Spring “The challenge goes on. There are other lands and rivers, other wilderness 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 Ozarks 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 Missouri 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 National Park Service, all concerning the history of the Ozark Society.