LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Nature Conservancy says it will use a $900,000 commitment from Southwestern Energy Co. natural gas company to fund the first phase of the restoration of the Archey Fork area.

The organization announced Thursday that the project will improve habitat for rare aquatic species and improve water quality at Greers Ferry Lake.

The Nature Conservancy has been working with various organizations to restore a 3.2-mile stretch of the Upper Little Red River at the confluence of the South Fork and Archey For, what was altered in the 1980s for flood control.

The group says Southwestern Energy sought out a project that would benefit people living in the area where the company is conducting natural gas drilling in the Fayetteville Shale play.

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