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Scott LoftisScott Loftis
Apotential move to turn federal land around the Buffalo National River into a national park preserve isn’t a local story in Carroll County, per se.
But it is a story that local residents should be monitoring, nonetheless, with the potential to impact the entire Ozark Mountain region. .
The public became aware of the potential change thanks to state Sen. Bryan King of Green Forest and to some outstanding reporting by our friends at the Madison County Record in Huntsville. A story that had been kept mostly quiet is now a hot topic throughout the area, so much so that a town hall meeting last week in Jasper — population 525 — drew more than 1,100 attendees, with 500 more people watching via Zoom and another 1,400 via livestream on Facebook.
The potential change in designation for the Buffalo was suggested by a holding company, Runway Group, owned by two grandsons of Walmart founder Sam Walton. The idea, ostensibly, is to attract more tourists to the region, which in turn could be a boon to the local economy and tax base.
All that could come at a cost, however. An influx of visitors — and their money — might sound like a great idea to the Waltons. But for the folks who call the area around the river home, it could mean a new set of problems: increased traffic, higher property taxes, a loss of access to the river or to hunting and fishing rights, even the potential loss their homes and property. It all adds up to a form of rural gentrification that residents in Jasper and Newton County don’t seem too happy about.
Changing the designation of the land around the river would require the passage of federal legislation, and we all know how slowly wheels can spin in Washington, D.C. In this case, however, that sounds like a good thing. Lawmakers need more time to hear from the public, and the public needs to be involved every step of the way.
Here’s hoping that last week’s turnout in Jasper demonstrated to Runway Group that people are paying attention and they don’t necessarily want the kind of change that’s being discussed.
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Scott Loftis is editor and publisher of the Carroll County News. His email address is SLoftis@CarrollCoNews.com
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