Little Panther Creek Purchase

On April 8, 2026, the Buffalo River Foundation (“BRF”) closed its months-long campaign to purchase 120 acres on Little Panther Creek near Buffalo Point and the Indian Rock House.  The project protects 2/3 of a mile of riparian area on Little Panther Creek and acres of mature, undeveloped oak-hickory forest.  The property is visible from the Indian Rock House Trail, thus conserving the recreational experience on a popular trail within the National River Boundary.  The Indian Rock House is a massive bluff shelter with a natural skylight in the overhanging rock, an exposed underground stream, and 9,000 years of human history.

BRF targeted the property several years ago after learning the same family from whom BRF purchased the Boxley 40 (the first 40 private acres on Whiteley Creek when leaving NPS lands hiking towards the Penitentiary) owned it.  In this process, BRF also made contact with the owner of 80 acres between the Little Panther Creek property and the Indian Rock House bluff shelter.  BRF completed a conservation easement on the adjoining 80-acre property in late 2025, meaning the recently purchased Little Panther Creek property adjoins both NPS land, for ¾ of a mile, and privately conserved conservation easement land for ¼ of a mile.  Absent land trust protection, property in these areas is subject to development.

Filing the deed for Little Panther Creek brings Buffalo River Foundation to 31 completed projects protecting over 4000 acres.  This includes 20 conservation easements, 9 BRF-owned properties, and 2 properties owned by partners.  Of these, 17 holdings border existing public lands (NPS, USFS, or State), and 9 adjoin other BRF holdings or other protected private properties.  By sharing a border with both NPS and BRF-easement properties, Little Panther Creek contributes to BRF’s core objective to expand existing protected land in the Buffalo River watershed.

The Ozark Society, its members, and chapters, were instrumental in this acquisition, by contributing approximately 50% of the total project cost.  These leading gifts inspired others to contribute to private lands conservation in the watershed.  Of particular note is the namesake gift from the Jay F. and Patricia P. Hill Family Fund, directed by trustee Congressman French Hill.  Cong. Hill remembers his father, Jay F., and his fellow adventurer, Don Hamilton, as “two lifelong friends that shared a passion for the Natural State and its trails, caves, and whitewater.”  These family adventures led them to many areas of the Buffalo, including the Indian Rock House at Buffalo Point which the gift now helps conserve for future generations.  The full name of the project and property is now denoted in BRF records as “The Hill-Hamilton Preserve at Little Panther Creek” in honor of Jay F. Hill and Don Hamilton.

Jay Hill and Don Hamilton on the Buffalo River near Little Panther Creek

BRF and the Ozark Society are planning a joint outing to the property on November 14, 2026.  This date coincides with the Ozark Society’s weekend long fall meeting at Buffalo Point.  BRF, Ozark Society members, and their guests will commemorate the conclusion of this campaign, and conservation of the property, by hiking the Indian Rock House trail to Panther Creek, near its confluence with Little Panther Creek, and bushwhacking onto the Little Panther Creek property.  We hope to see you there!

BRF is always searching for conservation easement and acquisition opportunities to protect private lands in the Buffalo River watershed. As BRF works to find properties visible from the river corridor, adjoining existing protected properties, and those with mature forest and riparian areas, we value the support and partnership of the Ozark Society. Thank you, from BRF to the Ozark Society, for making this project, and previous ones, a success.