Buffalo National River General Management Plan Information And Comments

[Zack Hoyt]

If you enjoy or ever plan on paddling the Buffalo River, this would be good to attend. There are alot of opinions being thrown at the Park Service regarding gravel bar camping, beer cans, etc. This is where they get the ideas from.

Buffalo National River

General Management Plan Information and Comments

The General Management Plan will become the park’s guide for making management decisions for the next 15 to 20 years, by providing a course for present and future administrations of the park. Your input in vital for to insure a successful outcome.

We are now in the initial phase of planning. Newsletters were mailed detailing the time and purpose of upcoming planning meetings. The planning meetings will provide a forum for stakeholders to submit there comments and concerns about the future management of the park. Our first round of meetings will begin the week of July 8, 2009. The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, July 8, 20093:30 PM – 7:00PM

Jones Family Center

922 E Emma

Springdale, AR

Thursday, July 9, 20095:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Marshall Elementary Cafeteria

201 W College Street

Marshall, AR

Friday, July 10, 20095:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Carroll Electric Coop

511 E Court Street

Jasper, AR

Saturday, July 11, 200912:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Pinkston Middle School Cafeteria

1310 College Street

Mountain Home, AR(located behind ASU)

Saturday, July 11, 20096:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Yellville-Summit High School Cafeteria

1124 N Panther Drive

Yellville, AR

Monday, July 13, 20095:00 PM – 8:00 PM

North Arkansas Community College

Durand Center

302 Main St N

Harrison, AR

Tuesday, July 14, 20095:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

#2 Natural Resources Drive

Little Rock, AR

[hoglaw]

So what are some of the opinions being thrown around for those of us that can't attend? Are they talking about banning gravel bar camping? Beer?

[bobber]

YES!! .... but, they want "your" in-put as what things to start looking at, from the average park user's view point. and also what impact people are putting on the park! and how they can better service the park user's. but what they "ARE" going to tell you is.. no more poopn' in the woods! ..and leave no trace! ..a, 6 beer limit ... 15 mph speed limits...and it's going to cost you more to come and enjoy it! ...get ready for it....... i tell people to send them emails that say (i can't believe you don't have showers at the camp grounds) and a pay phone at all the put in ' and take outs. and whats up with not having room to park, on any given weekend at any spot on the river. but my real push is why don't they cut back over hanging trees that make up all of the river hazards along the river??( please send them one!!) then have your wife, and kids send them one or two. thanks

[Zack Hoyt]

Meeting is tomorrow for those of us in NW Ark. Are you going to make it Bobber? I think Ken and myself are going to be there.

[Gavin]

If you cant make the meeting, you can enter your comments online at the link below...look up the Buffalo NR read the open documents and enter your comments. Give em heck. Cheers.

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/publicHome.cfm

[bobber]

YES, I WILL BE THERE.

[Danimal]

Just got my licks in on line. Thanks for the link. Dan-o

[Al Agnew]

Bobber, are you saying you want them to cut all the overhanging trees??? If so, I'm totally against that. The Buffalo shouldn't be an amusement ride but a wild river, and on a wild river you should be willing to accept some risks. The canoe rental people should be required to give oral and written warning that there are natural hazards such as overhanging trees in the river, and then their responsibility ends. The feds should strictly control canoe and other watercraft rentals when the river is hazardously high. (USGS and other gauges are abundant on the Buffalo, and it would be easy to close the river once the gauges reached a certain point.) But again, if the river comes up while you're on a trip, well, that's a risk you have to take on a natural river. It's always a tragedy when somebody drowns on a river like the Buffalo, but you CANNOT make the river totally safe, and it's the responsibility of any river user to know the hazards and how to avoid them...if they don't, it's their tough luck.

I'd be totally against stopping gravel bar camping, but I'd be willing to go with a permit system for backcountry camping and perhaps the permit system could close some of the most abused gravel bars. I have no problem with requiring you to pack your poop out...I've floated wild rivers in other parts of the country where that was required, and also floated some supposedly wild rivers in Alaska where it SHOULD have been required. I'd be willing to put up with the 6 beer limit. Leaving no trace (other than my tracks on the gravel bar) is standard operating procedure for me on any Ozark river, so I have no problem with that. Cost? Hey, I have no problem with that, either, as long as the money goes toward the improvements like toilets and pay phones as well as maintaining other infrastructure in the public use areas. 15 mile an hour speed limit? Heck, just say no motors.

[Danimal]

Al, I think Bobber was just being sarcastic in reference to the fact that there are some folks out there who actually do want to see the silly changes he mentioned. I agree with pretty much everything you mentioned in your post, but I have to question implementing a permit system for private boaters on a river in which the upper 2/3rds is totally rain dependent for floating. Just my 2 cents. Dan-o

[Gavin]

I wouldnt be in favor of any massive logging operation, new toilets, pay phones, etc...the more infrastructure you build the more crowded it becomes...Just look to the Current and Jacks for an example..Folks start using a dirt road, next thing you know its graded and graveled, a parking lot and pit toilets appear, more people come.

I wouldnt object to a permit system, or an increase in fees provided the money went into a trust to fund the park as opposed to NPS general revenue. Cheers.