Arkansas Times

Fundraiser in Conway for the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance

Posted By David Ramsey on Fri, May 11, 2018 at 4:02 PM

The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, the nonprofit that has been at the front lines of the ongoing fight against the placement of a large hog harm five miles upstream from the Buffalo National River, is hosting a fundraising event on June 3 at the Almost Famous Smokehouse and Grill in Conway. 

Don't tell Jan Morgan. 

The event, "Conway Boogie for the Buffalo River," will feature performances by various local musicians and speakers providing information on the latest developments relating to animal waste pollution impacting the river. It will run from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., with a suggested $10 donation. 

C&H Hog Farm, the controlled animal feeding operation (CAFO) that fattens pigs for slaughter for a Brazilian meat processing conglomerate, had its permit denied by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), but is appealing the decision, and recently applied for a new type of permit. In the mean time, it continues to operate on its expired permit. Critics argue that the more than 2 million gallons of manure and wastewater generated annually by the facility are an existential threat to the vulnerable terrain and ecosystem of the Buffalo River watershed. 

From the group's press release: 

The current focus of BRWA is the "Save the Buffalo - Again" campaign. In 2012, an industrialized swine concentrated feeding operations (CAFO) was built on the banks of Big Creek, just 5 miles upstream from the Buffalo National River. Government oversight, including lack of public notification, of this swine CAFO’s development was deeply flawed. The now operating CAFO threatens to destroy the fragile ecosystem of our nation's first National River. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) who granted the original permit denied the second permit application. This is currently under appeal. BRWA along with the Arkansas Canoe Club and Ozark Society are intervenors in this appeal which is slated to be heard August 6, 2018 by the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission’s Judge Charles Moulton. BRWA will have an information table throughout the event.

Here's the musical lineup: 

Billy Jeter 1:30-2:10
Dave Malm 2:20-3:00
Mark Currey 3:10-3:50
Jeff and Dan Clanton 4:00-4:40
Harrisong 4:50-5:30
The Rios 5:40-6:20
Saffron 6:30-7:10
Plowdog 7:20-9:00.