Rene Diaz; James L. Lambeth; Cyrus A. Sutherland; Richard E. Kellogg and Ernest E. Jacks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. TAYLOR. Thank you. It's a very fine statement. The National Park Service should make use of it if they proceed with developing the area.

As I rode up on the elevator the other day the operator asked a good question: "I can't see why they named the river in Arkansas the Buffalo River." Could you answer that question?

Mr. FOWLER. I don't know that I can, sir.

Mr. TAYLOR. I was told by the other witnesses as I came in the door that the early settlers in this section of Arkansas were from the Buffalo River area in Tennessee. In order to feel at home they brought with them the name of the river and the names of some counties and towns. Mr. JOSEPH CLARK. There were also buffalo, according to the Henry Rowe Schoolcraft.

Mr. TAYLOR. I will go that far. You say there were also buffalo herds according to whom?

Mr. CLARK. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, who toured the area in 1819, I believe, and floated the river. He came up into the mountains with the buffalo.

Mr. TAYLOR. There were buffalo found in Arkansas at that time? Mr. CLARK. Yes; a few at least.

(Mr. Clark submitted some information on this matter which will be found in the subcommittee files.)

Mr. TAYLOR. Are there any questions of this witness?

Mr. SEBELIUS. No, sir.

Mr. TAYLOR. I thank you very much.

Mr. Robert A. Ferris?

STATEMENT OF ROBERT A. FERRIS, REPRESENTING THE TULSA, OKLA., CANOE AND CAMPING CLUB

Mr. FERRIS. Chairman Taylor and distinguished members of the subcommittee, my name is Robert A. Ferris. I live in Tulsa, Okla. You have heard from many people from Arkansas at this hearing. I will not be repetitious in describing the beauties of the Buffalo River country. I will merely say that I wholeheartedly agree.

The one point that I wish to make this morning is that many people in Oklahoma enjoy the beauties of the Buffalo River. We are within a half a day's drive in eastern Oklahoma. We have the opportunity to go to the Buffalo River on a weekend and enjoy the beauty of that area, the peace and quiet.

Many of us have been disturbed at the commercial development that has occurred and is threatened. We would like to see the Buffalo River preserved in its natural state. We feel that this area is definitely of national park quality. We feel that the preservation of the Buffalo River could best be accomplished under the supervision of the National Park Service.

On behalf of the many Oklahomans who are intensely interested in this Buffalo National River bill, I wish to add my voice in support of the bills introduced by Representatives Hammerschmidt and Alexander.

Mr. TAYLOR. Have you ridden a canoe on sections of the river?

Mr. FERRIS. Yes, sir; I have. I have also done a lot of hiking in the area. I plan to go back many times.

Mr. TAYLOR. It's a good river to float.

Mr. FERRIS. It certainly is.

Mr. TAYLOR. Thank you; we will place your statement in the record. (The statement follows.)

STATEMENT OF ROBERT A. FERRIS, TULSA, OKLAHOMA CANOE AND CAMPING CLUB

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I represent the Tulsa Canoe and Camping Club and appreciate this opportunity to speak in behalf of Representative Hammerschmidt's bill, H.R. 8382, and Representative Alexander's bill, H.R. 9119, to authorize the establishment of the Buffalo National River.

I am sure that the testimony of many other witnesses, including the presentation of the National Park Service, will describe in depth the beauty of the Buffalo River country. This testimony will leave no doubt that the scenery of the Buffalo is definitely of National Park quality. I will not elaborate on this theme but will merely state that I wholeheartedly concur.

The point I wish to make is that many people in my state of Oklahoma are intensely interested in seeing the Buffalo National River bill passed by the Congress. I live in Tulsa, which is in a metropolitan area of almost a half million people. For us it is only a four hour drive to the Buffalo. There are many other large metropolitan areas-St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis and Dallas among them-within an easy day's drive of the Buffalo. I believe the statistics show that there are between fifteen and twenty million people who could enjoy the beauty and recreational aspects of the Buffalo River with a drive of a day or less. These people are deserving of the centrally located national park which the Buffalo National River bill would provide.

Many of my acquaintances and I drive over to the Buffalo River country at every opportunity. We find that the stream floating, fishing, hiking and nature study, completely away from the crowds and noise of the city, is wonderfully refreshing and renewing of the spirit. We are greatly disturbed at seeing the increasing commercialization of the river and the threatened destruction of much of its beauty. We feel that passage of the Buffalo National River bill at this time is the only way the river can be given the protection it deserves.

Speaking for the one hundred twenty families who are members of the Tulsa Canoe and Camping Club and for the many other Oklahomans who endorse the Buffalo National River proposal I wish to strongly urge a favorable vote on the bills introduced by Representatives Hammerschmidt and Alexander.

Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Tommy Jenkins.

STATEMENT OF TOMMY JENKINS, CHAIRMAN OF THE OZARK SOCIETY, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS CHAPTER

Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Taylor, my name is Tommy Jenkins. I am representing, as chairman, the university chapter of the Ozark Society. We are strongly in favor of the House bills 9392 and 9119. Our group, the university chapter of the Ozark Society, is a youth-oriented group, the age group approximately 18 to 25. We have had quite a bit of concern lately about areas of high environmental quality and what is happening to these areas at the present time.

We have been engaged in several local actions trying to deter people. from destroying areas that have some environmental quality. We have been unsuccessful on the State level. Most of the State regulations and things of this type have been so vague and the State legislation. has been a little bit slow in developing some guidelines.

We feel that the Federal legislation is about one of our last avenues in setting aside the area, such as the Buffalo River area, and keeping it for those who are concerned about the future needs of an area to

alleviate, as you mentioned yesterday, the social problems and the social pollutions that we are now encountering. We feel deeply about this because after 60 years we know that the problem will be even more severe. If something is not done now we are afraid that these areas of refuge will not be available for communication with nature and having an area where you can once again find some peace and quiet and maybe some type of contentment there.

Once again I would like to say we strongly favor these bills. Also with your permission, I would like to have entered into the record 871 signatures we have in triplicate of university students who also favor the passage of these bills.

Mr. TAYLOR. These petitions and some other petitions which we received yesterday will be placed in the file, and your statement will be placed in the record.

Mr. JENKINS. Thank you.

(The statement follows:)

STATEMENT OF OZARK SOCIETY, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS CHAPTER, TOMMY JENKINS, CHAIRMAN

During the last four years as a teacher in Fayetteville High School, lab assistant at the University of Arkansas and as chairman of the University of Arkansas chapter of the Ozark Society, I have had ample opportunity to gain insight into the attitudes of high school and university students concerning the use and protection of our environment. The attitudes I feel are best reflected by the direction of study and the activities promoted by students. Areas of study by secondary students in Fayetteville High School have been concentrated on environmental studies, not only in biology but also in debate and political science and activities promoting environmental education and quality have been started by students in the form of clubs and student government. Many students work through the university chapter of the Ozark Society, Society for Environmental Stabilization. Hike and Bike Club, Recycling Center, Boys and Girl Scouts, Arkansas Environmental Research Society and clean-ups organized by student leaders.

Even if efforts are minimal by students they nearly always seem to come to the realization that not all individuals are as concerned they are. During the past year efforts have been made through the court systems to stop and penalize individuals that habitually degrade the environment for economic gain or by carelessness. But when students investigated state regulations on environmental protection, they found vague, toothless laws which do not assure future environmental quality. Since the state has not taken the responsibility to assure protection for areas of high environmental quality, then the Federal Programs represent one of the last hopes.

If the Buffalo River is not protected in some manner, individuals will exploit and mutilate the water shed area and the river bed due to lack of control by the state. This is the reason that the Student Chapter of the Ozark Society favors efforts through legislation, as in H.R. Bill 8382 and 9119, to set aside and protect the Buffalo River in Arkansas until man better understands how to protect and co-exist with the environment.

As politicians, I know you want to be sensitive to the needs of people and I am speaking for people who want efforts made to assure them of a future with areas where man can both physically and mentally escape his artifically burdened enviromnent.

Mr. TAYLOR. I have only one or two questions. How many members do you have in the University of Arkansas Chapter of the Ozark Society?

Mr. JENKINS. We have 200.

Mr. TAYLOR. Are most faculty members and students?

Mr. JENKINS. Yes, sir; in fact I guess all of them would fall under that category, who work with the university. This is the largest group

that we have had. This shows the genuine concern of this age group of people in the environment.

Mr. TAYLOR. What would you say the purpose of the organization is? Mr. JENKINS. We have conservation in mind, of course, and we also sponsor recreation and giving people an opportunity to experience some of the things we feel are very important, such as canoeing and backpacking.

Mr. TAYLOR. Thank you.

Mr. JENKINS. Thank you.

Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Hilary Jones.

STATEMENT OF HILARY JONES, A LANDOWNER FROM PRUITT, NEWTON COUNTY, ARK.

Mr. JONES. Honorable Chairman, members of the committe, I am Hilary Jones, a landowner from Pruitt, Newton County, Ark. I am here today representing the town of Pruitt and the Buffalo River landowners. I am glad to have this opportunity to speak to you as we have always felt we will be a little better received by this committee than by the Senate committee where our own Senator did not stay to hear the opposition to the park bill by the people from our State. I would like to thank you for the courtesy extended by this committee and especially for the courtesy of Representative Aspinall in keeping this bill from action in prior years. We hope that this bill will be stopped in committee this time.

Mr. TAYLOR. I am not sure that that is a correct statement.

Mr. JONES. We hope this bill will be stopped in committee at this time.

Mr. TAYLOR. I have not seen any action of Mr. Aspinall's part which would keep the bill from being considered on its merits.

Mr. JONES. Last year he made a statement that he felt the Park Service had not continued their development as they should and therefore he did not feel this bill should have been committed.

Mr. TAYLOR. We have that situation on all projects. We have to wait until the Park Service finishes its analysis and its studies and is in a position to recommend a definite course of action before we move on it.

Mr. JONES. We appreciated that fact very much.

Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Aspinall is very much in sympathy with this project.

Mr. JONES. Very well.

Mr. TAYLOR. But he wants to keep it on a sound basis, just as we all do.

Mr. JONES. That is the interest we have, too.

During this past summer, I had the opportunity to visit Mr. Aspinall's home State. My own home area compares in a small way with the areas I visited in Colorado. I see that the beauty of that State is being preserved without governmental controls and I wonder why the same cannot be done on the Buffalo River.

Personally, and on behalf of the town of Pruitt and the Buffalo River landowners. I would like to state that we are opposed to the proposed Buffalo River National Park bill that you are considering today. I would appreciate your attention to a few of the reasons why we have taken this stand.

First, let me call attention to the fact that during the summer months when families are vacationing, the Buffalo River is too low for boating or fishing in our area. There are other areas I probably should have mentioned that they can float most of the time. The water, although pure, becomes filled with dead leaves and silt when the river is low and swimming is not really good either. Even this month, the river is too low for john boats or canoes. I own and operate a motel and campground at Pruitt and I have had people from Memphis, St. Louis, and all over the Midwest who came prepared to float the river this summer only to find that they could not. I have here some pictures that show this more clearly than I can tell you. These were taken at the Buffalo River bridge at Pruitt, which in the spring months is a major putting in and taking out place for boats, but as you can see here the stream can easily be spanned by a pickup truck and is no more than a few inches deep in summer. May I introduce the pictures at this time?

Mr. TAYLOR. Yes. Counsel will get them and we will look at them. Mr. JONES. This is a crossing that the Park Service proposes to take at Pruitt for development.

Mr. TAYLOR. Do you want these pictures back?

Mr. JONES. No, sir; I want these pictures to be available for the committee or the Park Service or anyone who would like to look at them.

Mr. TAYLOR. Then we will keep them in our files.

Mr. JONES. You keep them there. Here is a picture taken this summer. They talked of the fertility of the valleys of the Buffalo River. I have some pictures here of farmland and owners and things in this valley, of people who are making a living there from this land and the grass. This is all inland that is taken in the section, townsship, and range and everything is there. The landyowners' names are there.

The other time, at the Senate hearing, Mr. Campbell didn't recog nize where some of these places were. So I have put all of their names and everything on them. There are no pictures of any land that isn't in this Buffalo River Valley. This is some of the finest farmland in northwest Arkansas. Any of these landowners can be contacted by any member of your committee.

Here is a picture in the local paper with the date and everything on it. I have lived in the river area all of my life and I am proud of the beauty of the county. All of us in the area are a little dishearted by the fact that the river has been so vastly oversold and we are left with the task of telling the tourists that the river cannot be floated except in early spring and late fall.

I would also like to point out that parks all over the Nation are fighting pollution and crime problems and losing the battle. We would not like to see our area become a haven for drifters and hippies and people who are unwilling to work, and lost in a sea of garbage, and we feel that this is what would happn if it were made into a national park.

We are concerned about the survival of our county. Nearly half of the county is all ready Government land and this bill proposes to take an additional 43,700 acres. This will place an extreme tax burden on the remaining private landowners and we do not believe our county can survive under those conditions.