Buffalo River Watershed Alliance
June 12, 2015, 12:30 pm
Clean Water Rule protects national parks
By Maureen Finnerty
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers have released a new rule to re-extend protections of the Clean Water Act to the headwater streams and wetlands that provide drinking water for one in every three Americans. This is great news for our families; it is also great news for our national parks. Already, more than half of our 407 national parks have waterways deemed “impaired” under the Clean Water Act and in need of attention.
Finalized in May, the EPA’s common-sense new Waters of the U.S. or Clean Water Rule reestablishes protections for headwaters streams and wetlands -- benefiting downstream national parks, 279 million annual visitors, and gateway communities. Although polluters may be squealing in protest, the Clean Water Rule is a longtime coming and importantly, restores EPA’s oversight of our drinking water supplies, which were first established by Congress and President Nixon in 1972.
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks also weighed in. Our coalition includes 1,083 former National Park Service employees with over 30,000 years of combined experience. Like me, many of our members have served in parks whose local domestic water supply and protected natural resources are dependent upon and often impacted by the quality of surface water flowing into and through the respective park’s designated boundary.
We believe that this common-sense clean water rule provides ecological, recreational and economic benefits to downstream national parks and communities. With Clean Water Act protections, visitors can safely drink, fish, swim and play in park waterways. Plants and wildlife can depend on healthy streams.
Congress should join national park visitors and tourism-dependent businesses and communities in celebrating what this new rule means for our heritage – not seeking to undermine or delay the rule. Our national parks are our legacy to the next generation; conserving them is our shared responsibility. The 2016 centennial of our parks is a prime opportunity for renewing this commitment. Let’s be sure we can all hold up a clean glass of water at the time.
Finnerty is chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks – Voices of Experience. She has three decades of experience with the National Park Service, including serving as superintendent of both Everglades National Park in Florida and Olympic National Park in Washington. She is a recipient of the Department of Interior’s Meritorious Service award.
From the National Park Service Buffalo National River |
HARRISON — A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 1,357,057 visitors to Buffalo National River [Arkansas] in 2014, spent $56.6 million in gateway communities surrounding the park. Visitors’ spending supported 890 jobs while adding a cumulative monetary benefit of $65.1 million to the local economy.
“Buffalo National River welcomes visitors from across the region, across the country, and increasingly from around the world,” said Superintendent Kevin Cheri. “Visitation is growing steadily and as a result, local businesses are seeing the economic benefits. In 2014, visitation was up 20.6% and visitor spending increased 22.6%. We appreciate the support of our community partners and are pleased that park visitation helps sustain the local economy.”
The 2014 National Park Visitor Spending Effects is a peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber and National Park Service economist Lynne Koontz. On a national level, the report shows $15.7 billion of direct spending by 292.8 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 277,000 jobs nationally; 235,600 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $29.7 billion.
According to the 2014 report, park visitor spending trends were for lodging (30.6 percent) followed by food and beverages (20.3 percent), gas and oil (11.9 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (9.9 percent).
Tribute on the river By Mike Masterson Low, fast-moving rain clouds punctuated by intermittent showers couldn't keep nearly 100 people and Channel 10 television from Springfield, Mo., from attending the memorial rally and float for the late 3rd District Rep. John Paul Hammerschmidt along the Buffalo National River near Pruitt last weekend. The event, sponsored by the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, Ozark River Stewards, Arkansas Canoe Club and the National Parks Conservation Association, was moderated by Ginny Masullo of both the stewards and alliance associations. I'm sure the crowd would have been much larger had the weather been nicer. There was palpable reverence in the air when it came to various conversations about how sacred this river has been to all Arkansans and many thousands across America who come each year to enjoy its stunning beauty and dramatic scenery. On this afternoon, they had come for a two-mile float shepherded by the Canoe Club to pay tribute to Hammerschmidt, a Harrison native who died April 1 at age 92, for his key role in introducing legislation to preserve the Buffalo as our first national river in 1972. The crowd munched on cookies, nuts, chips, and sipped tea and lemonade while listening to music from the husband/wife group, Mockingbird, and four speakers with different accounts about the river and Hammerschmidt's hard-fought contributions to keep it from being dammed. I spoke a few minutes about how nationally newsworthy and deeply significant it is that our state's Department of Environmental Quality (cough) quietly allowed the first hog factory into the Buffalo River's watershed in 2012. Don Castleberry, a retired director of five national parks, talked about the critical importance of keeping and preserving them for future generations. Dane Schumacher, a board member of the river alliance, presented a detailed list of how Cargill-sponsored C&H Hog Farms at Mount Judea so suddenly came to exist and the subsequent and expensive chain of events that misguided act has triggered. She also referred to an historical narrative prepared by the Pryor Center about John Paul's life, pulling the following excerpt from interviews conducted several years ago when Hammerschmidt was asked about what it means to be a public servant: "Bottom-line advice is don't even seek public office unless you want to serve other people ... if service to others isn't your main goal, forget it ... I don't care whether you're appointed or elected. That's the only reason people should be in public office, is to purely serve other people. And it's easy to do. ... that's why we're here on earth after all, whether you're in office or out of office. Whether you're a shoeshine boy, a banker, or a congressman, your goal is to serve to other people. I mean, that's my philosophy about life." Hammerschmidt's son, my cousin John Arthur Hammerschmidt of Harrison, closed by telling the crowd how overjoyed his father would have been to see this kind of outpouring of respect and appreciation for his efforts. He said his father would have enjoyed being there had he been alive. John Arthur told of John Paul and his close friend David Fitton building a boat as young teenagers, then having their creation trucked to the Buffalo where they continually pushed it upstream against the current so they could float back down to Pruitt. They also would camp on the river for days on end when John Paul was a youth. "My dad knew and loved the river so much," he said. "It was always very much a part of who he was." John Arthur divided his time between a home in Washington, D.C., and Harrison, where he became a supportive son and a loving fixture in his father's life, especially as John Paul developed debilitating health problems. Speaking of my late uncle during the final decade of a very active life, I've always tried to elevate those I see as giving so much of themselves to benefit others. So many who give more than they take come and go from this strange world without being recognized for their selflessness. And that's a shame. With that in mind, I close by saying how much I (and many others) admire Sharon Huff of Harrison who, in the years after the death of John Paul's wife, Virginia, grew to become a close companion, Presbyterian pew-partner, helpmate and all-around supportive person in his life. Living only blocks from his home in Harrison, it wasn't unusual for Sharon to show up with meals she'd prepared, while freely offering anything else that could prove helpful. This devotion was unwavering even though she held down a busy sales position that often required her to travel. Sharon regularly accompanied John Paul because she cared about and respected him so much. Those who knew Sharon as she grew up working in her mother's cafe off the downtown Harrison square quickly saw and appreciated that inherent goodness and caring in her spirit. So today I wanted to note for the record what a genuine blessing this kind, straight-talking lady was to him during his final eight years on this earth. Would that each of us have such people in our lives. ------------v------------ Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at mikemasterson10@hotmail.com. Editorial on 05/30/2015
Linda Ong
Mike Pitts
05/24/2015 09:37 PM
05/24/2015 09:54 PM
HARRISON, Ark.-- Heavy rain didn't keep people coming out to the Buffalo River to honor late Arkansas Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt.
He died on April 1, 2015 at the age of 92.
Hammerschmidt was instrumental in protecting the Buffalo River from being dammed 40 years ago.
Family members of Hammerschmidt said his love of the river dated back to when he was only 12 years old.
This passion would eventually grow into an effort to preserve the river, for generations to come.
By land and water, people gathered to honor the Arkansas icon.
"My dad would be very humbled by this event even occurring," said John Arthur Hammerschmidt, the son of Hammerschmidt.
The memorial and tribute float commemorated the legacy of the former congressman and WWII veteran.
Hammerschmidt is known as the founding father of the GOP in his once solidly blue state. He went on to serve 26 years in Congress. One of his greatest achievements was protecting the Buffalo River.
"He knew the value of this," said Mike Masterson, the nephew of Hammerschmidt. "You just have to look around you and see the river itself to realize how magnificent this is."
In 1972, Hammerschmidt successfully got Congress to pass his legislation to make the Buffalo River the first national river in America. It's a lasting legacy Hammerschmidt's son is proud of.
"My dad could almost always see the big picture," said John Arthur. "I'm sure he thought this river would serve others for years and years to come."
Right now, people get to enjoy the beauty of the Buffalo River. But some said it needs to be continually protected from potential threats.
"The immediate threat is the water quality," said Don Castleberry, a retired National Park Service Midwest Regional Director.
Castleberry said the threat comes from hog farm production waste nearby.
"The potential for pollution as a result of the waste filtering themselves down the Karst typography and actually contaminating the river," said Castleberry.
Until that threat becomes a reality, conservation groups vow to protect what Hammerschmidt worked so hard to preserve.
"This matters to too many people, the beauty of this place, the uniqueness of this place, the spiritual nature of this place to ever let it go," said Masterson.
The Buffalo Watershed Alliance put on the event, and various conservation and canoe groups came to join the festivities.
People also wrote notes for the Hammerschmidt family to honor the late congressman.
Attorneys for the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance and other environmental groups applied for $370,510 in attorneys fees this week in the lawsuit the groups filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and two federal agencies regarding loan guarantees made to C&H Hog Farms.
But immediately after filing the application for attorneys fees, the environmental groups and the defendants entered a joint request for a pause on submitting any more materials supporting or opposing the environmental groups' application for attorneys fees until July 21.
In the joint request, the parties stated they were in continuing negotiations to resolve the dispute and did not want additional fees and costs to be incurred unnecessarily.
C&H Hog Farms is on Big Creek, 6 miles from where it meets the Buffalo National River. Environmental activists and others have been concerned about the amount of animal waste generated in the environmentally sensitive area.
The Alliance, the Arkansas Canoe Club, the National Parks Conservation Association and the Ozark Society sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Farm Service Agency and the Small Business Administration in August 2013, arguing that the latter two agencies failed to properly consult with other agencies, including the National Park Service, in conducting an environmental assessment of the farm while considering the loan guarantees.
The environmental assessment carried a "finding of no significant impact."
In October, U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. ruled that the assessment was insufficient and violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
The U.S. Small Business Administration and the Farm Service Agency had agreed to back $3.4 million in private loans made to C&H Hog Farms in Mount Judea after the farm was found to have insufficient collateral, meaning that the agencies would foot the bill for the farm's loans if the farm defaulted.
The agencies haven't made any payments on the loans and by a judge's order cannot until the new environmental assessments are completed.
Metro on 05/23/2015
Submitted by The City Wire Staff on Mon, 05/18/2015 - 2:30pm
There should be little doubt Arkansas’ travel and tourism industry is doing well. Sector employment set a new record high in February and collections of the state’s 2% tourism tax set new collection records in January and February.
The Arkansas Tourism Ticker shows that the three key measurements of Arkansas’ leisure and hospitality sector during January and February posted healthy gains over the same period in 2014. The ticker is managed by The City Wire, and uses the following three measurements to review the health of the state’s tourism industry. The Arkansas Tourism Ticker will be produced every two months, or six times a year. • Hospitality tax collections – prepared food tax and lodging tax – of 17 Arkansas cities (cities listed below and in included image); • Tourism sector employment numbers as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; and • Collections of Arkansas’ 2% statewide tourism tax.
Results for the January-February ticker report are: • +8.67% Gain in combined January-February hospitality tax collections in 17 Arkansas cities compared to the same period in 2014
• +7.48% January-February gain in Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax compared to the same period in 2014
• +6.67% Increase in average Arkansas’ tourism industry jobs during January and February compared to January-February 2014
The January-February report follows the inaugural Ticker report in which 2014 hospitality tax collections in the cities was up 3.7% over 2013; Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax revenue in 2014 was up 7.48% compared to 2013; and jobs in the state’s travel and tourism sector were up 6.5% in 2014 compared to 2013.
HOSPITALITY TAXES The combined hospitality tax collections in the 17 cities totaled $6.378 million in January-February, up 8.67% compared to January-February 2014. Collections in the 17 cities were up more than 30% compared to the same period in 2010.
Restaurant (prepared food tax) tax collections among the 17 cities totaled $4.979 million in January and February, up 8.78% compared to the $4.577 million in January-February 2014.
Hotel tax collections among the 17 cities totaled $1.399 million in January and February, up 8.27% compared to the $1.292 million during the same period of 2014.
During the January-February period, only three cities – El Dorado, Texarkana and Van Buren – saw hospitality tax collection declines.
STATEWIDE TOURISM TAX Collections of Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax in January and February totaled $1.775 million, up 7.48% compared to the $1.651 million in January-February of 2014. The January collection of $833,448 and the February collection of $941,979 were new records for each month.
The 2% tourism tax in 2014 totaled $13.677 million, up 7.48% compared to the $12.716 million collected in 2013. The 2014 tally sets a new record for the tax. Following are the past five years of 2% tax collections. 2014: $13.677 million 2013: $12.716 million 2012: $12.404 million 2011: $12.025 million 2010: $11.492 million
TOURISM JOB NUMBERS Jobs in the travel and tourism sector during January and February were up 6.67% compared to the same period in 2014.
The travel and tourism sector employed 112,100 in January and 114,800 in February for an average of 113,450. That’s well ahead of the 106,200 and 106,500 in January and February 2014, respectively, for an average of 106,350.
If it stands, the 114,800 employed in Arkansas’ travel and tourism industry during February is a new record high for the sector.
Job growth in the sector has been impressive during the past 10 years. February employment of 114,800 is up almost 23% compared to February 2005 employment of 93,600.
Of the eight metro areas in or connected to Arkansas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides tourism employment data on five. The Fort Smith and Memphis-West Memphis areas were the only metro areas to see travel and tourism sector employment declines in the January-February period. Following are comparisons of the employment averages in the January-February period. Northwest Arkansas Jan.-Feb. 2015: 21,100 Jan.-Feb. 2014: 20,650 Jan.-Feb. 2010: 16,900
Fort Smith Jan.-Feb. 2015: 8,650 Jan.-Feb. 2014: 8,750 Jan.-Feb. 2010: 8,200
Central Arkansas (Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway) Jan.-Feb. 2015: 31,850 Jan.-Feb. 2014: 30,550 Jan.-Feb. 2010: 28,000
Memphis-West Memphis Jan.-Feb. 2015: 61,900 Jan.-Feb. 2014: 62,500 Jan.-Feb. 2010: 62,650
Texarkana (Arkansas-Texas) Jan.-Feb. 2015: 6,200 Jan.-Feb. 2014: 5,850 Jan.-Feb. 2010: 5,450
WHY THE TICKER? Arkansas’ tourism industry is an important economic engine for the state, and is often cited as Arkansas’ second largest industry – behind agriculture.
There are many reports and economic indices to measure several areas of the the state’s economy. The City Wire issues a monthly housing report (The Arkansas Home Sales Report). The University of Arkansas issues a quarterly report on economic activity, and has published reports on the economic impact of the Fayetteville Shale Play. There are reports to measure public opinion on various social issues.
But there has not been an independent report looking at the health of the state’s tourism sector. Therefore, The City Wire decided to work with officials in the state’s travel and tourism sector to capture some indication of the relative health of the industry.
by Mike Masterson
If you have nothing else planned for May 24 and would enjoy a rewarding and unforgettable afternoon in an idyllic setting for Memorial Day weekend, you might consider joining me and the Ozark River Stewards along the scenic Buffalo National River. They've planned a tribute gathering and two-mile float in honor of late 3rd District Rep. John Paul Hammerschmidt of Harrison. Hammerschmidt was instrumental in constructing and shepherding legislation through the U.S. House that in 1972 created the country's first national river. In 2012, the state's Department of Environmental Quality (cough) misguidedly permitted a large, Cargill Inc.-sponsored hog factory into the Buffalo watershed just six miles from the treasured stream that draws tens of thousands of tourists each year. Since then, studies by the National Park Service (whom the state also failed to notify this mega-waste-producing factory was being permitted) and others have been monitoring water quality along Big Creek, a major tributary of the Buffalo, which flows alongside the waste spray fields that serves C&H Hog Farms, housing up to 6,500 swine. The stewards, who are sponsoring this tribute at the Ozark campground along Arkansas Scenic 7 south near Jasper, are as committed as many Arkansas groups and people across the state and nation to doing everything necessary to keep what many consider the state's most valuable natural treasure in "God's Country" free from contamination from hog waste. "The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Board recently voted unanimously to extend the temporary moratorium on allowing any additional large and medium hog [factories] in the Buffalo River watershed," the group wrote in announcing the tribute. "While that is good news, what is really needed is a permanent ban on unsustainable industrial operations that are passing themselves off as 'family farms' all over our country." The organization also cited records it says show C&H has spread over 2.5 million gallons of raw hog waste onto a little over 400 acres of pasture in the past year, including periods when when it was too cold for grass to grow. The state's permit also allows the factory to leak up to 5,000 gallons daily from its two waste lagoons. Unbelievable, isn't it? ------------v------------ Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at mikemasterson10@hotmail.com. Editorial on 05/16/2015
Listen to the KUAF Radio broadcast here
The U.S. Department of Justice has withdrawn an appeal challenging a federal court decision finding that millions of dollars in federal loan guarantees backing an industrial swine breeding operation are illegal. The farm is located a few miles upstream from the Buffalo National River Park, which last year hosted 1.3 million recreationists.
Judge Marshall’s decision to suspend the loan guarantees can be found here.
More information on the battle to block industrial farming on the Buffalo can be found here.
Buffalo River Watershed Alliance is a non profit 501(c)(3) organization
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