 |
Pack and Paddle Summer 1999 |
 |
CURRENTS
By Stewart Noland
There are lots of good things to report about recent Ozark Society happenings.
The irrepressible Bayou Chapter completed its west to-east traverse of the Ouachita Trail this spring. They then celebrated with central Arkansas members of the Ozark Society at Pinnacle Mountain State Park at the conclusion of the final leg of their "OT-in-10" hike.
The hike was a tribute to their determination, and attracted a lot of public attention to the Ozark Society.
At the spring meeting at Mountain View, an interesting presentation from Buffalo National River archeologist David Hayes prompted an interest in working with the Buffalo National River to possibly re-construct the Erbie House at Tyler Bend. The remains of the Erbie House were found near the Erbie Campground and represent an interesting mix of western and eastern native American building styles. A reconstructed Erbie House could serve as a cultural interpretive exhibit.
Hayes also demonstrated how the native Americans used the "throwing stick" to bring down ancient bison, and the bow and arrow to hunt deer and other game. We also got to do some spear-chunking of our own outside the convention center. It was fun. We plan to use the memorial contributions that we have received in honor of our late founder, Dr. Neil Compton, to distribute copies of his book, "The High Ozarks.....A Vision of Eden" to area libraries.
The all-chapter outings to both the Buffalo River and Colorado will most likely have taken place by the time you receive this issue of Pack & Paddle and we'll have a lot of tales to tell about both trips!
We are pleased to announce that a generous gift from the Walton Family Foundation will help pay for the maintenance of our popular Web Page and for production of the "Pack& Paddle" newsletter.
Many thanks to Ozark Society members Jim and Lynne Walton and the rest of their family for this wonderful gift. Reprints of Dr. Compton's book, "The High Ozarks..." were unveiled at the Spring meeting, along with plans of our oral history committee, chaired by Brenda Crites and Steve Noland, to continue its work to capture and preserve the audiovisual history of the Ozark Society and its struggle to preserve the Buffalo River.
The Highlands Chapter is working on plans for the Sept. 24-26 Fall Meeting at Devil's Den State Park, and most of the information you will need to know is in this issue.
Differences of opinion continue to simmer over proposals to extend the Buffalo River Trail through the lower river area. The future of gravel mining in and along Crooked Creek also has yet to be completely resolved. Continued, careful consideration of both of these issues is warranted.
It was a pleasure to have Charles Richmond, the new supervisor of the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, at our spring meeting, along with his family. Richmond's message was well received. He has a strong background in wildlife and range management, which are important to Arkansans. I look forward to continuing our positive relationship with the ONF.
Financial Chairman Bob Ritchie reported at the Spring Meeting that our membership is increasing. Nevertheless, encourage your friends who enjoy the outdoors to join us. The Ozark Society has a good thing going -- but we could always use more help!
Devil's Den September 24 - 26
A reminder: Mark your calendars and make your reservations early!
Highlands Chapter Chairman Susan Young (501-442-6117) and Eunice Noland (501-442-8820) remind that Highlands is hosting the Fall Meeting of the Ozark Society on Sept. 24-26 at beautiful Devil's Den State Park near West Fork in northwest Arkansas, so now is the time to make your reservations.
If you have questions we don't cover -- call Susan or Eunice.
The park is holding 1 0 cabins - for Ozark Society members until Aug. 15. You can reserve a cabin or campsite with a credit card by calling 1-800-264-2417 -be sure and mention Ozark Society when you call! Rates vary from a one bedroom cabin at $62 a night (two person occupancy, with a two-night minimum, $5 per night for each extra person) to $72 for a two- bedroom cabin and $82 for a three-bedroom cabin.
Camp Area E is being held for Ozark Society members until Aug. 15. There are 19 sites, all with water and electricity. The fee is $13.50 a night; $15.50 for sites near the creek. A two-night minimum is required, plus a non-refundable advance deposit of the first night's fee to confirm your reservation. To reserve a site, call 501-762-3325. Again, mention Ozark Society when you call.
Incidentally, rates are half-price for ages 65-plus, and Golden Passports are honored. However, this is a very popular park, so don't wait -- make your reservations now!
Meetings Chairman Joe Meyer and his associates are organizing the formal and informal programs now and we will have that information in the fall P&P.
However, most of you know the basic drill by now -- Friday is reserved for setting up camp, relaxing and visiting. Registration will begin Saturday morning at 9 a. m., with the general membership meeting at 1 0 a.m., followed by the meeting of the board of directors You are on your own for lunch. The afternoon will be devoted to fun and educational programs, leading up to our infamous potluck supper at approximately 6 p.m.
Sunday, as usual, is reserved for group outings and activities, or you can explore on your own. Knowing the Highland Chapter, the program will be interesting. Come join us for a devilish good time in an area of unusual geological features that was once home base to Civil War "bushwhackers" and post-war outlaws.
The spring meeting at the Ozark Folk Center State Park -- a unique park dedicated to the preservation of Ozark Mountain folk music and pioneer living skills -- was a great one. Laura and David Timby and members of the Buffalo River Chapter hosted the meeting. We owe special thanks to Group Sales Manager Terry Wilkinson of the park staff for making sure we had everything we needed for a successful meeting.
The fall meeting at Devils Den will be a good one too. See you there.
Neil Compton Memorial Float Trip
(Editor's Note: By all accounts, the June 15-19, 1999 Neil Compton Memorial Float on the Buffalo National River from Tyler Bend to White River was an outstanding success -- as depicted in the photographs in this issue provided by Tripmaster Bill Steward. Steward credits his other group leaders -- Stewart Noland and Paul Means, for making sure that the many details that must be attended to were done "with dispatch. Most of us are very familiar with the daily routine of Ozark liver floating and camping, but Jim Allen points out a deeper meaning to all this "fun in the sun" that we often overlook.)
Floating is a family thing By Jim Allen
I had wanted to float the Buffalo with the Ozark Society for the last two years, but personal problems prevented me from doing so. My friends, Bill and Dana Steward, introduced me to the Ozark Society so I expected to be with some great people. My expectations were realized!
A trip like this is best shared with someone you love, so my 15 -year old grandson, Chris Denny, accompanied me. This was his first time in a canoe. Whatever Chris lacked in knowledge, he made up for it with enthusiasm and energy. We floated from Tyler Bend to Buffalo Point and really hated to see our part of the trip end.
There are several things that made this float such a pleasant and unusual experience. Everyone in our group seemed willing to make the extra effort for the benefit of the group. Usually you will have a slouch or sorehead in the group, but I didn't see any.
The planning and preparation was the best I have ever seen. This was one of the very few times over the last 50 years that I haven't had this responsibility, so I know what was involved from Bill Steward and his helpers. Someone forgot to bring the stoves, but Bill arranged to have them brought up from Sherwood and he made certain they were distributed to each group well before the time they were needed.
Steward was recognized by the group for his dedication and leadership of the Buffalo River canoe trips -which originated in 1997 as a way to recognize the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Buffalo National River by Congress. Bill was presented a fancy racing paddle.
I believe that his old friends and fellow Ozark Society leaders, Alice Andrews and Dave Gruenewald, provided the inspiration and arrangement for this gift and other members contributed to the cost.
It was so refreshing to see entire families making the trip together. In our group, Alan and Janet Nye and Michael and Ti Roher, had their young children with them. They were so well behaved I hardly realized they were there. The children had fun and I didn't hear a complaint -- no crying or whimpering -- as you might expect from young children.
The Buffalo can only be experienced. Words or photographs are simply not adequate to do justice to this very special river. How could anyone leave their garbage for the rest of us to cleanup? How could anyone throw a can into these pristine waters? I am aware of the struggles to preserve this river treasure for all of us to enjoy and I wish there was a way to make all who see these waters feel a reverence for what we have. I wish there was a pill that would give a sensitivity to all ... to be aware of their actions and the effect on its beauty and purity.
There are no easy answers to these concerns.
We can be thankful for the Ozark Society and for parents like the Nyes and Rohers. You can bet that their children will never deface this beauty -- they will be leaders in the fight to preserve these precious assets.
Crooked Creek Update
By John Heuston
As this issue of Pack & Paddle is being wrapped up for the printers the fate of Crooked Creek still hangs by a thread.
Attorney General Mark Pryor has only a short time left to appeal Judge Lineberger's "mixed bag" ruling in the Crooked Creek lawsuit to the Arkansas Supreme Court. If Pryor doesn't appeal, it will be a major disappointment. After all, The Ozark Society and friends lost the Mulberry River decision in the local court, as expected, but won on appeal.
Judge Lineberger ruled that the public has a "descriptive easement" to float, fish, swim, and otherwise use the creek in the traditional ways it has been recreationally used by the public for generations. A prescriptive right is one based on long use or custom. He ordered the four defendants in the case to stop building fences across the stream, though, as is also traditional, they can build fences along the bank, usually at or near the point defining the transition of the stream bank to pasture or woodlands.
In brief, we can float the creek until the miners haul it away.
However, Judge Lineberger dismissed the state's assertion that Crooked Creek was historically navigable and, therefore, the state owns the bed of Crooked Creek. He also shrugged off that portion of the 1980 lawsuit where the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled: Navigable waters -- former criterion for determining navigability. "Navigability -- Expansion of the criterion TO INCLUDE RECREATIONAL USES (the emphasis is ours).
"The former criterion for determining the navigability of a stream, which depended upon the usefulness of the stream for carrying out farm and forest products and bringing in merchandise during some seasons of the year, is now expanded to include the use of the stream for recreational purposes, such as fishing in flat-bottomed boats and canoeing, or floating, etc."
Conservationists, naturally, believe the judge Lineberger erred here in dismissing the 1980 court, and would like an opportunity to see what the current Arkansas Supreme Court has to say.
Lineberger cautioned that the prescriptive easement applies only to the waters of Crooked Creek as they flow past the defendant's property. The public does not have the right to trespass on or litter the defendant's property. Everybody agrees on these points.
On the littering issue: Canoeists often get blamed for "littering." However, canoeists do not carry old tires, refrigerators, and rusting automobile bodies along on their river trips. The Ozark Society has long contended, and proved through the numerous household appliances gathered up on its "cleanup floats," that most of the big time litter originates locally.
This lawsuit did not address the issue of the environmental damage caused by instream gravel mining and inadequately regulated open pit mining, which has been scientifically proven to damage aquatic ecosystems. Those are other battles to be waged, on Crooked Creek and elsewhere. The PC&E has formed a "Crooked Creek Special Committee," chaired by commissioner Jim Goodhart, to study and recommend long overdue reforms in mining policies.
Conservation Corner
By Paul Means
On June 8, judge John Lineberger of Fayetteville issued an order in the lawsuit filed by the Arkansas Attorney General against several landowners on Crooked Creek. The newspaper stories on the order may have provided more confusion than understanding. At the risk of increasing your perplexity, I will try to put it all in order.
There are two separate issues regarding Crooked Creek. One is gravel mining and one is public travel down the stream. The confusion arose when some tried to join these issues together. Legal authority to regulate gravel mining lies with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). Jurisdiction over public travel on streams lies with the chancery courts. ADEQ has not been adequately regulating gravel mining and is just now beginning to take steps to deal with the scofflaws who operate on Crooked Creek. Their current rule making is discussed elsewhere in this issue of Pack & Paddle.
When several landowners strung barbed wire across Crooked Creek to stop floaters and fishermen, some saw an opportunity. In the Mulberry River case the Arkansas Supreme Court had ruled that the river was navigable and landowners could not interfere with those traveling down the Mulberry. If a stream is navigable, the State owns the streambed. If the state owns the streambed, then private operators have no legal right to mine gravel. This logic appeared to present the opportunity to make an end run around ADEQ and to stop gravel mining. The flaw in this logic was in the fine print.
The law is famous for hyper-technical definitions of simple words. After all, "shall" can mean "maybe," and may can mean "definitely." Navigability can refer to travel, and navigability can refer to ownership of the underlying streambed. In the Mulberry case, the Supreme Court only considered public travel. The Court ruled that the Mulberry was navigable and the public had a right to float, fish, wade, swim, and so forth. The Court made no decision regarding streambed ownership.
Another legal term for this type of navigability is "prescriptive easement." In the Crooked Creek case, the judge made a finding that the public had a "prescriptive easement" to travel on Crooked Creek. Correctly following the Mulberry case, the judge made no finding on streambed ownership.
This is an important case for public access to float and fish on the rivers and streams of Arkansas. It was not the proper legal forum in which to address gravel mining. It has been documented that certain types of gravel mining (often utilized on Crooked Creek) does cause severe environmental damage, and each and every Ozark Society member needs to express their outrage to ADEQ. However, we should not look to the Court's to address gravel mining under the guise of navigability.
Neil's Farewell Outing
By Constance May Waddell
True to his lifetime passionate crusade, Neil Compton's last trip to his beloved Ozark Mountains was a visit to a pioneer homestead on Cave Creek -- a vital tributary of the Buffalo National River.
Two days later, he died.
In his Christmas note to me he wrote: "When are we going to drive down to see the place your son Wendel bought? I want to show you the Indian Cave. It may be on your property."
Wendel Norton and his wife, Elizabeth, purchased the 109-year old home in Newton Count from my cousin, Oran May of Harrison, with plans to restore it. With the home came 105 acres, a Buffalo River-looking cliff named "Miss May Bluff' after Wendel's great-grandmother Ada May, and a portion of sparkling Cave Creek.
My husband and I were leaving for Ecuador for two months, so I promised Neil we'd go just as soon as we returned. Neil didn't wait!
He called Dr. Jan Turley of Bella Vista, to take him. They picked up Neil's lifelong friend and Bentonville High School classmate: Audrey Robbins. In Rogers, another carload joined them. Audrey, my first cousin, who was reared on the homestead by our grandmother, "Miss May" was excited. She called the Nortons. They were ecstatic.
Laura Timby, president of the Buffalo River Chapter of the Ozark Society, a conservation organization that Neil had founded in 1962, which fought a 10-year battle to save the Buffalo from dams and create the Buffalo National River in 1972, had set a meeting at the May Homestead that very day! Neil had served as Ozark Society's president during the "Battle for the Buffalo."
Neil's burning need, to the end, was to find ways to protect our Arkansas treasures of nature and history. Neil had many interests in making that journey. One was to find the "Indian Cave." Another was to encourage Wendel. I'd told him how Wendel said his goal had been to make enough in his New York City job to return to the Buffalo River he loved. For many years he restored and conserved fine art for such prestigious firms as Sothebys and Christies. He even restored an original Picasso and a Norman Rockwell, and Robert E. Lee's saddlebag that he carried when he surrendered his Confederate army at Appomattox. Meanwhile, Wendel and Elizabeth started Nortonarts and lived part time at Snowball, Arkansas, where he had a studio. They traveled back and forth to work in the New York art scene. Every time they arrived back in Arkansas with their van full of fine art, they drove straight to the Buffalo for a swim or a moonlight float. Like Neil, Wendel was concerned with forest clear cutting and its effect on the environment.
When he learned that 250 acres near his studio were to be leveled, he and Liz got a loan and bought it before that could happen. In Gilbert, a nearby tiny town on the banks of the Buffalo, they bought and restored an old home, named it "Anna's House," after its original owner, and made it the first guest cottage to cater to canoeists and other visitors. Now Neil cheered the Norton's decision to buy half of the 240 acres of the family's old homestead -- the other half is owned by another cousin of Bella Vista: Ima Lou May Langley and her husband, Sam, who feel equally protective oft he land.
Neil had me send Wendel a copy of the book, "Ozark Vemacular Homes. " He urged him to be active in the Ozark Society and to work toward getting the old home place on the historic register. He called with addresses and names to contact. He said, "Use my name!"
Neil had curiosity about our grandmother, Ada May. Compton was a specialist in OB-GYN, so he was intrigued that she had delivered 150 babies. Ada, with her husband, James Monroe, had homesteaded the place as a pioneer doctor. She apprenticed with her father -- George Washington Thompson, who was an MD in and around Mount Hersey. When she married and moved to the beautiful 240 acres on Cave Creek, there was no doctor. Soon, she was in demand to help heal her community. She read all her father's medical books, passed a state examination, and was licensed as a midwife by the state of Arkansas. Ada treated everything from measles to malaria.
Ada became known as "Miss May," even after she became a widow. The bluff near her home is identified as Miss May Bluff on a map in Ken Smith's book, "Buffalo River Country."
Neil was intrigued by this courageous widow who practiced medicine and still raised her three sons, and her orphaned grandchildren: Audrey Robbins and baby brother, Rudolph.
On Neil's last outing, he asked Jan to stop so that they could "get a good look at the Buffalo River." It rushed by them with great strength, swollen from heavy rains. A free, wild river!
Neil entertained with stories all the way. He captivated the Ozark Society group at Cave Creek. Jan Turley made a priceless video. The last snapshots were taken. Neil sat down on the old front porch that Audrey had cleaned with sand as a child. He was a bit weary. Wendel sat with him, grateful for this quiet opportunity to thank Neil for saving the Buffalo. Neil smiled, then began recounting the long story of the hard struggles for the Buffalo that ended in sweet success.
Because it had rained so heavily the day before, it was impossible for him to lead the group to the "Indian Cave." But he expressed great satisfaction for the day's experiences. It was time to go. A woman from the Ozark Society turned to Jan. "I just have to give Dr. Compton a hug. You know you never know when it will be the last time.11
And it was. Neil Compton spent his last trip in the Ozarks the way he wanted to, encouraging others to preserve and love our beautiful natural resources of land and water.
A new look at an old friend
By Janet Nye
It was a great trip! I've always held the Buffalo River as a super special, wonderful place, buts it holds a new place in my heart after this trip.
To see the Lower Buffalo River country for the first time was incredible!
I was totally wowed by the beauty and expanse. I couldn't believe that I wasn't out West. I really felt far, far away from the "civilized" world.
I'm incredibly grateful that my kids had this opportunity to soak up the beauty and to be with such wonderful people.
The people -- Ozark Society people -- are a special group. I'm thankful to be a part of it and to learn from each person. I'm especially thankful for Bill Steward, Stewart Noland, and Paul Means -- we wouldn't have gone without their encouragement and their generous loaning of equipment.
The Nyes had a great Buffalo River float. Thank you, Ozark Society!
(Editor's note: Here is a song that Alan, Janet and their children composed and sang for the evening gravel bar entertainment. Members have called to request that it be printed in Pack & Paddle. It is to the tune of "Are you sleeping... Brother John. ")
Verse One
The Buffalo River, The Buffalo River
Saved from the dams, Saved from the dams
The Corps wanted to dam it
The Corps wanted to dam it
Neil said, "no way,,
Neil said, "no way"
Verse Two
Three dams on paper,
Three dams on paper,
To make a reservoir,
To make a reservoir,
Condos and lake homes
Motorboats and restaurants,
Will make some people glad,
But make Neil sad.
Verse Three
The Ozark Society was born,
The Ozark Society was born,
With Neil as our chief,
With Neil as our chief,
To fight the mighty corps,
To fight the mighty corps,
And keep the river free,
From the dams proposed.
Verse Four
The battle had begun,
And a trip to Washington,
On a chartered bus,
On a chartered bus,
Showed the politicians,
We were for real,
And would be strong as steel.
Verse Five
Many heroes arose
To fight the formidable foes
And now the river is free
And now the river is free
We float down this river,
With many to thank,
For the high bluffs,
For the gravel bars.
Verse Six
Today we sing this song
On another float trip,
Haven't we had fun?
Haven't we had fun?
We couldn't have done it without him,
We couldn't have done it without him
Thank you Neil,
Thank you Neil,
Thank ... You ... Neil!
The Uneasy Chair
By John Heuston
We all owe a debt of gratitude to one of Arkansas' most astute public servants -- Otus the celestial head cat -- and his earthly sidekick, Michael Storey, of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette -- for warning us about the annual gathering of the dreaded "humidity pods" at Burns Park.
Thanks to Otus, we escaped the park without injury.
However, for those of us hooked on outdoor recreation in all its myriad and messy forms, there is an even greater threat looming over us.
The equally offensive "boondoggle pods" are back, hovering over various federal agencies that specialize in spending taxpayer dollars on large, costly, "improvement" projects of questionable value that often become permanent tax drains on our wallets.
And you thought all that stuff had ended with the demise of Lone Rock and Gilbert Dams on the Buffalo River.
Let me reintroduce you to the granddaddy river boondoggle of them all -- the "White River Navigation Project." This is a real floozy of a "make-work" project that's been around for decades but keeps being resurrected now and then to wink at a whole new generation of wheeler-dealers. You might call it a born-again boondoggle.
It seems there are a few farmers up around Newport who have long dreamed of linking themselves to world ports via the White River. They envision Newport becoming a sort of rustic Bangkok in the Bean Belt -- at a cost of at least $40 million of our tax dollars.
The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers ( you remember them, the guys Cartoonist George Fisher outfitted with those antiquated pith helmets and knee-length jodhpurs because "that's the way they think and act") have apparently scrapped their much-publicized environmental reform movement and reverted back to their old dam it or ditch it habits. The Corps now wants to convert a 2 5 8-mile stretch of the White River into a 200-foot wide, 9-foot deep shipping channel" to service the would-be world port up in "Suggins' country."
Federal Agencies Alarmed
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are not exactly thrilled at the prospect. Neither is the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), one of the nation's oldest and largest conservation organizations, or its affiliate, the Arkansas Wildlife Federation. I suspect we shouldn't be either. Why? Because the cumulative effects of this project would rip the guts out of both the nationally famous White River National Wildlife Refuge and the newer but equally important Cache River National Wildlife Refuge still being developed. Both are important to people who truly do love to "get away from it all." Both refuges remind me of naturalist Tom Foti's classic definition of the White River Refuge -- "wild, snaky, buggy and altogether grand."
People love to float down the refuges' leafy channels, fish their myriad cypress-crowned oxbow lakes, and hike and hunt in these last vestiges of true southern bottomland wildness -- these are our "last best places." The fantastic outdoor recreation experiences these federally protected refuges provide cannot be equaled, or replaced. Destroying them is unthinkable.
In a June 3 report to the Corps, the FWS restated its opposition to the navigation project, emphasizing the vulnerability of the White River and Cache River National Wildlife Refuges, which border 1 1 2 miles of the boondoggle's proposed reach.
"Converting a largely free-flowing river like the White into an artificially maintained ditch has serious consequences," said Susan Rieff, senior director of the NVVF's Gulf States Natural Resources Center. "This expensive project might benefit a few private shipping companies, but it would threaten the river's unique fish and wildlife resources at taxpayer's expense." Right on, Susan, that nails it.
Federal law requires that the biological integrity of the National Wildlife Refuges be protected, and that the refuges be managed for wildlife conservation. The FWS report concludes that it is "very improbable" that the dredging, disposal of dredged materiel, dike construction, and loss of wildlife that would be involved in expanding navigation on the White River could be compatible with protection of the National Wildlife Refuges.
There are limits to change Compounding the problem is the fact that this unneeded navigation project (whatever happened to the railroads that made Newport famous?) isn't the only threat to the region.
Other projects on the White River include the $300 million Grand Prairie Irrigation Project, a massive Rube Goldberg effort to pump farm irrigation water from the White River; Montgomery Point Lock & Dam on the lower White River (designed to relieve low-water shipping problems, although HIGH WATER is an equally serious barge-wrecking, bridge busting problem that the lock and dam won't solve); proposed revisions in the operating plan for controlling water releases from four reservoirs on the upper White River; an allocation plan for water emergencies; bridge projects associated with the proposed Interstate-69 ; and additional port development. Whew!
Altogether, environmental professionals contend that this grab bag of projects has the potential to bring the White River and its tributaries to a "biological breaking point" by destroying wildlife habitat and reducing seasonal flooding that maintains the region's
unique bottomland hardwood forests. "It simply makes no sense to move ahead with these projects, especially the multi-million dollar federal projects, without first looking at the total environmental damage they will do to the river and the refuges," says Rieff. Amen.
Otus, any celestial help you could give us would be appreciated. The boondoggle pods are back and massing threateningly over the lower White River country.
SOCIETY OFFICERS:
President, Stewart Noland, Little Rock, AR, (501) 666-2989;
Recording Secretary, Brenda Crites, Cape Girardeau, MO, (573) 335-4521;
Financial Chair, Bob Ritchie, Little Rock, AR (501) 225-1795;
Communications Chair (Pack& Paddle editor), John Heuston, 25 Aberdeen Dr., Little
Rock, AR (501) 8688177/ E-Mail ozarkjheu@aol.com;
Conservation Chair, Paul Means, Little Rock, AR (501) 221-9870;
Recreation Chair, Kathy Kramer, Shreveport, LA (318) 861-4713;
Education Chair, Janet Nye, Maumelle, AR (5 01) 851-7524;
Meetings Chair, Joe Meyer, Rogers, AR ((501) 925-2290;
Archival Chair, Ellen Shipley, Fayetteville, AR (501) 575-7253;
Publication/Sales & Marketing Chair (open);
Membership Chair, Bill Steward, 810 Koehler, Sherwood, AR 72120 (1-501-835-3390);
Immediate Past President, Barbara Meyer, Little Rock, AR (501) 2286600;
Ozark Society Supplies & Publications; Isabelle Roach, P. 0. Box 2914, Little Rock, AR
72203, (501-8473738).
STATE DIRECTORS:
Arkansas, Judy Parker, Little Rock, (501) 225-0913;
Missouri, Sally Hubbard, Springfield (417) 883-7658;
Louisiana, Jill Beebe, Shreveport, (318) 861-1977;
Oklahoma, Phil Lorenz, Bartlesville, (918) 336-2069.
MEMBERSHIP: Dues for membership in the Ozark Society, Inc., are Regular and Family, $10; Contributing, $15; Sustaining, $25; and Life (one time), $100. Chapter membership is not required, however, chapters do require membership in the Society and their dues structure is as follows: Schoolcraft, Springfield, MO, $7; Mississippi Valley, Cape Girardeau, MO, $5; Indian Nations, OK, $5; Bayou, Shreveport, LA, $5; Highlands, northwest AR, $5; Sugar Creek, northwest AR, $5; Buffalo River, north central AR, $5; and Pulaski, central AR, $ 1 0. Mail one check for both Society and chapter dues to Ozark Society, Inc., P. 0. Box 2914, Little Rock, AR 72203.
