established by the 1967 Arkansas Legislature with instructions to study and make recommendations to the Arkansas Legislature and the Governor regarding the need for stream preservation in Arkansas.

The State Committee on Stream Preservation endorses H.R. 8382 and urges that your committee report favorably on this proposed legislation at the earliest possible date. As you have heard from other state agencies and groups, the Buffalo River of Arkansas is a unique resource and one worthy of protecting for this and future generations to enjoy. We believe that this river represents a type of resource which serves its country better in its natural state. The National Park Service Plan provides for protecting the integrity of the river in a manner which will allow people to see its scenic wonders.

In 1969 the State Committee on Stream Preservation submitted its report to the legislature and to the Governor. The report was also included as a section of the Outdoor Recreation Plan for the Department of Planning. This report describes the need for some type of scenic rivers protection for some of the remaining Arkansas Streams. The Committee has proposed that an Arkansas Scenic Rivers System be proposed to offer limited protection to the immediate stream bank of a few of the scenic streams throughout the state. Several state agencies are presently working to formulate this legislation in a form which we hope that the Arkansas Legislature will enact during its next session.

In previous drafts of this legislation, the Buffalo River was included in the list of streams recommended for inclusion into the state system. The inclusion of the Buffalo into this proposed system was done with the full understanding that when national river status was approved by Congress, the Buffalo would be withdrawn from the proposed state system. The committee feels that the Buffalo merits much more attention and a higher degree of protection than can be offered in any limited state system. It is hoped that when a state scenic rivers system is established, that it will complement the Buffalo National River by providing a system of a few smaller rivers throughout the state which should help to take public-use pressures off of the Buffalo during periods of high utilization. We feel that a system of state scenic rivers will complement the National River status of the Buffalo.

Having observed the Buffalo River for several years, the committee wishes to point out that there is a need for immediate enactment of the proposed national river legislation. Over the last few years the river and the surrounding land have changed because of new land-use practices. Land-use practices which degrade the scenic quality of the Buffalo must be stopped very soon to insure that integrity of the river will not be destroyed.

STATEMENT OF DR. JEWEL E. MOORE, ARKANSAS DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN

Dr. MOORE. I represent the Arkansas Division of the American Association of University Women, about 1,000 women who are concerned with education in the State, and we'd like to go on record as wanting to keep the Buffalo as a place for students to go and study this unique

STATEMENT OF H. H. SHUGART, SR., ARKANSAS AUDUBON SOCIETY, ACCOMPANIED BY MRS. MILTON BROWN, SOUTH ARKANSAS AUDUBON SOCIETY, AND THOMAS L. FOTI, JEFFERSON AUDUBON SOCIETY

Mr. SHUGART. My name is H. H. Shugart, and I'm accompanied by Mrs. Milton Brown of the South Arkansas Audubon Society and Mr. Thomas L. Foti, of the Jefferson Audubon Society.

The Arkansas Audubon Society endorses and strongly urges the passage of both these bills-H.R. 8382 and 9119. The Audubon Society

of Arkansas has had a long, historic record supporting stream preservation and all conservation issues in our State.

We have 1,100 members in the State of Arkansas, and they have unanimously endorsed and support these bills.

Mrs. BROWN. I just want to say that I represent the South Arkansas Audubon Society, and we're as interested as anyone else in the State, so that our children and their children know what it is to have something as beautiful as the Buffalo River.

Mr. FOTI. And the Jefferson Audubon Society has its statement already on record and we support the bill.

Mrs. BROWN. My statement is also on record.

Mr. TAYLOR. Well, you say you support both the bills. There are three bills before us.

Mr. SHUGART. We support it, too.

Mr. TAYLOR. Thank you, and your statements will be included in the record at this point.

(The statements referred to follow :)

STATEMENT OF H. H. SHUGART, PAST PRESIDENT, ARKANSAS AUDUBON SOCIETY The Arkansas Audubon Society endorses and strongly urges the passage of H.R. 8382 (Hammerschmidt, Arkansas) and H.R. 9119 (Alexander, Arkansas) for the creation of the Buffalo National Park in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Audubon Society has a long and historic record supporting the establishing of the Buffalo National River dating back to March 29, 1957, when the United States Senate passed a so-called Omnibus Rivers Bill and sent it to the House of Representatives. This Bill authorized numerous dams including Lone Rock and Gilbert Dams on the Buffalo River. The Society immediately passed resolutions protesting the construction of the dams. Throughout the past fourteen years, the Audubon Society united with other conservation groups have maintained a continuous effort designed to preserve the Buffalo River in its natural state.

The Buffalo River is an outstandingly beautiful stream in all seasons of the year. Thousands of campers, anglers, canoeists, bird watchers and naturalists have found the area rich in qualities to satisfy their particular wants. For the camper, clean water, pure air and room to move about. For the canoeist, white water flumes, down which to race his frail craft. For the bird lover and naturalist, an abundance of wild flowers, shrubs, trees and birds to study and enjoy. There are tall scenic cliffs bordering the river, their faces as yet unmarred by man. There are clean gravel bars and clear pools awaiting the swimmer. Fish lie in the riffles or beneath sheltered ledges daring the angler to invade their lair. Whip-Poor-Wills and Chuck-Will's-Widows by night and wood warblers and other songbirds by day keep the rock walls ringing with their melodious calls. All this we have now, but what of the future when an ever increasing population will need more space and more opportunity for recreation? Must the Buffalo River risk despoilment and pollution as increased demand for recreation is required? The Arkansas Audubon Society believes that the creation of a Buffalo National Park, administered by the National Park Service, will perpetuate the stream in its present state. Campgrounds at strategic and scenic points, constructed and located in a manner not to detract from the rugged character of the stream or its surroundings and interest centers, should add much for the visitor. Picnic tables, hiking and nature trails will add to the enjoyment and knowledge of visitors.

For these reasons, more than 1100 members of the Arkansas Audubon Society reaffirm their belief that the Buffalo can be of greater benefit to an ever increasing population if designated and developed as a National River.

STATEMENT OF MRS. MILTON BROWN, REPRESENTING SOUTH ARKANSAS AUDUBON SOCIETY, EL DORADO, ARK.

I am Jimmie Brown, past president of the South Arkansas Audubon Society which is composed of members from Nevada, Bradley, Columbia, Calhoun, Ashley and Union Counties.

We wish to go on record in support of the National River Bills H.R. 8382 for the following reasons:

That the South Arkansas Audubon Society has always been for the conservation, preservation and educated enjoyment of all of our natural resources;

That H.R. 8382 will insure forever for us and posterity a little of what our forefathers so dearly fought and died to have and to hold;

That the National River Bills will insure our future children the right to see, enjoy and learn that this great land is not all steel, concrete and smog; That this bill will insure the preservation in its natural state this beautiful stream-so that my generation will not have trod so ruthlessly here on this land;

That H.R. 8382 will encourage each of us now to do our part in helping those that manage this great project.

STATEMENT OF W. G. CLICK, PRESIDENT, AND ROSALIE WEISS, SECRETARY, REPRESENTING THE JEFFERSON AUDUBON SOCIETY

The Jefferson Audubon Society supports H.R. 8382 (Hammerschmidt, Ark.) and H.R. 9119 (Alexander, Ark.) which would establish the Buffalo National River in Arkansas. We request a favorable committee report and prompt passage of these bills.

Those of us who know the Buffalo River realize that it properly belongs not just to those who live along its banks nor just to those of us who live in Arkansas but to all people who are capable of appreciating the beauty of an area in which man, his objects and his changes are not dominant features. We want our children and all children to be able to discover the same beauty and excitement we find along the Buffalo. We want present and future generations alike to be able to enjoy the variety of experiences available to anyone along the Buffalo River, and this will only be possible through the establishment of the Buffalo National River.

Within the past few years, large areas of the land adjacent to the river have been cleared, including in some cases, even the banks of the river. Gravel is being mined from the river's bed and from nearby hillsides. Irresponsible development is taking place in the watershed of the river, including recent construction by the Arkansas Highway Department. Even those who come to enjoy the river often leave a trail of litter behind. Indeed, the very interest which makes National River status possible is creating heavy pressures which must be regulated. If positive steps are not promptly taken, the river as it now exists will be destroyed. For these reasons we urge prompt and favorable consideration of H.R. 8382 and H.R. 9119.

STATEMENT OF J. STURGIS MILLER, STATE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS

Mr. MILLER. I would simply like to urge this committee to consider this House resolution favorably and enter my statement into the record.

Mr. TAYLOR. Do you have any recommendations with regard to the specifics of the bills?

Mr. MILLER. I'm certainly in favor of the bills.

Mr. TAYLOR. Thank you, and we will include your statement in the record.

(The statement referred to follows:)

STATEMENT OF HON. J. STURGIS MILLER, REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 33, POSITION THREE, STATE OF ARKANSAS

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: I am Sturgis Miller, and I represent District 33, Position 3, House of Representatives, State of Arkansas. I am a member of the Rivers and Harbors Committee of the Arkansas House. I am now serving my third term in this position.

72-466-72——6

The need for suitable legislation to create the Buffalo National River is now urgent, and I wish to express my vigorous support for legislation designed to preserve this beautiful river in Northwest Arkansas as a free flowing National river.

The Buffalo River, named for the great herds of buffalo that once roamed its banks, winds and carves its way through the oldest mountains on the face of the earth. The unusual natural beauty of this region with its rugged mountains, clear spring-fed streams, deep canyons, numerous caves and Indian rock houses, white gravel and sand bars, and cliffs rising out of the river to over 700 feet is in imminent danger of commercialization and misuse by every sort of developer.

We must secure this unspoiled wilderness area for future generations to enjoy to the fullest, but time is fast running out for the Buffalo and its unique character as reflected by the names of its small sparse villages such as Boxley, Low Gap. Mt. Judea, Bass, Wolum, Lone Pine, and the ghost town of Rush, long protected from the onrush of civilization by the rugged mountain terrain. With the exception of a few people that you could probably count on the fingers of both hands, the people of Arkansas are for a Buffalo National River, and it is my opinion that HR 8382 and HR 9119, the bills before this Honorable Committee for the establishment of the Buffalo National River in the State of Arkansas, are for the best interest of the people of Arkansas, the 20 million people within easy access to this area, and the people of America.

Some of those endorsing the Buffalo National River are the Arkansas Congressional Delegation, Senators John L. McClellan and J. W. Fulbright; Congressmen Wilbur Mills, David Pryor, and the sponsor of HR 8382. the Honorable John Paul Hammerschmidt, and the sponsor of the companion bill HR 9119, the Honorable Bill Alexander. The last three Governors of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, Winthrop Rockefeller, the present Governor Dale Bumpers, and Lieutenant Governor Bob Riley endorse the Buffalo National River.

The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Arkansas Planning Commission, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Interior Department, and practically every major conservation group in the Central, Southern, and Southwestern part of the United States, some of whom will be speaking here today, endorse the Buffalo National River. The University of Arkansas has completed a study for the National Park Service of the Buffalo National River indicating that it is fully justified economically as well as ecologically and aesthetically. The University of Arkansas' careful economic survey estimated that tourists would spend 13 million dollars yearly, and 1,500 new jobs would be created. This is extremely important to an area where the average income is approximately $2,000 per year. The University of Arkansas report also states "the location as well as the nature of the proposed National River are such that it would be an ideal complement to already existing tourist attractions throughout the Ozark Mountain region."

The Buffalo River basin is surrounded by a system of huge reservoirs under construction and in existence. It is within a few hours drive of thirty such projects, federally financed, of course. Surely we can have one National River. A recent Life editorial stated that "The whole country suffers every time America makes a bad choice, even a local one, that allows the needless waste of any of our natural treasures. The destruction of such resources is irrevocable, and no one can pass that way again."

These are the things that make America beautiful. I believe that is it imperative that we save the Buffalo River.

I would urge immediate consideration of HR 8382 sponsored by Congressman Hammerschmidt, and HR 9119 sponsored by Congressman Bill Alexander, and that they be reported on favorably at the earliest possible date.

Thank you for this opportunity to appear before this Honorable Body.