ARKANSAS (AP) Last-minute lobbying by U.S. Sen. John Boozman led to the Senate passing a bill that aims to expand an area of natural public land in Arkansas, despite a partial government shutdown.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that senators approved the Flatside Wilderness Enhancement Act on Saturday and it now awaits a signature by President Donald Trump.
If signed, the act will add 640 acres to the existing 9,541-acre site, a popular outdoor recreation spot less than 50 miles northwest of Little Rock.
The extra acreage would be known as the Bethune Woods-Flatside Wilderness, in honor of former U.S. Rep. Ed Bethune who championed the creation of the original Flatside Wilderness and fought to preserve a total of 91,100 acres of wilderness across the state.
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