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So far Alice Andrews has created 6 blog entries.
16 12, 2021

The Buffalo River Conservation Committee (BRCC)

By |2021-12-16T10:19:21-06:00December 16th, 2021|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Winter 2021|Tags: |

The Buffalo River Conservation Committee (BRCC) met at their quarterly meeting Monday, 11/30/21 in Marshall, AR. Secretary Wes Ward, Director of Agriculture, presided over the meeting. Chris Colclasure, Director of the Natural Resources Division within the Department of Agriculture was also present. As a reminder, Governor Asa Hutchinson established BRCC on September 23, 2019 to benefit water quality and resource management in the Buffalo River Watershed with emphasis on items that engage local stakeholders and landowners that have a positive impact on water quality and are beneficial for landowners in the watershed. Membership consists of the Sec. of Dept. of Agriculture; Sec. of Dept. of Energy and Environment; Sec. of Dept. of Health; and Sec. of Dept. of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. Funding for BRCC efforts is provided by Governor Hutchinson and the member agencies together to financially support BRCC. Members are required to work in cooperation with one another to identify opportunities to leverage each department’s unique expertise, relationships, focus areas and funding mechanisms in support of vitality of the watershed. BRCC includes a subcommittee of key stakeholders representing local landowners, conservation organizations, environmental and technical experts, representatives of the tourism industry, local county and municipal officials plus federal [...]

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7 06, 2021

Arkansas Extraordinary Resource Waters (ERW)

By |2021-06-30T15:41:25-05:00June 7th, 2021|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Summer 2021|

Living in Arkansas, we are blessed with an abundance of water which falls into different categories of water quality. We have not reviewed Extraordinary Resource Waters (ERWs) for several years, so hang on! ERW is a special use designation made by the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission (APC&E) to protect Arkansas’ most valuable water resources. About 16 % of Arkansas’ total stream miles have been designated as ERWs. The ERW designation gives the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality the responsibility of providing extra protection to those waters. APC&E Regulation 2 defines ERWs as “This beneficial use is a combination of the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of a waterbody and its watershed which is characterized by scenic beauty, aesthetics, scientific values, broad scope recreation potential and intangible social values.” ERW designation provides extra stream protections: No significant physical alterations of in-stream habitat are allowed, including channelization of a significant portion of the stream bed or construction of a major impoundment. Bacteria concentrations must meet swimmable (primary contact) standards year-round. No commercial gravel mining is allowed below the ordinary high-water mark. All point-source (pipe) discharges must meet “advanced treatment” technology – a technically feasible, established treatment method already being met [...]

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9 03, 2021

Update from the Conservation Desk

By |2021-03-09T14:30:13-06:00March 9th, 2021|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Spring 2021|Tags: |

Remembrance of Steve Wilson: Steve Wilson passed away February 21 in New Mexico.  He was a Norfork, AR resident for several years after his retirement from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.  Steve served as Director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for 21 years, shaping it into the organization it is today.  He was a very active member of the Ozark Society and was President of the OS, 1976-1978.  Steve and his wife Jo and their children hiked and paddled as often as possible, good or bad weather. Steve was a born leader as evidenced by the following career successes: He was District Wildlife Biologist for Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 1968-1969, Senior Environmental Scientist for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department 1972-1974, Assistant Chief of Highway and Transportation Dept. 1974-1979, Chief of AHTD's Environmental Division in 1979, Director of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in 1979.   During his tenure at AG & F, he established the elk herd in the Buffalo River corridor, stocking 112 elk from Colorado from 1981 to 1985.  Then there is fishing! During Steve's term Arkansas developed into our country’s most popular destination to fish for trophy brown trout; Arkansas also became the inland [...]

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26 08, 2020

From Hogs to Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, and Bats

By |2020-11-12T15:00:33-06:00August 26th, 2020|Categories: Fall 2020, Pack & Paddle|

As most of you know, our pollinators are in deep trouble and ultimately in danger of extinction. The causes are diverse and challenging. Beginning with honeybees, scientists report that a class of insecticides called “neonics” is mainly responsible for their stunning decline. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) states that nearly 40% of U.S. honeybee colonies collapsed last year, the worst loss ever! The neonics are thousands of times more toxic to bees than old DDT. Next there is glyphosate (Roundup). Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide, one of the most intensely applied pesticides in the world. It was originally manufactured by Monsanto, now owned by the German based Bayer. In fact, the World Health Organization classifies glyphosate as a likely carcinogen. Friends of the Earth reports that Germany (home of Bayer) announced that they are banning the pesticide, joining many countries in banning it or setting severe limits on its use. It has been so profitable that Bayer/Monsanto can spend millions promoting/defending its use. Call it corporate greed. According to NRDC, our EPA approved the sale of Bayer’s neonic products, imidacloprid and clothianidin, without considering their impacts on bees, butterflies and birds – a violation of the Endangered Species Act. [...]

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6 03, 2019

Dicamba

By |2019-06-03T12:08:56-05:00March 6th, 2019|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Spring 2019|

Dicamba has been around for about 50 years, first registered in 1967.  Originally made by Monsanto, (now owned by Bayer), with several formulations: dianat, metambane, banfel, banvel, banvel cst, banfel d, banfel xg, mediben, oracle, vanquish, diablo.   It is intended to control broadleaf weeds, particularly pigweed. An aside…Pigweed, known as Amaranthus, is an ancient grain.  Three species are globally cultivated as an important food.  It is used as a grain; the seeds are a good source of protein; a leafy vegetable and an ornamental plant (Prince’s feather).  There are about 60 species of Amaranthus. Dicamba use is restricted – one must have a license.  Farmers, road-crews, (both commercial and non-commercial), must be educated in its “safe” use.  It is designed to kill broad-leaf plants.  2-4-d, Round-up, Ortho, Bayer are also used on broadleaf plants.  Dicamba is more economic, more effective and takes less of the product.   Some plants are resistant and some not.   It is heavily used for GMO soybeans. Dicamba became a concern due to its tendency to vaporize from treated fields.  As spring/summer temperatures rise, it vaporizes and spreads via “drift” (winds) to neighboring crops not meant to be treated.   It can and has [...]

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13 03, 2013

Conservation Issue: Hog Farm near Big Creek

By |2013-05-15T03:45:54-05:00March 13th, 2013|Categories: News & Updates|

HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR PORK? ADEQ has granted a permit for a new hog farm near Big Creek, West of Mt. Judea, (Hwy. intersections 74/123). There are 17 separate hog waste application fields, 11 of these are adjacent to Big Creek, a tributary to the Buffalo National River. Total acreage = 630.7 acres. An ADEQ spokesperson related that there is a buffer zone of approximately 100 feet between Big Creek and the hog waste application fields. The facility is known as “C and H Hog Farm”. Its treatment facility consists of in house shallow pits with a capacity of 759,542 gallons, a settling basin with capacity of 831,193 gallons and a holding pond with capacity of 1,904,730 gallons. Hog farm details: Permitted – 2,503 swine weighing 55 lbs. or over 4,000 swine weighing less than 55 lbs. Avg. weight = 150 lbs. This amounts to 2,090,181 gallons of manure, litter and wastewater generated per year. This is approximately 5,727 gallons per day spread on fields (630.7 acres). On average, 9.1 gallons per day would be spread on each acre or 75 lbs. per day per acre. The permit does not allow discharge of the waste but rather it must be [...]

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