehistoric times, and many archaeological sites, including the Lake Enterprise Mound from the [[Archaic period (North America)|Archaic period]],<ref>{{cite web |title= Mound Investigation Combines Technology, Archeology |url= http://www.ashleycountyledger.com/news/ashley_county_history/mound-investigation-combines-technology-archeology/article_5cac989f-0c3f-56c9-aff1-610a52a02bc1.html |publisher= Ashley County Publishing Co. Inc. |location= Hamburg |date= November 12, 2009 |work= Ashley County Ledger |access-date= March 24, 2019 }}</ref> are along waterways. Many early white settlements, including [[Berea, Arkansas]], were founded along waterways, but many faded as railroads eclipsed waterways as the favored mode of transportation.<ref name="eoc" >{{cite encyclopedia |title= Ashley County |url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=746 |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture]] |publisher= [[Butler Center for Arkansas Studies]] at the [[Central Arkansas Library System]] |date= July 14, 2016 |first1= Deirdre |last1= Kelley |first2= Bill |last2= Norman |access-date=March 24, 2019 }}</ref> Ashley County is split among four watersheds: the lower [[Saline River (Ouachita River tributary)|Saline River]] in the northwest, lower [[Ouachita River]] in the southwest, [[Bayou Bartholomew]] across the majority of the county, and the [[Boeuf River]] along the eastern edge. The Saline River serves as the northwestern boundary of the county before emptying into the [[Ouachita River]], which serves as the southwestern boundary. The [[Port of Crossett]] is positioned just south of the Saline River's mouth. Within the county, Bearhouse Creek, Chemin-a-haut Bayou, Fountain Creek, Flat Creek, Mill Creek, and Overflow Creek are important watercourses.<ref>{{Cite map |year= 2004 |publisher = DeLorme |title = Arkansas Atlas and Gazetteer |edition = Second |section = 63β64 |location= [[Yarmouth, Maine]] |isbn= 978-0-89933-345-8 |oclc= 780322182 }}</ref> ===Protected areas=== Ashley County contains [[Overflow National Wildlife Refuge]], part of the [[Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge]], and four [[List of Arkansas Wildlife Management Areas|Wildlife Management Areas]] (WMAs) under [[Arkansas Game and Fish Commission]] jurisdiction. Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita WMA preserves seasonally flooded [[bottomland hardwood forest]] habitat along the Ouachita River between the Felsenthal NWR and the Louisiana state line for preservation, recreation, and hunting opportunities. Duck hunting, especially when the Ouachita River floods, is the primary hunting opportunity due to the site's position along the [[Mississippi Flyway]], with deer and squirrel hunting also available during the year.<ref>{{cite web |title= Wildlife Management Area Details |work= Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita WMA |url= http://www.agfc.com/hunting/Pages/wmaDetails.aspx?show=025 |publisher= Arkansas Game and Fish Commission |location= Little Rock |year= 2011 |access-date= April 29, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160327051904/http://www.agfc.com/hunting/pages/wmadetails.aspx?show=025 |archive-date= March 27, 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Most of the {{convert|7020|acre|ha}} is on the Union County side of the Ouachita River, leaving the only public access to the Ashley County area via boat.<ref>{{Cite map |author= GIS Division |publisher= Arkansas Game and Fish Commission |title= Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita WMA |url= http://www.agfc.com/resources/maps/BerylAnthony_d.pdf |location= Little Rock |format= PDF |date= September 2006 |access-date= April 29, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120729202438/http://www.agfc.com/resources/maps/BerylAnthony_d.pdf |archive-date= July 29, 2012 |url-status= dead }}</ref> A small segment in Ashley County contains the Coffee Prairie Natural Area, owned by the [[Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission]].<ref name="ash" /> The Casey Jones Leased Lands WMA is a common name for five fragmented parcels in Ashley and Drew counties established in 1988. The two largest segments in Ashley County are south of Crossett and in the northwest corner of the county, with a small area northwest of the Overflow WMA also included in Casey Jones WMA.<ref>{{Cite map |author= GIS Division |publisher= Arkansas Game and Fish Commission |title= Casey Jones WMA |url= http://www.agfc.com/resources/maps/Casey%20Jones%20WMA.pdf |location= Little Rock |format= PDF |date= September 2014 |access-date= April 29, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150929080832/http://www.agfc.com/resources/maps/Casey%20Jones%20WMA.pdf |archive-date= September 29, 2015 |url-status= dead }}</ref> This lease includes segments of working forest actively managed for forest products, primarily by single tree selection. Habitats range from upland pine to bottomland hardwood depending upon location. Deer and turkey hunting are most common in the WMA.<ref>{{cite web |title= Wildlife Management Area Details |work= Casey Jones WMA |url= http://www.agfc.com/hunting/Pages/wmaDetails.aspx?show=125 |publisher= Arkansas Game and Fish Commission |location= Little Rock |year= 2011 |access-date= April 29, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160325160817/http://www.agfc.com/hunting/Pages/wmaDetails.aspx?show=125 |archive-date= March 25, 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Little Bayou WMA is located in northeastern Ashley County along the western banks of Bayou Bartholomew at the mouth of Little Bayou. The area contains a boat ramp on Bayou Bartholomew, as well as [[birding]], camping, fishing, and hunting. The former agricultural area was replanted with bottomland and upland hardwoods, short-leaf pines, and native warm season grasses in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |title= Wildlife Management Area Details |work= Little Bayou WMA |url= http://www.agfc.com/hunting/Pages/wmaDetails.aspx?show=415 |publisher= Arkansas Game and Fish Commission |location= Little Rock |year= 2011 |access-date= April 29, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160325161813/http://www.agfc.com/hunting/Pages/wmaDetails.aspx?show=415 |archive-date= March 25, 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref> [[File:Crossett Experimental Forest Building No. 8.JPG|right|thumb|Residence at the Experimental Forest built by the [[Civilian Conservation Corps|CCC]], now listed on the [[NRHP]]]] The [[Crossett Experimental Forest]] is a {{convert|1765|acre|ha}} property donated by [[Georgia-Pacific Corporation]] in 1934 to research forest management in second-growth [[loblolly pine]] and shortleaf pine forests. Within the Forest is the Reynolds Natural Area, a stand that has been largely untouched since the area's creation in 1934. The property is managed by the [[Southern Research Station]] of the [[United States Forest Service]].
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