by KENNETH FRY, Press Argus-Courier Editor Friday, July 18, 2008 2:28 PM CDT
One of the most photographed natural wonders in Crawford County is in dire need of a house-keeping partner to help maintain the park at Natural Dam which has fallen victim to the litter bug.
There have been numerous efforts to clean up Natural Dam, a longtime swimming hole and picnic spot located on Lee Creek within the heart of the rugged Boston Mountain range of the Ozarks.
Natural Dam, located 16 miles north of Van Buren on Arkansas 59, features a scenic view of Mountain Fork Creek as it enters Lee Creek, which creates a sparkling waterfall.
Currently, that natural beauty loved by generations is littered with everything from paper plates and beer cans to baby diapers, according to John Pope, a state commissioner on the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission and executive director of Keep Van Buren Beautiful.
Pope met Thursday with Gary Williams, district ranger for the Boston Mountain Ranger District, and Greg Miller, multiple-resource assistant, who also expressed their frustrations with the picnic area which includes several tables along the creek bank and flush toilets.
"There have been numerous efforts to cleanup the park," Williams said. "It will be picked up one day. We will come back the next day and it will look like it has not been cleaned up for months."
Until 2005, a ranger who lived at the Pine Mountain station would periodically clean Natural Dam. When he retired, the position was not filled, leaving only a ranger in Ozark and one in Mountainburg. Matters worsened, Williams said, when the district stopped charging a day-use fee.
"As long as we were charging, we got 80 percent back for maintenance," Williams said. "Two years ago, we were told we could not charge because we did not offer enough such as showers and electrical hookups to charge a fee as do Shores Lake, White Rock and Weddington."
Williams said Weddington in Washington County collected $14,000 in fees in June alone.
"Our maintenance budget contains only $5,000 for the year," Miller said. "And, we have 195,000 acres in five counties."
What now?
Williams lauded the efforts of County Judge John Hall, local residents and others who use the park in attempting to keep it clean. However, the volunteers have been unable to keep Natural Dam free of debris.
"We need partners," he said. "We cannot do this alone. We have some who have been really helpful, but this is a daunting effort."
Williams said the forest district could improve parking, maybe install water fountains and make other improvements so that a fee could be imposed once again.
"Once we lost that fee," he said, "we lost the ability to maintain and manage."
Pope suggested routine patrols by law enforcement and bilingual signs asking for patrons help in bagging litter and taking it home rather than scattering it throughout the park.
"The missing key is a partnership," Williams said. "We need to partner with some organization to return and maintain Natural Dam as the natural beauty it is."
Ginny Wilson wrote on Aug 20, 2008 11:58 AM: