meet the fair market value. We who farm this land have invested large sums of money and labor . . . many fine homes lay within the boundaries of the proposed park. It would appear that the tax money it would take to create another National Park would be better spent taking care of those already in existence. Please enter this letter as a part of the Public Hearing Official Record. I trust this is an open minded hearing and the members of the committee are interested in hearing and understanding both sides of the issue before deciding on a recommendation. Respectfully submitted. Mr. and Mrs. DON GRON WALDT. Hon. Roy A. TAYLOR, HOUSTON, TEX., November 2, 1971. Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks and Recreation, Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. TAYLOR: My firm belief in the American way of "justice for the individual," has been profoundly shaken by the Buffalo National River Bill. My husband and I scrimped and saved for fourteen years in order to purchase 95 acres of land on the Buffalo for our retirement haven, and as our legacy for our sons. Now it seems that a group of Canoe Club lobbyists are about to win out over the landowners. If the Buffalo is to be preserved in its natural state, there is no surer way than to leave it as it is. The landowners would have no objection whatsoever to groups floating the river at any time. So why is it necessary to take the land and make a National Park out of it? As is now stands, the River and its environs are completely as God created them. Wildflowers grow on every ledge and cliff, fish swim leisurely in shallow pools, beaver make dams across the river. It could never be more natural than it is at present. If it becomes a Park, the river, its islands, the banks and surrounding land will be stream with beer cans, soft drink cans, litter of all kinds, and hundreds or thousands of people ripping up plants, and destroying the natural beauty. And what is to become of the landowners who have lived there for generations, and know no other way of life. I am sure that the value placed on the land by the government appraisers would be a mere pittance, certainly not enough to allow him and his family to move to comparable surroundings. Is it fair and in accordance with the Constitution of this country to uproot them after their years of labor creating a home and income-a place of peace in which to raise their families? I say NO, and I hope that you will too. Sincerely, Mrs. W. R. ELIZABETH LINDSEY. PRUITT, ARK., October 7, 1971. Hon. WAYNE N. ASPINALL, Chairman, House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR SIR: Taxpayers over the country do not want to pay for the proposed park on the Buffalo River in Arkansas. Taxpayers caught in the park do not want the park, but they have a fateful resignation to the belief that it is useless to fight the big powers in this country. The park will have a very limited use-for taxpayers. The river is very low, dry in spots most of the year. The heat is of a wilting, soggy, sweaty kind; with very few decent summer days. Ticks and chiggers are prohibitive. Do what you can to attain justice for all, Sincerely, ELIZABETH M. MILLER. EDITOR'S NOTE.-A large number of comparable letters expressing similar viewpoints against the legislation were received by the committee and have been included in its official files. (Ten typical letters in favor of H.R. 8382 follow :) HARRISON, ARK., October 4, 1971. Hon. Roy A. TAYLOR, Member of Congress. DEAR SIR: The Buffalo River flows for 148 miles through four counties in the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas. The area is within 250 miles of Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis, Oklahoma City and Little Rock. If the Buffalo is established as a National River thousands of visitors will be attracted to this vacation land. The investment made to open up this undeve'oped area will yield rich dividends in health, recreation and improved economy. As a landowner on the Buffalo I find it most difficult to reach Arno'ds Elbow except by Jeep a distance of six miles from St. Joe on U.S. Highway 65. This difficulty holds true for most of the river area. Development of the Buffalo as a National River will contribute much to the domestic tranquility and general welfare of our ever growing population. Respectfully submitted. Hon. ROY A. TAYLOR, G. ALLEN ROBINSON, M.D. SHREVEPORT, LA., October 15, 1971. Chairman, Subcommitte on National Parks and Recreation, Interior and Insular My family has spent many enjoyable days in the Buffalo River country and has plans to go back this Fall. With so many of the recreation areas available to this part of the country so very highly commercialized, the need for a National Park of the type proposed is great. I have no 'expert' facts and figures to offer you to support my feelings; it is merely that those feelings are that we need an area preserved in this part of the country where people can learn to appreciate natural beauty, natural change and natural existence. Sincerely yours, WM. H. STEVENSON. Hon. Roy A. TAYLOR, LITTLE ROCK ARK., October 25, 1971. Chairman, Subcommitte on National Parks and Recreation, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. DEAR SIR: I would like to express my approval of H.R. 8382. My only child (5) yrs. old) who is a sixth generation Arkansan, should be guaranteed the right to experience the natural wonder of the Buffalo River as a free-flowing stream. The river belongs as much to this child as to anyone who either 1) owns land in this area, 2) improves the river or area, 3) earns a living on it or in its vicinity, 4) uses it to make a profit, 5) speculates on bordering land values, or 6) despoils it knowingly or unknowingly. The little people-in both senses-should be guaranteed access to this unique stream and its environs. Children-not only those, like my own, whose forefathers settled, tilled, and loved this land, but all children-should have the opportunity to see, feel, hear, and float the natural free-flowing, unpolluted stream that the present generation has experienced. People of modest income, regardless of their present place of residence or livelihood, should not be barred from this River through land or lake development. First of all this is God's land-let us reserve this part the way he made it as much as we possibly can. Please let my letter be included as a permanent part of the record on the hearing. Yours truly, JAMES A. ALLEN. FAYETTEVILLE, ARK., October 16, 1971. Hon. Roy A. TAYLOR, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. TAYLOR: We are an old retired couple, natives of this area. Our devotion to the Buffalo River began many years ago. It has been passed on to our children, and now to our grandchildren. The Buffalo must be protected as Buffalo National River, and soon. Its natural loveliness is fragile, and man and his machines can destroy its rare qualities. We can feel no peace of mind so long as the river remains vulnerable. Please save the Buffalo River for our country and our children. We need, as never before, such remnants of our natural heritage. Please make this a part of the record of the hearing on H.R. S382. Mr. and Mrs. LAIRD ARCHER. WILL RICE COLLEGE, Houston, Tex., October 18, 1971. Hon. Roy A. TAYLOR, DEAR SIR: As a resident of Arkansas, I would like to take this opportunity to express my enthusiastic support of House Bill 8382 for the creation of a Buffalo National River. This measure has been long overdue for the Buffalo River for it is truly one of the most beautiful remaining free-flowing streams in the country. A land of great natural beauty, the Ozarks and their companion rang, the Ouachitas have long been overlooked by the National Parks System. This probably results from their lack of superlatives. Their beauty is not to be found in 14,000foot snow-capped peaks, great glaciers, giant canyons, or tremendous waterfalls. It is rather more subtile, more gentle, but certainly not less inspiring or awing than their bigger rivals. The Buffalo runs through some of the wildest and most scenic parts of this area. But the river itself is more than just a pathway. It too has its character. It tells a story itself, a story as old as this land. The Buffalo will tell the story of the way man handles it just as surely as it now tells the story of its geologic past long before man arrived. The story can be one of stewardship, peace, and continuity; the choice is up to us. Please enter this in the record. Thank you, CHRIS JONES. POCAHONTAS, ARK., October 8, 1971. Hon. Roy A. TAYLOR, Washington, D.C. DEAR SIR: I am 13 years old and I have known the Buffalo River all my life. I had my first camp-out there when I was two years old. My last camp-out, last week, was there. I first paddled a canoe on the Buffalo. I would like for other people to enjoy this river like it is. Please support House Bill No. 8382, and make my letter a part of the record of the hearing on this bill. Thank you. Yours truly, REBECCA ANN COOK. BELTSVILLE, MD., October 10, 1971. Hon. ROY A. TAYLOR, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. TAYLOR: AS John Ruskin said: "Beautiful things are useful to men because they are beautiful and for the sake of their beauty only." The Buffalo River in Arkansas is beautiful enough to be made a national river on that reason alone. But some people will worry that they may not be able to live in a house they own in the area; the bill provides for arranging a life tenancy, for continuing right to graze and cultivate one's farm, for giving a scenic easement in some cases. Some will say that building a dam would make more jobs. While destroying the heart of the area, it would make more work for machines, not for people over the years. There are already bigger, more attractive reservoirs than this river could make. The demand for wilderness or near-wilderness natural land recreation use is increasing much faster than that for more commercialized areas. Wilderness areas are fragile, took many years to form and are irreplaceable when destroyed. The bill provides for Federal payments to counties for the first five years the property is off their tax rolls. After. that (judging by other national areas) there will be an influx of tourist dollars into numerous businesses surrounding the national river. Already the cost of the land acquisition is much greater than it would have been when the Buffalo National River was first proposed in the Senate. It can only get more expensive the more time passes. Sincerely, NELLIE G. COOLEY. HENDERSON STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE, Hon. Roy A. TAYLOR, DEAR CHAIRMAN TAYLOR: I take this opportunity to write to you to signal my support of H.R. 8382 for the creation of the Buffalo National River. I am a native Arkansan, born and bred, who has traveled every foot of this state. Although poor in per capita income, still Arkansas is rich in natural beauty, although already much of it has-perhaps of necessity-yielded to "progress". The Buffalo River area, however, is not just a unique treasure only for Arkansans, but in this day and time it is accessible to all Americans who can come there and refresh themselves in one of the few, untouched, gentle, natural valleys left in our nation. We must not deny this blessing of God to generations yet unborn. I think H.R. 8382 will (rightly) prevent the Buffalo from becoming just another befouled sewer which curses all who look upon it. I know I speak for thousands of people of Arkansas who concur in the sentiments I have expressed. Yours sincerely, Hon. Roy A. TAYLOR, FRANK L. TURNER, Jr., Associate Professor and Head Libraian. WINSLOW & LANG, Tulsa, Okla., October 26, 1971. Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks and Recreation, DEAR SIR: The preservation of the nation's longest remaining wild river is now pending before your committee. Its very existence is in jeopardy at this time. As a citizen raised in the tradition of natures preservation and as a Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop No. 222, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, this letter is submitted to your committee's consideration for the creation of the Buffalo National River, H.R. 8382. Our Troop's camping highlight each year is a canoeing expedition to the Ozark National Scenic Riverway, the Current River in Missouri, or the Buffalo River in Arkansas. The Troop's canoes carry our boys between 50 to 90 miles on these five (5) day The Troop's canoes carry our boys between 50 to 90 miles on these five (5) day cruises through some of the most magnificient country in the United States. The boys become familiar for the first time in their lives and the men become reacquainted with the fact the most beautiful landscapes on mother earth are created by mother nature, not by man. The boys find themselves eyeball to eyeball with the stands of timber, flowing springs, forests and water creatures. The beauty of an early morning on the river is inspiring as one observes the rising mist from the river as it meets with the new day sun. Somehow, for a magical moment, time stands still and one actually belives that this is the way the river looked for the first man to ever see it. Have you ever heard a forest rain, not caused by a rainstorm, but rather by the mist rising off the river at night and condensing on the leaves of the trees, then falling to the ground with a resounding splash? Animals, fish, and birds found these beautiful rivers as sanctuaries long before our canoes. Wildlife is abundant in all of its forms. The exhilaration of floating a river which has not changed in five (5) centuries or longer is a heritage which we must pass on to future generations. But, man is changing the Buffalo River daily and is destroying its entire system. Last spring, we watched as bulldozers pushed trees into the river and man in all of his ability dug and filled cement post holes on the river banks, strung barbed wire and, then, threw his concrete sacks into the river. Our newest boys floating by canoe the first time remark how the river washes and erodes the river banks wherever man is tilling the soil and has removed the natural cover. Your deliberations should include the water shed (adjacent land-one (1) to five (5) miles on each side of the river) as a part of the Buffalo National River. Otherwise, as private ownership removes the natural cover as witnessed above, there is no controlled drainage of run-off waters into the river system. Trees and natural vegetation are needed to assist the gradual water drainage necessary to maintain river banks and consistent water flow. We cannot afford to destroy these natural monuments of free running rivers, vegetation and wildlife. Our children identify with these gifts of nature in their books and pictures long before their little minds become cluttered with prejudice, pollution and the problems of a growing nation. This letter is submitted with the request that it become a permanent part of the hearing of H.R. 8382. In this manner, if your committee is successful in preserving the Buffalo River as a National Scenic River, I can be proud that I contributed in this great endeavor on the behald of hundreds of people I have talked with and who share the same apprehension over this beautiful river's growing destruction. If, on the otherhand, your committee does not make this beautiful wild river a permanent playground for our grandchildren, I can say I tried. Respectfully submitted. In the bonds of Scouting, DAVID E. WINSLOW. BOW MER, COURTNEY, BURLESON & FERGUSON, Hon. Roy A. TAYLOR, Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks and Recreation, DEAR CONGRESSMAN TAYLOR: I would like to register as being in support of the passage of House Bill 8382, and I would like to request that my letter be made a part of the record of the forthcoming hearing on this bill. I have visited the Buffalo River Country several times in recent years, and have made a number of canoe trips on that river. It is truly a unique Ozark stream, and one of the only streams left in the Ozarks that is truly representative of the many fine streams that once ran there. Dams and other forms of development have drastically changed the other Ozark streams, but the Buffalo still retains in this section of its length, the unspoiled, natural beauty that has inspired literally thousands of people who have visited it. The Buffalo is suitable for family recreation, and it has sections that are suitable for more daring canoeists and explorers. Many many people have gained in respect for the out of doors, and have developed a sense of conscience about our environment on trips down the Buffalo River. It seems to me that it would not drastically alter the economy of Arkansas or of the nation if this small section of a uniquely valuable river were left in a natural state, for the continuing enjoyment of future generations. I definitely hope that you and your subcommittee will give favorable consideration to this legislation and recommend its passage. Sincerely, BOB BURLESON. (EDITOR'S NOTE.-A large number of comparable letters expressing similar viewpoints for the legislation were received by the committee and have been included in its official files.) Mr. TAYLOR. As we close the hearing, I would like to state that the committee will meet later and consider the action that should be taken. I commend the witnesses on their fine statements and on the very, very polite manner in which the hearings have been conducted. |