Spring “The challenge goes on. There are other lands and rivers, other areas, to save and to share with all. April 2012 I challenge you to step forward to protect and care for the wild places you love best.” — Dr. Neil Compton THE OZARK SOCIETY CELEBRATES 50 YEARS 1962-2012

Stream Crossings: Looking Forward By Robert Cross, President

In this issue of Pack & Paddle there and the Ouachitas. Our present organization in the region and to face the future are wonderful remembrances by some of our problems include helping our friends in challenges? We will need more members, members of past successes in protecting the obtain additional wilderness areas particularly younger members, and we will environment and in a number of cases leaving and preventing irreversible damage to the need more money. We will need the right an enduring legacy, e.g., helping to create the Ozark Scenic Riverways. A major Ozark kind of publicity. We will need the ability to Buffalo National River and to pass the 1975 National Forest project, Bearcat Hollow, Phase analyze the issues in an appropriate way, to set Eastern Wilderness Act. The Wilderness Act II, is a major concern. In a recent inspection the proper course, and to work hard to achieve gave permanent protection to certain lands trip led by Shawn Porter, the Buffalo River the desired results. Most of all however, we in the Ozarks and Ouachitas. Our members Chapter’s conservation chair, I went with will need members willing to step forward didn’t stop with that result and led the effort a group including Alice Andrews, Acadia to take leadership roles and others willing to add additional areas to the wilderness Roher, Don Hamilton, Ed Bethune, and Tom to spend time and effort on committees and inventory such as Hurricane Creek, Flatside, McClure. We looked at some of results of in other support positions. Right now there and Richmond Creek. We have had many Phase I. I was shocked that what was billed is an opening on the board as Membership other achievements in our 50-year history. I as developing “wildlife openings” is in reality Chair. This opening came up in early fall last am a relative newcomer to the Ozark Society, clear-cutting and turning into meadows a year due to Laurie Schuler’s resignation. It’s a having joined about 15 years ago. Early on thousand acres of forest. Another thousand crucial position and I’ve asked several people I saw our success in preventing the Corps of acres of forest will be cleared if Phase II goes to take the job to no avail. You will see below Engineers from building a dam on Bear Creek, into effect. the announcement of an event in August for a tributary of the Buffalo. More recently, we, Just over the horizon and waiting for the public to celebrate our 50th anniversary along with the Arkansas Canoe Club and budget approval, the Buffalo National River will and Dr. Compton’s 100th birthday. I’ve had a other organizations have been able to stop, at be developing their next General Management dozen offers from our members to “help out” least temporarily, the Lee Creek dam and to at Plan. During the scoping phase two years but no one has volunteered to be the general least slow down the proposed expansion of the ago we commented on subjects where we had chair for the event. We have two openings on Steel Creek horse facilities. Now we are faced concerns, i.e., further protection of wilderness the board of the Ozark Society Foundation, a with the challenge of making sure that gas well areas, increasing canoe traffic with consequent crucial part of our educational mission through drilling in the Ozark National Forest is safe contamination of the river, and the potential book publishing. This is a working board in for the environment and doesn’t conflict with for damage due to increasing horse use, just to which every member must be willing to serve the other important objectives of the Forest, name a few. When the draft plan is published, as an officer of the board. All of our board i.e., conservation and recreation. This project I’m sure we will need to spend many hours in and officer positions will be up for election at is requiring a significant amount of time and preparing further comments as we attempt to our Fall Meeting. Please contact me if you are money. influence the plan’s content. willing to consider any of these positions. If the past is any guide, there will always What do we need to maintain our I hope all of you will join us at Tyler be threats to the natural resources of the reputation as a leading environmental Bend. Eddy Line: The Green Way Article By Laura Timby, Vice-President

Imagine my surprise when I received What a thrill to read Monica’s article is good to know there is another generation the Fall 2011 issue of The Green Way, and hear first hand her thoughts and of conservationists out there, ready to “step the quarterly publication of the Student impressions of the Buffalo during her forward to protect and care for the wild Conservation Association (SCA), and saw internship. If you are not familiar with it, places you love best.”3 my friend Monica Patel smiling at me, the “SCA is a nationwide conservation Thank you to the SCA for permission framed by a beautiful vista of our own force of college and high school volunteers to reprint Monica’s article. The photo Buffalo River Country! I had the good who protect and restore America’s parks credit belongs to Monica Patel. fortune to meet Monica and two other forests and public lands. SCA’s active interns, Lisanne and Edward, at the Buffalo and hands-on approach to conservation 1Pack & Paddle, Winter December 2010, Bob National River last year. Our first meeting has helped to develop a new generation Cross, “Stream Crossings”. was on a lower Buffalo River cleanup from of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong 2The Green Way, SCA’s Conservation Hwy. 14 to Rush. After that we met again stewardship, and save our planet.”2 Quarterly, Fall 2011 at the Ozark Society sponsored Marshalls I invite you to read Monica’s article on 3Dr. Neil Compton, Ozark Society Founder to Mountains event held on the Buffalo page 15, and envision the Buffalo as seen and First President. River at Tyler Bend.1 through her young and fresh perspective. It

SOCIETY OFFICERS: President: Bob Cross, (479) 587-8757, [email protected]; Immediate Past President: Alice Andrews, (501) 219-4293, [email protected]; Vice President: Laura Timby, (870) 439-2968, [email protected]; Financial Chair: Bob Ritchie, (501) 225-1795, [email protected]; Recording Secretary: Sandy Roerig, (318) 686-9481, [email protected]; Conservation Chair: Acadia Roher, (501) 804-9618, [email protected]; Education Chair: Charline Manning, (501) 221-1001, [email protected]; Membership Chair: TBA ; Communications Chair / Editor, Pack & Paddle: Carmen Quinn, (501) 993-1883, [email protected].

STATE DIRECTORS: ARKANSAS: Duane Woltjen, (479) 521-7032, [email protected]; Sally Stone, (479) 521-4062, [email protected]; MISSOURI: Bill Bates, (417) 887-0145, [email protected]. LOUISIANA: Karen Pitts, (318) 965-4580, [email protected]; Catherine Tolson, (318) 343-7482, [email protected].

CHAPTER CHAIRS: Bayou Chapter: Harvey Kennedy, (318) 617-7940, [email protected];; Pulaski Chapter: Janet Nye, (501) 851- 7524, [email protected]; Highlands Chapter: Gene Milus, 479-387-7186; Sugar Creek Chapter: Joseph Meyer, [email protected]; Buffalo River Chapter: Katie Auman-Murray, [email protected]; Mississippi Valley Chapter: Phil Dodson, (573) 339-7169, mbdodson25@ sbcglobal.net; UA RSO: Libby Nye, [email protected];

Ozark Society Supplies & Publications: Mary Gordon, (501) 860-6653, [email protected].

Buffalo River Trail Coordinator: Ken Smith, (501) 443-4098, [email protected].

OZARK SOCIETY DEPOSITORY: Special Collections Division, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, AR 71701, (501) 575-5577.

MEMBERSHIP: Dues for membership in the Ozark Society are: Individual and Family: $15; Contributing: $25; Sustaining: $25; Life (one- time fee): $200 under 65 years, or $100 for those over 65. Chapter membership adds to the fun of Ozark Society membership, but is not required. However, chapters do require membership in the Society. Their dues structure is as follows: Mississippi Valley Chapter of Cape Girardeau, Missouri: $5; Bayou Chapter of Shreveport, Louisiana: $10; Highlands Chapter of Northwest Arkansas: $10; Sugar Creek Chapter of Northwest Arkansas: $5; Buffalo River Chapter of North-Central Arkansas: $10, or $5 for email newsletters only; and Pulaski Chapter of Central Arkansas: $10; Student Membership: $5. Mail one check for both Society and chapter dues to: Ozark Society, P.O. Box 2914, Little Rock, AR 72203.

Page 2 Spring - April 2012 Upcoming Events and Annoucements

Ozark Society Anniversary Celebration May 26-28 at Tyler Bend

In lieu of the annual Spring Meeting, a 50th Anniversary Celebration will be held Memorial Day weekend, May 26 – 28, at the Tyler Bend recreation area on the Buffalo River.

Group camp sites have been reserved, and there will be hikes and float trips on both May 26 and 27, starting at 9 am at the pavilion. There will be potluck suppers on both May 26 and 27 at the pavilion starting at 6 pm. After the potluck on May 26, there will be three short presentations from Doug James, a charter member, Mary Virginia Ferguson, who rode the Jubilee bus to Washington D.C., and a representative from the , all concerning the history of the Ozark Society. The presentations will be followed by musical entertainment provided by Harmony. After the potluck on May 27, there will be four short presentations from current Ozark Society president Bob Cross and Ozark Society representatives from Missouri, Louisiana, and Arkansas concerning the future of the Ozark Society. These presentations will be followed by musical entertainment provided by the Buffalo City Ramblers. The annual Buffalo River trip will launch on the morning of May 28 from Tyler Bend (see page 4 for details).

Save This Date! August 18, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Compton Gardens Conference Center Bentonville, AR

Celebration of the Ozark Society’s 50th Anniversary and Neil Compton’s 100th Birthday (Sponsored jointly by the Ozark Society and the Peel Compton Foundation)

The public will be invited to drop by for an hour or two (but Ozark Society members can come too). The purpose is publicity for the Ozark Society and REMINDER to recruit new members. There will be exhibits showing our conservation, education and recreation functions, along with refreshments and videos. Combine this event with a visit to Crystal Bridges, a pleasant 15-minute There will be no stroll away. More details will be available on the website and the summer P&P. Colorado Trip this year.

Pack & Paddle Page 3 2012 Buffalo River Float Trip May 28 – June 2

Our 50th Anniversary Celebration will continue with the annual Ozark Society Summer Float on the Buffalo River leaving from Tyler Bend at noon on May 28, and end on Saturday afternoon, June 2, at Riley’s on the White River. The cost is $165 adults, $135 age 18 or under. Please make your reservation by sending $50 deposit to Bob Ritchie, 707 Pleasant Valley Drive, # 10, Little Rock, AR 72227. Please send the balance by no later than May 6th. Trip is limited to 60 persons. Requirements for Children participating in the Buffalo River Trip, May 28th - June 2, 2012 1. A child participant must be at least 7 years of age. In the age group 7 to approximately 12, the child must be supervised by his parent(s) at all times. The trip leader will discuss the issues involved with the parent(s). 2. As with all other participants the child must wear a properly fitting U.S. Coast Guard-approved PFD (personal flotation device) at all times while on the water. Also, the child must wear the PFD while in the water during stops. 3. The child must be capable of swimming 20 yards (and the parent(s) must sign a statement to that effect). 4. The child must have been in a canoe on at least one river trip prior the May 28th Buffalo River trip. 5. As with all other participants the child must sign an ACA Waiver and Release of Liability Form and the Ozark Society Waiver. Both forms must be endorsed by the parent(s).

There will be a john boat to carry community gear for each 22 - 26 person group; however you should leave room in your canoe for one community ice chest. Kayaking? Find a buddy to carry some of your gear. This is a strenuous trip. If you are not in good enough physical condition to assist with all the chores such as lifting, carrying, cooking, clean-up, setting up and breaking camp, this may not be the trip for you. Each person will be responsible for their own canoe and camping gear. If you need a canoe, they will be available from our outfitter. Everyone participating in the trip is expected to help out with loading and unloading the commissary boat, cooking and clean up. The group leaders will assign cooking and cleanup duties based on skills, compatibility and daily inclination! What to Expect: Our trip will cover 60 miles on the Buffalo River and a short upstream ferry across the White River to Riley’s, a private takeout directly across the White from the Buffalo confluence with the White River. On Monday morning before the launch we will load the johnboat/s, distribute other community gear to each canoe and kayak, fill out shuttle information and transfer spare car keys to Wild Bill, our outfitter. There will be a safety and general orientation talk before we depart Tyler Bend. That afternoon the outfitter will shuttle our cars to their parking lot near Buffalo Point, then move them to Riley’s later that week. If you need a canoe, call Wild Bill at 800 554 8657 or 870-449 6235. If you plan to take out early, let Wild Bill know where to leave your car. Also let Alice know. Monday we will paddle about 8 miles, and mileage will vary each day based on how many trip participants go. Distance traveled each day may also depend on water, weather or other surprises. Our last meal will be Saturday lunch, at the White River takeout. As you pack your gear, remember that even good paddlers occasionally swim. All of your gear should be packed in water proof containers. With 20 + canoes on the river someone else can put you in a compromising situation. Also it would be unusual for us not to have rain at least once in a week, and the river can come up quickly - as it has before! Our cook sets include 2 burner stoves and all the pots, pans etc. needed. We also furnish plates, flatware and bowls. NO CUPS. The drinks will be coffee, juice, tea and punch. If you want soft drinks, or other beverages, carry your own. Remember glass containers are not allowed on the river, and we are a conservation organization. Bring your favorite mug and be sure it is marked so you can identify it. We recommend that you mark every piece of your gear; it all looks similar…

By putting my signature in the designated space below I acknowledge that I understand the nature of this event and represent that I am qualified, in good health, and proper physical condition to participate in the activity. I understand the risks to my person and property associated with the event and that I will be responsible for my own safety. I agree to release from liability and not to sue the Ozark Society (including all its chapters) or its officers, directors, event leaders, coordinators, and instructors for any injury, damage, death, or other loss in any way connected with this event. Printed Name Signature E-mail

Questions? Contact: Alice Andrews [email protected] or 501-219-4295

Page 4 Spring - April 2012 Special 50th Anniversary Section Memories and Reflections On this milestone anniversary, Pack & Paddle features a look back at the Ozark Society’s history, what it has meant to its members, and what the future holds.

In 1960 Neil Compton’s daughter, Ellen, was teaching at Arvada, CO High School. On December 4 of that year, Neil wrote Ellen, “It looks like I am going to have a new extra-professional job that will take me out of town every once in a while.” Neil had become involved with the formation of a Nature Conservancy chapter in Arkansas. Its purpose, and his, was to preserve Lost Valley. Then he wrote, “I have, in fact, a lot of bigger ideas than just the Lost Valley. I am going to try to sell somebody on the idea of The Buffalo Gorge National Park and include Hemmed-in-Hollow, Villines Bluff, Rocky Bottom, Marble Falls and many other interesting spots over there. It was tried once before by a guy named Avantus Green when he was head of the Parks Commission and it didn’t work but it won’t hurt to try again. It will be an interesting activity for me anyhow.” The Nature Conservancy Chapter became the “Ozark Society to Save the Buffalo River” and then simply, “The Ozark Society.” The Buffalo River was saved as the Buffalo National River in 1972, the first National River in the National Park Service.

Pack & Paddle Page 5 Dr. Neil Compton By Joseph Meyer, Chapter Chair

I thought I would enjoy writing a comment about Dr. Neil Compton, but I found writing about this man to be very difficult. There are so many things that should be said about his character and his accomplishments that in this short space I felt overwhelmed by all the anecdotes that space does not allow me to share. Despite the many accolades awarded to Neil, they do not come close to the recognition that this quiet man should have received. Yes, he was WELL known in the Ozark Society and similar environmental groups, but to my knowledge, Neil was basically only known in Northwest Arkansas through the local papers, and occasionally in articles in the Little Rock paper. I do not recall any national publication giving him the praise that was his due. Neil was the John Muir of the Ozarks. With a variety of interests, such as geology and the environment, he graduated from the University of Arkansas with a doctorate degree in medicine and served in WWII. He often claimed that he had delivered 1/2 of the babies in Bentonville. Those of us in the Ozark Society only knew him as a walking encyclopedia who could talk about flora or fauna, Neil Compton geology or ecology, as well as an accomplished photographer and author. He could relate anecdotes about almost any personality in the area as well as first hand information about rivers, valleys, mountains, old homesteaders and political events. Yet he never tried to best himself or create an idea that he knew more than his listeners. Those of us who knew him miss him terribly. It took many years before I accepted the fact that he was no longer going to call and ask if I wanted to go on a hike, a float or a ‘drive about’. What also makes me feel bad is the thought Justice William O. Douglas that his memory is going to fade to just a name on Canoeing the Buffalo a plaque or a footnote in a book. There will be April 1962 thousands of people floating the Buffalo, hiking the trails or visiting Compton Gardens who really have no idea of his personality and character, his impact on the environmental movement in the Ozarks, and his absolutely charming character that could summarize a complicated issue or diffuse an argument. He enjoyed his role as the leading guru for environmental causes, but it must be said, Neil knew he was not immortal. He talked about the environmental concerns of the future and he often commented about what would happen to his property and the many trees he planted. He wanted to leave a legacy of his love for the outdoors, and he hoped something could be done with his property to preserve it. What the Wal-Mart Foundation has accomplished with his property would make him proud.

Page 6 Spring - April 2012 There Are Many Such Places By Stewart Noland, Past President

Whether I am on the gravel bar below High Burr Bluff on the lower Buffalo River watching two bald eagles fly in concentric circles high above the river; at Hawksbill Crag gazing into the abyss of Whitaker Creek in the ; having lunch at the confluence of Big Devils Fork and Richland Creek in the Richland Creek Wilderness; enjoying a rest break at Dead Dog Beach Cossatot Falls and watching the Cossatot Falls just upstream on the Cossatot Wild and Scenic River; sitting above Pistol Creek rapid on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River or Wolf Creek rapid on the Selway River, I always think: this is the most beautiful place on earth; there are many such places. Whether I am enjoying a wild and scenic river or wilderness area in Arkansas or Idaho, I recognize that we are able to enjoy these places because organizations like the Ozark Society are directly responsible for the creation of these Congressionally designated areas. Without the deeply felt appreciation of and passion for these areas, these wild and scenic rivers and wilderness areas would not be preserved in the manner that they are today. In this 50th anniversary year of the Ozark Society, I am thankful for the vision and passion of our founders. The challenge of all current and future Ozark Society members is to maintain this vision and passion. It has and will continue to make a difference in the quality of our lives. Memories By Bill Bates, State Director from Missouri

I have wonderful memories of our Society, including many years working with Ken Smith on the construction of the Buffalo River Trail. Ken alone is inspiring in his own right. Yet one of my earliest encounters stands out as especially meaningful. In March of 1972 I attended a meeting of the Ozark Society Advisory Council at the home of Joe Nix in Arkadelphia. Prior to that meeting, the only officer or board member I had met was Dr. Neil Compton. Society officers had asked for representatives of all chapters to be present and I was there for the newly formed Schoolcraft Chapter in Springfield. That day I met Joe and Ken Smith, Joe Clark, and Neil Compton Maxine Clark, Harold and Margaret Hedges, Joe Neil’s 85th Birthday Nix and others who, along with Dr. Compton, went out of their way to make me feel welcome. The agenda (I still have a copy) contained some contentious issues including the future of the Society as part of, or independent from, other conservation organizations along with suggestions for a Society emblem. The discussion was spirited and I was greatly impressed with the passion that Council members had for their causes and Pack & Paddle Page 7 the energy they were willing to commit to these efforts. Later that same weekend I would see this in action when I joined a three day backpack trip into the Caney Creek area organized by Wellborn Jack Jr. He had designed the trip to be a retreat for those of us proposing a wild area or wilderness system for the eastern US with Forest Service supervisors and recreation staff. A few years earlier he had led a similar and larger trip which helped to start the debate defining wilderness in the east. The campfire discussions on those two nights were impassioned, to say the Wellborn Jack, Jr. least, and very valuable for me as we worked for passage of the Eastern Wilderness Act a few years later. Now, almost forty years since, I still remember that inspirational trip and the wonderful people I had met that spring. They were an example of dedication that gave me the energy to come home and pursue preservation of wilderness areas in Missouri for many years.

At Home with the Very New Ozark Society By Ellen Compton, Past Archival Chair

When Neil came in the door with new rolls of film taken along the Buffalo, or out on a Benton County prairie, or over along the just being flooded White River, most of the family gathered in the downstairs den to see the footage. He had a permanent projector set up in his film storage room. A small opening in the wall allowed the pictures to be shown on the screen put up in the den. The metallic “whang” of that screen was the signal to get downstairs. There were several comfortable chairs and folding chairs if needed. Even though most of us were not out with the first Ozark Society stalwarts, those images were burned into our brains. What we actually remembered and what we remembered from film became one. After the family showing, we would retreat back upstairs to our own activities. Neil then began going over the film again; editing, script writing, and, the final act, adding the perfect musical accompaniment from the classics to the riffles in the water, the sweeping views of the Ozark’s rounded mountains, and the close-ups of fringe tree blossoms and azaleas, always blowing with a rhythmic breeze. We would hear his voice down there intoning dire predictions of what would happen to the Buffalo if it were drowned like the White, then, a lighter tone would drift up the stairs and we would hear him Harold Hedges, Roger Tory Peterson, and reciting praises about the “stupendous” scenery that Neil Compton was every bit as awe-inspiring as the Smokies or “out west.” Laurene, his wife and our mother, was his biggest fan, helping him along by writing many a letter to politicians and the public on her script lettered portable typewriter. Edna Putman, our grandmother was next in line, sometimes puzzled by this idealistic son-in-law, but always proud of him. The three children, teenagers and a bit younger, were impressed with their father and impressed with the images he brought home about the magical places he and his friends were going to save from destruction. He was an important fellow, doing important work.

Page 8 Spring - April 2012 The Ozark Society By David F. “Buzz” Darby – Past President, Missouri Chapter

Happy 50th anniversary Ozark Society! You don’t look a day over 29! I just came in from a four-mile tramp through the woods of the Hercules Glades Wilderness. I was considering our great good fortune to have this parcel of wilderness preserved for our use and enjoyment now, and for the benefit of generations to come. I Wellborn Jack, Jr. was also thinking that it would not have been possible without the full support and concerted efforts of the Ozark Society. My Ozark Society experience began in 1970 when I met Charles McRaven in Springfield, Missouri. A number of us had been canoeing and day-hiking in southern Missouri, and Mac, as he was known, urged us to get in touch with the Society in hopes of forming a chapter in Missouri. I called Dr. Neil Compton and caught his enthusiasm over the phone. He thought that a Missouri chapter would be a great idea and he pledged to come up from Bentonville and meet with us. We announced a local meeting to see if others were interested, and we attracted about thirty people from all age groups and backgrounds to an organizational meeting. Dr. Compton, true to his word, came up and met with us, presenting one of his excellent slide shows. We named the chapter after Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, the early 19th-century explorer and ethnographer. Our first outing was a spring wild flower trip to Lost Valley. Many trips and issues ensued and the chapter was very active for many years. Today, unfortunately, the chapter is not active, but a core of hikers, boaters, and conservation activists remain. We, like most other Society members, became increasingly active in the Buffalo National River campaign and embarked on the important issues of establishing Eastern Wilderness protection in general, and wilderness designation for areas in the Interior Highlands in particular. I sat on the Ozark Society Board for a number of years and was fortunate to serve a term as Ozark Society president 1982- 1983. I think the hallmark of the Ozark Society is the fact that it has been largely successful in achieving its main objectives and goals. The Society has enjoyed outstanding leadership from committed, competent, and reasonable individuals. It is fitting that the Society’s 50th Anniversary is celebrated back on the banks of the Buffalo. Regardless of where our issues or travels take us, the Ozark Society begins and ends with the Buffalo River. Had it not been for the foresight and perseverance of our early leaders, this indescribably beautiful and complex natural ecosystem would have been irrevocably lost under the faceless waters of an artificial impoundment conjured up and crafted by short-sighted profiteers. Here’s to you Ozark Society, and here’s to the next fifty years!

A Chance in a Lifetime By Brenda Crites, Past Board Member, Mississippi Valley Chapter

I consider my membership in the Ozark Society a chance in a lifetime to meet, work with, and become friends with some extraordinary persons. My membership began when founding members were still active and attending meetings and outings. It was a quintessential collection of people with educational backgrounds that began in a different era than mine. These were people who were constantly exploring the natural history of the Ozark region and used their education and talents to protect and conserve more than the Buffalo River. They were also some of the first people to explore the Ozark region for Joe Clark, Sally Hubbard, wilderness recreational purposes. Through that exploration of natural history, Neil Compton they have left a legacy in their publications, their photography, and their citizen action through the legislative process. I have my own legacy from Joe Clark; his photography hangs on my living room walls as works of art. That chance of a lifetime still exists when attending an Ozark Society meeting or outing.

Pack & Paddle Page 9 Recollections for the 50th Anniversary By Paul Means, Past Board Member

In January of 1991, the Ozark Society Board met at Hubert and Mary Virginia Ferguson’s cabin in Boxley. At that meeting the Board voted to pursue federal wild and scenic river designation for six streams in the Ozark National Forest and two streams in the Ouachita National Forest. As Conservation Chairman for the Society, I was privileged to testify before both House and Senate Committees to express Ozark Society support for passage of the required legislation. By April of 1992, it became law. While this stands as one of the most significant accomplishments of the Society, a less significant activity was sure a lot more fun. When he took office in January of 1981, President Ronald Regan appointed James G. Watt as Secretary of the Interior. James Watt has been described as the most blatantly anti-environmental Winter Board Meeting: (L – R): Brenda Crites, political appointee in U.S. history. He favored logging and oil Paul Means, Stewart Noland, Barb Myers, Janet Nye, drilling in wilderness areas, turning all federal land over to the David Timby, Judy Parker, Laura Timby, Bob Ritchie states for development, and de-authorizing national parks. Watt once stated, “We will mine more, drill more, cut more timber.” He proved so controversial that by September, 1983 he was forced to resign. In 2008, Time Magazine named Watt as the sixth worst cabinet member in modern American history. Although I cannot recall the date, Secretary Watt came to Little Rock to speak to a meeting of the Arkansas Farm Bureau at the Hilton Inn on S. University Ave. The Pulaski Chapter joined with the Arkansas Canoe Club and Arkansas Wildlife Federation to mount a protest. About the time he was scheduled to speak, perhaps 30 of us showed up at the entrance to the hotel with anti-Watt signs and began to chant. Our protest put the security people and Farm Bureau officials into a dither. James Watt was spirited in by some back door and we never actually got to shout at him directly. Of course all three television stations and both newspapers were there to cover his speech, but suddenly we were way more exciting. Our protest march made the nightly newscasts and pictures in the paper. It was an exhilarating experience. James Watt symbolized the start of a political movement whose goal is to destroy the environment and that movement is still active 30 years later - recall Sarah Palin’s slogan of “Drill Baby Drill.” We cannot afford to let these anti-environmental politicians go unchallenged and must continue to speak out against them.

“I Was Hooked” By Mike Adelman, Highlands Chapter

After moving to Arkansas, the unique appeal of the Ozarks was easy to appreciate. Participation in the Ozark Society was a way enjoying the Natural State’s outdoors. My first ever Ozark Society event was a hike on the Buffalo River Trail, led by Ken Smith. He told me he was leading a series of hikes on the BRT, as a ‘proof-reading’ for a book he was writing about the Buffalo. (The book is now The Buffalo River Handbook.) After about an hour, I was hooked - by the Ozarks, by the river and by Ken Smith. Through coming weeks, I followed other tracks on the BRT with Ken, moving down river toward Pruitt. In pieces I learned about how all the grandeur of it all was almost lost. I guess this triggered something in me and I tried to learn everything I could about the Ozarks - the history, geology, and the fauna and flora. Not all goals are achieved ... despite Ellen Compton’s gentle tutelage, I still can’t tell a hepatica from a daisy. But I did find an outlet for the impact the Ozarks were making on me - in trail building. I volunteered to work with Ken Smith one Saturday in November. With five others, working hard, I crafted a ‘magnificent’ stretch of 30 feet of trail near Spring Creek Road at Harriet, AR. Ken Smith was gentle when I prodded him to tell me how much trail an experienced person would have

Page 10 Spring - April 2012 finished0 6 - 100 feet in the same time. But then he had me sit down on the side of the hill and look down the hill to the Buffalo River. “I guess you were too taken by the view to concentrate on the trail; I know I usually am.” I have made many friends in the Ozark Society, had many wonderful experiences afoot and afloat, and even helped out a little. I know I received a gift when I walk in the footsteps of men and women who were able convert opposition to the destruction of the beautiful Buffalo into an advocacy for education and conservation as well as recreation.

A Lifetime of Treasured Friendships By Alice Andrews, Past President

The Ozark Society has been my extended family since around 1971 when Maxine Clark helping a friend loaned the latest edition of the Ozark Society Bulletin to me. That with a river cleanup. beautiful work of art - articles on the flora, fauna and geology of Arkansas - was created by Joe and Maxine Clark, two of our founding members. Joe was a geologist and Maxine, a botanist who loved being out in the woods or on a river and revered everything they saw. Their photos, sketches and stories spoke of the joy of sharing new insights and taught us so much about the natural world in Arkansas. They missed very little, examining every leaf, moss, rock and critter, often taking a few home with them to look at under the macro or microscope. I could never wait for the fun and fellowship of the next hike they would lead. More than once, we would hear a horrible “bellowing” sound somewhere in the woods, out of sight. Turns out, as explained by Maxine, “Oh that’s just Joe, celebrating his best imitations of a bull moose”! Neil Compton had many talents – physician, organizer of a successful coalition of like-minded friends to save the Buffalo River from planned dams, an amazing photographer, author, and explorer. He would take off, bushwhacking to “see whets over there”, never mind the terrain challenges. Everyone was in for some fun when Neil decided to “sing”. A couple of his favorite tunes were “Down in the Arkin” and “The Farmer’s Curst Wife”. I was honored to help type some of his manuscript, “Battle for the Buffalo” but one of my favorite recollections of Neil was his ability to speak directly (he did not mince words) to an adversary about the need to save the Buffalo. He was always calm and had such a serious but friendly manner that opponents often walked away with a different attitude and respect for him and his determination to keep the Buffalo free flowing. And, occasionally, he found himself talking to a fencepost. There are so many stories about my other early mentors, Harold and Margaret Hedges, Joe Nix, Harold Alexander, John Heuston, Hubert and Mary Virginia Ferguson. Later, Kirk Wasson, Don Hamilton and Bill Steward taught me about wilderness. I Ozark Society Members at the owe a great debt of gratitude to each of them for expanding my love and knowledge of Ferguson’s house in Ponca the life of rivers and wild places. If we don’t take care of our natural world, who will?

Pack & Paddle Page 11 Even Greater Joys By Joe F. Nix, Second President of the Ozark Society

I learned a lot from being a member of the Ozark Society and even more when I became the second president of the organization. When I finished graduate school at the U of A, I have to admit that did not have any framework for my feelings toward the protection of natural areas or natural rivers. I had spent some time in Yellowstone National Park as a graduate student and had met some rangers who were naturalists and it was there that the “door” began to open. But it was not until later when I became active in the Ozark Society that I really began to understand the importance of protecting the natural environment. My teachers were masters – Harold Alexander, Neal Compton, Harold and Margaret Hedges, Joe and Maxine Clark, Jane Stern, Everett Bowman, Charlie Johnson – just to name a few. It was clearly my exposure to the beautiful places in Arkansas through Ozark Society activities that opened the door to my real appreciation of these places. Then all of a sudden I found myself somewhat involved in the politics of natural area protection. That was a real education but, once again, the Ozark Society provided a direction and a continuing program which gave these efforts a sound direction. I think it is extremely important to remember the role that the Ozark Society has had and continues to have in educating people and giving direction to an individual’s love of nature. Granted, the field has changed, issues have changed, and solutions are different but the basic concept that the preservation of “natural processes” is very important has not lost its significance. I hope that the Ozark Society will continue to provide opportunity for people to learn and to become involved in these issues. To quote one of my favorite authors, Hermann Hesse:

“But I also wanted to teach people to find the springs of joy and the waters of life through John Heuston explores affectionate familiarity with nature: I wanted to preach the art of observation, walking, a rock formation and enjoying, of finding pleasure in what is at hand. In compelling and forceful language I wanted to make you open your ears to what the mountains and the green islands have to say, I wanted to force you to see what an immensely varied and busy life there is there, daily blooming and bubbling over, outside your homes and towns. I wanted to make you ashamed of knowing more about wars, fashion, gossip, literature, and the arts than you do about the spring who displays her vigorous life outside your towns, or about the river that flows beneath your bridges, or the woods and the meadows that your railways pass through. I wanted to tell you what a golden chain of unforgettable pleasures I, a solitary person ill at ease in this world, had found, and I desired that you, who are perhaps happier people than me, should discover even greater joys.”

______Bernhard Zeller. A Portrait of Hesse, Herder and Herder, New York, 1963

Page 12 Spring - April 2012 Past, Present and Future By Dana Steward, OS Foundation Board Member

Writing about the Ozark Society seems quite presumptuous to this newcomer of only 30 years or so, but the memories and the value of the Society to me and my family are countless. For us, the Society not only offered a way to join in with the preservation of our natural abundance, but also fellowship, inspiration, family times, old and new friends, and just plain old laughter. The memories are in no way chronological but more like Eunice and Buffalo River rocks that catch my eye and my heart as I float by. Ross Noland No doubt, yours are different but just as valuable. Here are a few of mine.

• Having all our adult children home for Bill’s Fathers Day to float the river on the 25th anniversary float. • Watching Alice and Watkins play ball with osage orange (horse apples) fruit at the Jerusalem post office. • Admiring Don Hamilton as he carried his wilderness presentation to civic groups, church groups, and politicians all over the state; • Watching Michael Farrar go head on with a horse advocate at a Forest Service hearing; • Watching two guys cook bacon for 20 people on a Buffalo Float one piece at a time (first time I’m thinking); • Seeing Stewart poling a loaded john boat with either Sally or Trudy sitting in the bow like a queen; • Listening to Harold Hedges talk about the rising river by a watch fire in the middle of the night while Marshall and Randy hung on his every word; • Taking the Ferguson family to Greasy Creek; • Seeing in person the Buffalo Gals, Paul Noland and others in head scarfs and other female attributes, and Ross in a bucket, for entertainment on a river trip; • Watching the gleam in an eight-year-old Libby Nye’s eyes when we led a rock hopping trip down Indian Creek; Libby and Benjamin Nye and Acadia, Davis, and Hannah Roher were fondly called the Buffalo Brats.

Well, enough, you get the idea. The Hedges are gone now, along with Dr. Compton and Davis Roher on so many more, but several of the kids are deeply involved in our environmental future. Libby the Buffalo finishes college this year and will go this summer to be a base camp coordinator/instructor for Summit Adventure in California, assisting with instruction on courses which includes technical rock climbing skills. Watkins is in Ecuador now but will begin graduate school in urban planning in the fall. Acadia, a student at the Clinton School, is drawing attention to water preservation through her work as a Little Rock Sustainability Commissioner and an independent consultant to the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel. And Ross Noland, the kid in the bucket, is an attorney leading the Ozark Society suit challenging the Forest Service stance on the issue of natural gas drilling on our public lands. We may not be around for another 50 years but they will. Go get ‘em, you all, and don’t forget to laugh.

Pack & Paddle Page 13 John Heuston in Paddle Trails

Our longtime Communications Chair and newsletter editor John Heuston originally wrote this article for Paddle Trails, the Pulaski Chapter newsletter, in late 1969. It was reprinted in The Ozark Society Bulletin, Winter 1969-70, and again in Pack & Paddle, December 2009. The message is as timely as ever.

“Perhaps it was the awed astronauts’ comments about the singular beauty of lonely Earth in the vastness of space that triggered this nation’s sudden, sincere concern about our fragile environment. We don’t know. But we do know that never before have so many people in so many different walks of life been so concerned about problems Ozark Society members have recognized for years. Air and water pollution, park desecration, dwindling areas of hardwoods and wildlife habitat, and the dam-nation and channelization of our rivers and streams are topics on the lips of people who never gave such problems a thought before. This is good. But this newly awakened emphasis on conservation – nay, more than that, “environmental preservation,” is going to need direction and guidance if it is to be a positive force. This is why the Ozark Society needs YOU…Now, more than ever before. It is a new year and a new decade-and we may not have many of those left if action is not taken NOW!”

John Heuston

Listf o Photographs: Page 5: First Meeting Notice (1 and 2). Ozark Society Records (MSOz 1219219A) 1957-1975. Location 739, series 1, box 1, file 228. Special Collections, University of Arkansas Library, Fayetteville. Page 6: Photograph of Neil Compton on the Buffalo. Neil Compton Papers (MC 1091), box 25, folder 2, image 30. Special Collections, University of Arkansas Library, Fayetteville. Photograph of Justice William Douglas in a Canoe. Neil Compton Papers (MC 1091), box 31, folder 2, item 1137. Special Collections, University of Arkansas Library, Fayetteville. Page 7: Photograph by Wellborn Jack, Jr. of Cossatot Falls in the Spring. Ozark Society Bulletin. Summer 1970. Photograph of Ken Smith, Joe Clark, and Neil Compton, Neil Compton’s 85th Birthday Party. Ellen Compton. August 2, 1997. Page 8: Photograph by R. A. Hutchinson of Wellborn Jack, Jr. Fishing the Cossatot. Ozark Society Bulletin. Winter 1969-70. Photograph of Harold Hedges, Roger Tory Peterson, and Neil Compton. Neil Compton Papers (MC 1091), box 26, item 1. Special Collections, University of Arkansas Library, Fayetteville. Page 9: Photograph by Brenda Crites of Joe Clark, Sally Hubbard, and Neil Compton. Page 10: Photograph of Winter Board Meeting. Brenda Crites. Page 11: Photograph of Ozark Society members at Ferguson’s House in Ponca, Neil Compton Papers (MC 1091), box 36, item 11, Special Collections, University of Arkansas Library, Fayetteville. Photograph of Maxine Clark – Clean Up Float. Neil Compton Papers (MC 1091), box 31, folder 7, item 1211. Special Collections, University of Arkansas Library, Fayetteville. Page 12: Photograph by Neil Compton of Bee Bluff on the Buffalo River. Ozark Society Bulletin. Spring 1968. Photograph of John Heuston Standing in a Rock Formation, Neil Compton Papers (MC 1091), box 3, folder 16, item 1299. Special Collections, University of Arkansas Library, Fayetteville. Page 13: Photograph by Dana Steward of Eunice and Ross Noland. Photograph by Dana Steward of Davis Roher on the Buffalo River. Page 14: Photograph of John Heuston with Backpacking Gear. Neil Compton Papers (MC 1091), box 31, folder 16, item 1294. Special Collections, University of Arkansas Library, Fayetteville. Page 15: Monica Patel photograph.

Page 14 Spring - April 2012 Extending the Wilderness Legacy By Monica Patel

(Reprinted with permission from The Student Conservation Association’s newsletter, The Green Way, www.thesca.org)

With sweat beading on my forehead, conditions, develop inventorying and Buffalo’s wilderness stewardship plan. I throbbing feet, and a racing heart, I monitoring strategies, and produce a then tap into my audience’s wealth of collapse onto a limestone cliff. My eyes viable wilderness stewardship plan. For knowledge and fill a legal pad full of trace the Buffalo River below. And six months, in northwest Arkansas, I notes that I could not have acquired by I realize my position as a Wilderness pursue this precise mission. simply reading the towering stacks of Fellow at Buffalo National River is Every week, I meet telephonically management papers on my desk. directly linked to an American legacy, with other SCA fellows stationed at Wilderness is often times to the enactment of the Wilderness national parks around the country perceived as synonymous with “visitor Act of 1964. , Arthur along with Wade Vagias, Natural restrictions,” and can translate to a hot- Carhart, , and other Resources Specialist (WSD), to discuss button issue with the local community, advocates raised consciousness toward complex issues. And as we forge a new which occasionally has been the case the beauty and necessity of wild lands. path inherent with ambiguity, I hear at Buffalo National River. From my Forty-seven years and over 109 million Wade counsel “We’re building the ship personal experiences in nearby towns, acres of designated wilderness later, as we’re sailing it.” local rodeos and the Turkey Trot festival, the Student Conservation Association Soon, I am presenting to a room I know the people here value history. and the National Park Service’s of site managers, their faces glowing With this in mind, I tailor outreach Wilderness Stewardship Division have in the light reflected off a projector tools such as brochures, posters, and initiated a program to assess current screen. I relate an outline for developing website content to highlight locals’ connections to the legacy of the land. In doing so, the puzzle of Buffalo’s wilderness character has started to come alive for me. My mind is filled with images from a nearby cave and a massive rock wall etched with names and dates, under which are barely discernible prehistoric illustrations. Humans are inclined to leave a part of themselves behind. As I approach the end of my adventure here, I leave an etching of my own in the management plan and educational products that will not only advance stewardship practices but a broad wilderness movement at Buffalo National River. Monica Patel in the Buffalo National Wilderness.

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