By Johnathon Williams

FAYETTEVILLE -- Too much is unknown about the wildlife in parts of Wilson Springs to develop the land without a formal study, according to some members of the task force appointed to study business development there.

John Johnson, a task force member, said Monday that large sections of the property have not been studied in enough detail to reveal what kinds of wildlife occupy them.

Some is known about the wildlife that lives in the designated wetland on the property, but other parts that have some wetland characteristics have received little study, he said.

An estimated 40 acres on the south of the property, however, appears to contain no significant wildlife, Johnson said.

Development of that part of the property does not present a problem, he said.

Johnson is a member of the biology subcommittee of the task force. That subcommittee was charged with identifying the impact development would have on the wildlife in the Wilson Springs area.

The task force met Monday to hear progress reports from its subcommittees. Each is preparing a report on its work. The reports will be combined into a single report that the task force will deliver to Mayor Dan Coody.

Wilson Springs is a 289-acre site that sits near Interstate 540. It contains 85 acres of wetland, as well as traditional pasture. The 11-member task force was appointed by Coody in June to investigate how to best develop the land.

Environmentalists have been opposed to any plan that would disturb the wetland or the natural stream coming from Wilson Springs. Of particular concern to environmentalists is the survival of the Arkansas darter -- a rare fish that is a candidate to become an endangered species.

Other species of wildlife mentioned in previous task-force meetings include the Henslow sparrow and the Ozark burrowing crayfish.

Duane Woltjen, a member of the subcommitee appointed to study water issues on the land, said the wetland area may be much larger than previous estimates suggested.

The previous survey of the amount of wetland on the property did not consider that Wilson Springs contains atypical wetland, he said.

Woltjen said other members of the task force disagreed with him, however, as the Army Corps of Engineers approved the previous survey as written.

Jeff Collins, the chairman of the task force and member of the economic subcommittee, said the economic report will estimate the amount of money the property would generate if developed.

Development of only the 40 acres that is absent of significant wildlife would likely reimburse the city for its original purchase price of the land, he said.

"It's going to be a discussion about phase development," he said.