Democrat Gazette
Arkansas Wilderness Areas: Hard-fought battles keep Buffalo National River and adjoining national wilderness areas pristine for outdoor enthusiasts
by Bob Robinson
"Conservation is a cause that has no end. There is no point at which we will say our work is finished."
-- Rachel Carson, author of
"Silent Spring"
"Save the Buffalo, again."
Many Arkansans remember this mantra from the 2013 campaign to remove an industrial-scale hog facility that had been built on the banks of Big Creek, just 5 miles upstream from the Buffalo National River. Fortunately, following a six-year crusade by Ozark Society, Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, and others, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced a $6.2 million buyout and closure of the facility. Earlier this year, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed legislation to make a temporary moratorium on such farms along the Buffalo River permanent, providing further protection for the nation's first designated national river.
Before those battles, the Buffalo River with its iconic bluffs, had its biggest fight of all as it came close to being dammed to create a reservoir. Fortunately, Mother Nature played a significant role in preserving the Buffalo River from development. Because of its mountainous terrain and wide-ranging watershed, it was never extensively used as a reliable source of transportation, thus delaying development.
Much of the waterway is too shallow for vessels with the deep draft required for hauling heavy loads. Also, the depth of the stream varies directly in proportion to recent rainfall in the watershed. A cloudburst upstream could cause a flash flood, elevating water levels by 30 feet in a relatively short time.
Early settlers who settled in the upper sections of the Buffalo River between 1820 and 1840 were accustomed to living off the grid. Many were from the mountains of Tennessee. These families were content with relying on hunting and gardening for their food staples.
The isolation resulting from living on a non-navigable waterway provided a welcome setting. By 1860, some 15,000 inhabitants had constructed log cabins on the banks of the 153-mile river valley.
But there were others, outsiders, who sought to tame the free-flowing waters of the Buffalo and transform it into a major transportation channel. In 1896, the waterway experienced its first threat. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received orders to conduct a survey to transform the Buffalo River into a navigable waterway, extending from its mouth 30 miles upstream to Rush Creek.
The survey concluded it would require a system of five locks and dams to make the river navigable at all water levels, at a cost of $750,000. Recognizing that commerce in the area would not justify the expenditure, the project was tabled.
Yet, in 1911, another group of engineers suggested harnessing the force of the stream by constructing a 20-foot hydroelectric dam at Rush Creek and channeling the river overflow through the mountain via a half-mile-long tunnel. The recommended construction never took place.
The inhabitants of the Buffalo River Valley and the surrounding area did surprisingly well during the Great Depression, relying on their gardens and cornfields. Life remained quite comfortable during the hard times experienced elsewhere. However, with the positive response the Boulder Dam in Colorado and the Tennessee Valley Authority's hydroelectric plants were receiving, there was renewed interest in controlling the Buffalo River.
In 1937, an independent governmental body known as the Drainage Basin Committee published a report that proposed a dam on the lower Buffalo River. The Lone Rock Dam, as it was named, was recommended for power generation and for "some benefit to flood control."
Fortunately for Arkansans, construction of the dam was delayed due to the outbreak of World War II.
The idea was largely forgotten until 1954, when the Corps recommended that not one, but two dams be constructed on the river. Congress approved a bill for the Lone Rock Dam, three and a half miles from the mouth of the river, and a second dam located almost 60 miles upstream near the town of Gilbert. On Aug. 10, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower vetoed the plan in Congress' proposed Flood Control Bill.
Congress persisted and, in early 1957, passed the River and Harbor and Flood Control Bill. Eisenhower once again vetoed the bill, labeling it as wasteful and lacking economic justification. In 1961, Arkansas' U.S. Rep. James W. Trimble introduced a bill for the development of hydroelectric power and flood control within the White River basin, which included the Lone Rock and Gilbert dams on the Buffalo.
Initially, Arkansans generally approved of the dams. However, during the late 1950s, public awareness of the beauty and grandeur the watershed had to offer was growing. Opponents of a dam began to unite. Trimble's action prompted conservationists from around the state to organize the Ozark Society. It acted to protect the Buffalo River by establishing a National River from Boxley to the White River.
The decade-long battle, in which conservation and wilderness preservation organizations fought to halt damming the Buffalo River, ended in 1972. President Richard M. Nixon signed the bill, which destined the river to remain free, unbridled, and largely unspoiled by 20th-century development. Since then, battles over farming operations in the river's watershed have been waged.
Upper Buffalo Land Becomes Wilderness Area
Tom Foti is a master botanist and former ecologist/research chief at the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. He, along with many others, assisted in researching and compiling the proposals submitted to Congress for the designation of Arkansas' federal wilderness areas.
When initially examining the Buffalo National River watershed for potential wilderness designations, he followed the narrow, protected corridor of the river on a map until he reached broad sections of government-owned property bordering the stream along the river's upper section. Whereas the majority of the river's protected shoreline consisted of mere feet of land, the upper banks encompassed thousands of acres of land.
His first thought was that this would be a large enough area for hikers to wander around for extended periods, experiencing the classic Ozark Mountain wildness that the original homesteaders of the 1820s had known. Through wilderness protection, it would be preserved for future generations. From that moment, Foti remained unwavering in his commitment to do everything possible to have it designated as a wilderness area. In 1974, he and other wilderness supporters were successful in gaining the designation of the main section of Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area. In 1984, the Arkansas Wilderness Act, added more acreage.
TRUE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE
The Buffalo National River has about 36,000 acres of federally designated wilderness, including two units managed by the U.S. Forest Service, in the western region: the Upper Buffalo Wilderness (11,746 acres) and the Ponca Wilderness (11,300 acres). These areas offer true outdoor adventures for backpackers, hikers, horseback riders and paddling enthusiasts. A third unit, the Lower Buffalo Wilderness, has 16,956 acres.
Begin your exploration into these areas with the National Geographic Buffalo National River (West) Map (ozarksociety.net). What adventurer doesn't enjoy poring over a topographic map when planning an outing. The excitement of finding a pattern of tight-knit contour lines, knowing this was the setting for scenic waterfalls and steep-walled canyons.
Examining the map of the Upper Buffalo Wilderness, two factors stand out. One, there are many of the sought-after, tightly woven contour lines that will call out for you to explore; two, the absence of trails. The only designated trail in this wilderness is the short trek to Hawksbill Craig, which, by the way, is one of the most photographed bluffs in the country.
So, your access options are Cave Mountain Road, which borders the wilderness' western boundary, or Arkansas 21 on the east. Select the area that most catches your eye, park your vehicle, and then drop down the mountainside to begin your adventure. Terrapine Branch, Boen Gulf, Lower Fork Creek, or Bowers Hollow. You can't go wrong trekking into any of these hollers.
As Foti described the area when he was evaluating it for potential wilderness designation, "It was wonderful to experience true wilderness absent signs of man's presence."
Visitors will experience the same wildness that the early settlers had. And for whitewater paddlers, the infamous Hailstone route awaits you. This jewel is situated just below the confluence of Reeves Fork and Buffalo Creek, where they merge to form the headwaters of the Buffalo River.
This initial section of river is suitable for experienced floaters only -- not just for the Class III-plus rapids, but also for the fact that once you put in, there is no bailing out until 14 miles later. Sure, you can always pull ashore and hike out. But I don't believe you will want to haul your boat up the steep mountain to Arkansas 21.
In 1974, Margaret and Harold Hedges, brothers Stewart and Steve Noland, and Coleman Holt climbed into three canoes to put in at Dixon Ford to become the first people known to run this stretch of the Buffalo River. They were pelted by pingpong-size hail; thus, the name Hailstone was born. Several of these boaters proved to be major players in preserving Arkansas' natural wilderness as well.
Dave Robertson, another avid paddler, raves about Hailstone, proclaiming it "Arkansas' Garden of Eden."
PONCA WILDERNESS
The Ponca Wilderness is one of the most popular wilderness areas in Arkansas. Hiking trails, horse trails, paddling, and even viewing herds of wild elk are just a few of its attractions.
Hikers will find an extensive network of trails leading to scenic destinations. A must-see feature is picturesque Hemmed-in Hollow Falls. At 210 feet, it is the highest waterfall between the Rockies and the Appalachians.
As you leave the falls, continue along the trail to Big Bluff. This 550-foot sheer cliff overlooks a sweeping bend in the Buffalo River. Visitors can stroll along a narrow ledge known as Goat Trail to take in the panoramic view of the valley below.
If you follow the ledge far enough, you reach a rock wall that once blocked the pathway. You can then crawl through a hole that early homesteaders chiseled out for their children enroute to school across the river.
In an interview, Foti recounted a hike he took while evaluating what would become the Ponca Wilderness. At that time, several residents still resided in the remaining homesites. He was following a path through the forest when he came upon a classic backwoods scene right out of the "Li'l Abner" comic strip. High upon the peak of an old, weathered cabin perched a brown and white billy goat.
As he approached the homestead, a compact, elderly woman came marching up the steep open field that fronted the cabin, toting a large bucket of water. Here stood the renowned Granny Henderson. Just as she had done since she and husband Frank constructed their cabin in the early 1900s, she was hauling water from the Buffalo River. Although she has passed on, the cabin still remains for visitors to investigate.
The Buffalo River also weaves a route through Ponca for paddlers. Although a much tamer float than the Hailstone, the low-water bridge to Kyle's Landing, is the most popular run on the river.
Ponca Wilderness offers adventurous trails for the equestrian world as well. The favorite being the Old River Trail, which includes several Buffalo River crossings.
LOWER BUFFALO WILDERNESS
The Lower Buffalo Wilderness adjoins the Leatherwood Wilderness Area, creating 39,456 acres, making it the largest area of federally designated wilderness in the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands, according to the National Park Service. "This area is also unique regionally in providing multi-day river trips within a wilderness setting," the NPS website says, adding that floating, fishing, horseback riding and hunting are the main recreational activities. Hikers and horseback riders traverse the area through a network of abandoned roads.
The river channel is not included in the wilderness designation so that motorized boats (10 horsepower maximum) can be used. According to the NPS, the last 2 to 3 miles of the river is "used extensively by anglers who motor up from the White River to fish for smallmouth bass."
Bob Robinson is a born-and-raised Arkansan. From childhood to the present day, he enjoys all the outdoor activities that make Arkansas the "Natural State." He has authored several bicycle touring books: "Bicycle Guide to the Mississippi River Trail," "Bicycling Guide to Lake Michigan Trail," and "Bicycling Guide to Route 66."