From a standpoint of time, scope, and expense, it would not be feasible to attempt to relocate. First, let's consider national advertising. The Valley Y Ranch has become so identified in the public's mind with the Buffalo River Area in Newton County, Arkansas, that all this value built up over a number of years would be lost and destroyed.

It would likewise be economically unfeasible to attempt to move the cattle operation to any of the other existing ranches because the Arkansas operation is such an integral part of the whole that each is necessary to the other. Further, the Arkansas location provides the best facilities for the purebred cattle and the headquarters operation. In addition, none of the other ranch properties offer the same type of climate, environment, or water.

Dr. Doyne Hamm is a veterinarian of national stature, who has a large and small animal clinic and is located and staffed in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Dr. Hamm's staff of four veterinarians and their assistants manage and operate his clinic, and Dr. Hamm personally acts as Resident Veterinarian for the Valley Y Ranch and personally supervises and directs the overall breeding program. Dr. Hamm has advised us that relocation of the horse operation would be far too expensive to attempt, in that at least two years would be lost in the horse and cattle breeding program, even if facilities were available.

We have never objected to camping along the river, even though it has meant cleaning up and picking up beer cans, tin cans, whiskey bottles, soft drink bottles and other accumulated trash, as well as the rocks and driftwood which are carried up for the fires that are often burned on our meadows.

We have always made this property available to canoeists, sightseers, hikers, and campers.

We know the Buffalo River does not have enough water in our area to become a magnet for extensive or increased canoeing activity, especially during the summer and fall months when it is at its lowest period. At high water, it can be a treacherous river. hardly a place a man would take his family. The National River Bill would, to use an argument advanced against the supersonic transport, spend millions in Federal monies to benefit a handful-the few expert canoeists who run the river at high water.

The Park Department themselves have admitted publicly that: "The entire Buffalo can generally be floated from the autumn rains until late May or early June. During the summer's drought, the upper part of the river" (which is our area) "and later the middle reaches drop too low for boating..."

The upper part of the river, mentioned by the Park Department has only limited value to the canoeist, in that it affords favorable water and weather for a period less than two months during the year.

After reviewing the problems of relocation, which include the high acquisition of land, the severance pay, where applicable, and relocation expense, in light of the new law passed by the 91st Congress, which is the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies for Federal and Federally Assisted Programs Bill-and, since the areas under discussion are now available for the canoeists, sightseers, hikers and campers without cost to the public taxpayer, there appears to be a grave question whether the benefit would be realized for the general public good, based on the large potential expenditure required to make the Buffalo River a National Park. We, therefore, respectfully submit that we are in opposition to the Buffalo River National Park Bill, because it would be economically unfeasible and would accomplish nothing that is not now available under private ownership.

SUMMARY

The Valley Y Ranch is a substantial horse and cattle commercial operation covering approximately five miles on both sides of the Buffalo River, Newton County, Arkansas. This Arkansas property is closely related to the cattle operations in three other states, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Extensive soil and conservation management have been accomplished to bring the depleted property to its original and present state of high fertility and the public has always been and is now welcome to enjoy the river and the scenery. Major improvements have been added to the land in the form of buildings, utilities, and sanitation system. The fair market value of the buildings is estimated at $669,000.00. The total fair market land value, including buildings has been estimated at $2,169,000.00.

A substantial horse and cattle operation is managed and headquartered on the Arkansas property. The Arkansas headquarters manages an Arabian horse operation, which has national prominence, along with a quarter horse program. and is the headquarters for a four-state cattle operation, which includes feed production, feeding and breeding and a cross-breeding and purebred operation. Extensive work has been done on a commercial development, which includes a motel, shopping center, vacation and retirement homes, condominium units. golf course, and landing strip. This planning has been accomplished over a 10-year period and development is now currently in process. A preliminary $300,000.00 development loan has been made. This commercial development conservatively increases the value of the Arkansas property by $2,000,000.00, giving the total fair market value of $4,169,000.00, excluding the value of projected improvements, which-when completed-should be not less than $10.410.000.00. The relocation of the horse and cattle operations present a near impossible task. The Arkansas property is ideally suited for the breeding and raising of horses and it is an integral part of the 4-state catt'e operation.

Dr. Doyne Hamm, a veterinarian of national stature, acting as Resident Veterinarian for the Valley Y Ranch, has estimated that at least two years would be lost in the breeding program in the event relocation was attempted. At this time it is difficult for us to even estimate this loss in dollars.

The cost of acquiring relocation property would be prohibitive and it would appear that the government and citizens of the United States would realize little benefit from this type of relocation over what they now receive.

After considering the high cost of land acquisition, severance and relocation expenses, which would be applicable to this land and probably other property along the Buffalo River, it would appear very doubtful that any real beneficial use could be obtained that is not presently being derived by the canoeist, camper, hiker and sightseer, while the property is now privately owned,

We, therefore, respectfully oppose the Buffalo River National Park bill. Mr. ALLEN. My name is Thomas E. Allen, attorney, Overland Park, Kans., and this is Mr. Peter Yarborough, who is a landowner on the Buffalo River in Arkansas.

In the statement which we presented, we have fold-outs duplicating this material on this map, so I'm going to go through it very shortly, but it's much quicker and easier to see it.

This is the proposed Buffalo River project, of course. This is the land that we are talking about on these two spots. These two pieces of property are involved in the Buffalo River bill. The name of this particular land is called the Valley Y Ranch. This ranch was acquired over a 20-year period. It encompasses approximately, in the headquarters location, 5 miles on both sides of the Buffalo River.

Soil conservation was commenced many years ago by Mr. Yarborough on this property. It was depleted by row-cropping, and it has been brought back to a state of original preservation with help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and also from the Newton County agent in that area.

Fertilization, contour, grassland programs have been instituted and are in full force in this particular property. Originally, when this land was acquired by Mr. Yarborough, the run-off was muddy and the stream was muddy. At this time, the run-off is clear and the stream is clear on heavy rains.

Mr. Yarborough has supported the conservation and wildlife movements in this area, providing food and cover, and when he originally acquired this property, there were no rabbits or very few quail or deer, and they are all plentiful because of his conservation nature. It is now in a beautiful state and it presents a beautiful pastoral

scene.

This particular property has received national recognition in magazines, newspapers, television, both inside and outside. Also, national card manufacturers have used this property to take pictures of because it is indeed beautiful, as many parts of the Buffalo River are.

Now, on the main piece of property, there are 23 buildings. I will not go through each one of these buildings as to what they are, but I show you this only to show you the nature and the subsidy of the commercial operation.

Until now, we've heard about population on a one person per mile basis on the Buffalo River with a few dwellings. Well, this is much more than a few dwellings. The main arena and sales pavilion are here, which encompass a purebred Arabian horse, quarterhorse, and cattle operation. That's 17,376 square feet.

They have a horse stable, a main horse stable, with 8,900 square feet. This property, total, just in the ranch headquarters area, has over 61,000 square feet under roof. This has been valued by an independent appraiser at a value, buildings alone, in the main property of $669,000. There is underground water to a majority of these buildings, underground utilities, underground power, and underground telephones, and a complex communications system already installed in this area.

Now, the commercial horse operation is Arab and quarterhorse, and this also has received State, regional, and national recognition. To give you just a little bit of an idea, here is Arabian Horse World, the magazine that involves this particular type of business, published last year, and this is an Arabian horse from the Valley Y Ranch, owned by Mr. Yarborough, on the cover, in a Buffalo River scene. This is a national magazine. Last month, the same thing. September 1971, national magazine, Arabian Horse World.

To give you a little further impact-we think it's beautiful, toogreeting cards by the Hallmark Card Co. of Kansas City have been

down and taken many, many pictures, and are using them on cardsArabian horses on the Buffalo River-1972, a calendar with horses on them. Several of these horses are on the Valley Y Ranch on the Buffalo River.

The area is unique because of the climate, the freedom from noise, the shelter from winter elements, and also year-round grass and pure water, which of course runs the entire length of this 5-mile piece of property.

I have to also stress that freedom from noise is very important because purebred Arabians just can't be raised in an area of high noise level.

The next chart I want to show you is the cattle operation involving this particular piece of property. Mr. Yarborough's headquarters are on the Buffalo River, that we've already talked about. In addition to this, there are three other pieces of property-in Oklahoma, southern Missouri, and in Kansas.

Now, to give you an idea of what the properties are, in southern Missouri, there is a commercial herd where the artificial breeding takes place. From this, feeder calves are then sent into the Kansas area, which is only 30 minutes from one of the beef markets in the United States. The feeder operation is in this area with everything that this entails.

On the Oklahoma property, it is largely a feed production business where grain and feed are shipped to the other properties.

Now, the Arkansas headquarters, and this is the headquarters of the entire operation, is the piece of property that we're talking about which is affected by this piece of legislation.

Now, this is best suited for this particular operation, for horses and for cattle in this purebred area, and this is why this particular property was chosen. In this entire operation, there are 14 men hired fulltime, heads of families, and of these-and there are many part-time people of these, nine are full-time in the Newton County area, where this Buffalo project affects Mr. Yarborough's property, and spent through the Valley Y Ranch in the Buffalo-Newton County area, is an excess of $100,000 a year, which goes into this economy.

All the ranch properties have been valued at $3,815,000 by an independent appraiser who has more than 30 years' experience.

The Arkansas land, and improvements, that we're talking about right here on the Buffalo River, of that total, they amount to $2,169,000.

Now, the last chart I want to show you is about planned commercial development. For over 10 years, Mr. Yarborough has been planning a commercial development on part of his property that encompasses approximately 400 acres.

Now, this particular plan or modifications of it have been in the hands of the park departments for from 4 to 5 years. This isn't something new. This isn't something that was just planned before we came to Washington.

In this particular plan, there are things like a motel and shopping center, 25 vacation and retirement homes, condominium units, a golf course, landing strip, road facilities, and sanitation. This would alone increase the value of the land, not including the improvements themselves, by $2 million, once this is accomplished. And the improvements

that are projected at this time for this particular property amount to $10 million-$10,410,000.

Now, considerable work and study has gone into this, as you might imagine. Other projects both in Arkansas and in adjoining States have been surveyed for the last 2 years, and the economy has been slightly weak, and at this time, along with roads being placed in this area, it is quite feasible to perceive that at this time that $300,000 in preliminary development alone has been spent.

Now, I would like to comment briefly on relocation for Mr. Yarborough for Valley Y Ranch, presenting a very, very serious problem in that No. 1: much time and money has been spent in establishing a national image which would be lost. This headquarters property that we're discussing, of course, ties in very closely with his cattle operation in three other States. This just presents a real problem involving his entire cattle operation.

Also, here there's a fine climate with clear water-and I was very pleased to hear there was no pollution in the stream, and this operation has not polluted the stream.

The resident veterinarian who operates for Valley Y Ranch out of Fayetteville, Ark., is named Dr. Doyne Hahn. He's made comments to us that if the purebred cattle and purebred horse operation were to move, it would be an expense of slowing down the breeding program for 1 to 2 years, just in the move itself.

Based upon what I've presented to this one point, I have to state that you can see why I would hope the committee would not approve the 1967 cutoff date, rather than 1971. It would be disastrous. Only part of this has been developed in the last 4 or 5 years, but part of it has.

Mr. Yarborough has written a letter to Congressman Hammerschmidt, advising him that he was going to proceed with these developmental plans. He has also advised the park people who have been on his property many times and visited with him, and nobody has ever said, "You'd better not develop any further, because if you do, you're going to have to give it away." But this is the effect, or net effect, of what would happen if this committee passed a bill with the 1967 period like the Senate bill has.

So we are kind of strong on this 1971 figure.

The public has always been welcome to this area. There are many letters in Mr. Yarborough's file from many of the canoe clubs, wilderness, waterways clubs, thanking him for his hospitality and thanking him for allowing them to camp on his land and also thanking him that his property has never been posted, never once.

I am concerned also, in light of what I am telling you, in relation to figures, that the cost of benefit ratios here, the acquisition costsand I have no figures on this, but I am concerned about it, as I know that you are.

Also, I must state that because of this particular purebred operation, it's very difficult-it would be impossible for Mr. Yarborough or the Valley Y Ranch to proceed with this type of a development on an easement basis because people make the horses nervous and cause real problems.

The canoeist coming down the river doesn't cause a real problem, but an influx of people went into this area where Mr. Yarborough has