FAYETTEVILLE — A group of local conservatives successfully convinced Washington County Quorum Court members to adopt a resolution opposing a federal designation of the White River and its watershed as a National Blueway.
The debate Thursday about the resolution took more than 30 minutes at the Quorum Court’s monthly meeting and was filled with criticisms of the federal and state governments and also the United Nations. The Quorum Court adopted the resolution along party lines with the county’s 10 Republicans voting in favor and five Democrats voting against.
No other agenda item at Thursday’s meeting was debated. The resolution issued by the Quorum Court carries no legal weight, George Butler, county attorney, said earlier this month.
“My guess is it will be totally ignored when it gets to the state. Just like every other resolution we send them is ignored. I want to send it anyway to get their attention,” said Justice of the Peace Tom Lundstrum, a Republican.
The National Blueway designation doesn’t establish a protective status or regulation, and it doesn’t guarantee any federal money, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Interior. Instead, it’s intended to recognize and support conservation and restoration by coordinating federal, state and local activities.
The Quorum Court’s resolution also opposes an agreement, known as a Memorandum of Understanding, between “federal and state bureaucrats pertaining to our lands and waters” because of a failure to notify and involve anyone from Washington County.
Rivers are named National Blueways after selection by a national interagency committee appointed by the secretary of the Interior that includes representatives from the Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture, David Hayes, deputy secretary of the interior, told a group of river advocates in January in Little Rock.
The County Services Committee endorsed the resolution June 3 after a vote that also fell along party lines.
Debbie Beckerdite, chairwoman of Northwest Arkansas Citizens for Better Government, brought the resolution to the committee. Beckerdite was a unsuccessful candidate for justice of the peace in November.
At A Glance
Quorum Court Action
Washington County's Quorum Court met Thursday and approved:
• Spending $19,038 for clothing and uniforms at the Department of Emergency Management.
• Spending $6,940 from state grants for the court security budget.
• Spending $4,000 from state grants for the Hooked on Fishing Not On Drugs program.
•cAmending large-scale development standards to allow ambulance facilities to be included among exemptions.
• An agreement between the county, Springdale and Tontitown requiring Tontitown to financially contribute to the cost of the Springdale District Court.
Source: Staff Report
Beckerdite said Thursday 12 Arkansas counties have adopted similar resolutions. Citizens For Better Government is working with Secure Arkansas asking all 75 counties to pass similar resolutions asking the governor to demand immediate withdrawal of the Game & Fish Commission and other state agencies from supporting the National Blueway.
Supporters of Citizens For Better Government and the county’s resolution said the effort could lead to federal and state government seizures or strict regulations of land owned by residents.
“My concern is that Congress or somebody can pass a law that everybody in this category cannot do certain things in these watersheds,” said Justice of the Peace Jimmy Mardis, a Republican.
Mardis said he’s skeptical of the federal government because of the recent scandal involving the Internal Revenue Service.
Citizens For Better Government has linked the designation to a United Nations initiative, known as Agenda 21, according to its website.
Justice of the Peace Eva Madison, a Democrat, said the county reword the resolution for better decorum because the resolution isn’t respectful and also claims the federal government broke the law. She said believes the county was considering an issue that’s based on a conspiracy theory about Agenda 21.
“It was a non-binding U.N. resolution signed by 178 world leaders including President George H.W. Bush in 1992 to promote sustainable development in the face of a rapidly growing global population,” Madison said.
The resolution requires the County Clerk’s Office to send copies of the resolution to the governor and the state’s Congressional delegation.