![]() ![]() Sarah Huckabee Sanders as well as her husband, Bryan Sanders. The discussions surrounding turning federal lands into a national park preserve have not made their way into proposed legislation.Īlbers said he had spoken to Gov. “It’s bringing more positive infrastructure to one of our poorest areas in the state,” he said. “So they’re seeing, not necessarily more river usage, but more people coming into the area, so more lodging, more restaurants, more purchases of fuel and using the services in the area.” So a lot of people who travel to national parks don’t travel to national rivers,” he said. “What we’ve seen is more people coming to the park to experience the parks. If the land were turned into a preserve, Albers said more people would visit. In that same area, there are only two National Parks - neither recreation-focused.” The coalition’s flyer states, “Nearly a fifth of Americans live within 500 miles of the Buffalo National River. That supported 864 jobs and “had a total economic output of $78.4 million,” the report said. In 2022, 1.3 million people visited the Buffalo National River, effectively pumping more than $64.9 million in local regions, according to an annual peer-review report by the National Park Service. Economic development can increase property value leading to higher property taxes. Lands around national parks can increase in value but so can traffic and trash left behind. Ninety-three percent were in favor of protecting the Buffalo River area from pollution and industrial uses, 89% favored no tax increases to pay for the national park and preserve, 86% wanted to grandfather local businesses into “any new commercial business rules (e.g., outfitters and river guides),” and 83% wanted to maintain current hunting rules.Ī national park is a destination for many tourists. Results from the survey included on the flyer said, of those who took part in the poll, 95% were in favor of no private land being taken to create the “national park and preserve,” so no eminent domain. 11-13, found “more than two thirds responded they would want their member of Congress to vote for designation of the river as the Buffalo River National Park & Preserve.” ![]() “I began by writing our entire federal delegation about the concerns of my constituents and my own personal concerns about the impact of decisions that I believe are being made without public consultation and what impact decisions could make on their personal lives and business,” King said. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, who represents Madison County in District 28, said he was “contacted by landowners and tourism constituents some months ago about concerns of land buying and being left out of future decisions regarding the Buffalo National River and state parks. (Photo courtesy of National Park Service) Fall colors along the Buffalo National River. ![]() “From the survey I took, it was very much my impression that they were gauging the opinion of a national park being made in the area in Newton and south Madison County,” he said. “One of the questions was basically the conversion of private land into public lands,” Boatright said.īoatright said he does not know who backed the survey and “I have no idea where they got my phone number,” but, so far, he is the only person he knows that received a call. “You could tell they were honing in on my interest in basically, my assumption, the Buffalo National River area, probably the Ozark National Forest area, being turned into a full-fledged national park,” Boatright said. The person asked how interested Boatright would be with turning federal land surrounding the Buffalo National River “into a national park” and whether or not he would recommend that to his congressman. The person asked Boatright, in his individual capacity and not as county clerk, if he would be willing to do an interview concerning parks and recreation in Madison County and how long Boatright had been a resident of Madison County.Īs the 10-minute conversation progressed, “You could tell they were honing in closer and closer into the Buffalo National River area,” he said. Private vs public landsĪ few weeks ago, Madison County Clerk Austin Boatright was working late when he received a call from a survey company asking for his input. The flyer does not say who paid Selzer & Company or who is a member of the coalition. ![]()
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