Conditions are a little nicer, a little prettier at the lakes and rivers here in our little corner of the Ozarks thanks to volunteers.
Willing workers volunteer their time with the Army Corps of Engineers at Beaver Lake. You see them on the trails and at the visitor centers of our state parks. One needs only take a jaunt down to the Buffalo National River to see the difference volunteers have made.
Federal facilities like campgrounds and restrooms along the Buffalo took a hit when Congress couldn’t arrive at a budget compromise and automatic federal cuts began. Some campgrounds were closed.
Trash collection and road maintenance were cut or scaled back.
Visitors to the Ponca access on the Buffalo got a big surprise when they tried to use the public restroom.
It was locked up tight. For most, the only option was the men’s or women’s tree.
The restroom is open now. So are more campgrounds along the Buffalo, thanks to volunteers. A number of citizen groups in Buffalo River country stepped up to help the sequestration-strapped Buffalo River headquarters in Harrison.
The Upper Buffalo River Merchants Association signed an agreement to maintain the restroom at the Ponca access. It was closed last winter because of staffing reductions at Buffalo National River. The restroom is a popular stop for visitors who come to Boxley Valley to view elk, for people launching canoes or swimming in the river at the Ponca low-water bridge.
South Maumee and Rush campgrounds on the Buffalo, once closed, are open again thanks to volunteers who have taken over maintenance chores there.
Horse riders can rejoice in the re-opening of the Erbie Horse Camp. The Buffalo River chapter of the Backcountry Horsemen of America agreed to handle trash collection and restroom cleaning, so the horse camp is open again.
Erbie campground remains closed, but river access is open. Other areas are still closed, including Buffalo Point campground E loop and Blue Hole.
Visitors at Beaver Lake benefit from the fruits of volunteer labor. Some parks, including Dam Site River and Starkey, are operated 100 percent by volunteers, said Alan Bland, Army Corps of Engineers park ranger at Beaver. Volunteers staff the day-use-fee booths on weekends at Prairie Creek, Horseshoe Bend and Hickory Creek parks.
Trails at Beaver Lake are nicer thanks to volunteers who maintain them. Volunteers do some mowing work.
There’s a wealth of outdoor volunteer opportunities here in our little corner of the Ozarks.
Bland said the corps always needs volunteers for several projects outdoors and indoors. Volunteers help at all the region’s state parks. Outdoor groups like The Ozark Society, Ozark Highlands Trail Association, Arkansas Canoe Club and others always need willing workers.
Groups benefit from the volunteer labor. For the volunteer, helping just feels good.
FLIP PUTTHOFF IS OUTDOORS EDITOR FOR NWA MEDIA.
FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER, WWW.TWITTER.COM /NWAFLIP.
Outdoor, Pages 6 on 06/13/2013