The Arkansas Canoe Club and Arkansas Public Policy Panel announced their support Tuesday for the prior designation of the White River Watershed as a National Blueway.
The U.S. Department of the Interior heralded the watershed’s designation in a ceremony in Little Rock on Jan. 9. Since then, the conservative group Secure Arkansas has encouraged residents to lobby their county representatives to pass resolutions opposing the designation.
Debbie Doss, Arkansas Canoe Club conservation chairman, said the designation is beneficial for Arkansas.
“We see the National Blueway as a feather in the cap for Arkansas,” Doss said. “It points out what a beautiful and special place this is. It is going to encourage tourism.”
The Benton County Quorum Court voted Monday to move forward with drafting a resolution to oppose the designation. Quorum courts across the state have passed similar resolutions, including the courts in Boone, Cleveland, Faulkner, Fulton, Lawrence, Marion, Perry, Searcy, Sebastian, Scott, Stone and White counties, according to Secure Arkansas.
The opponents have expressed concern about losing property rights to the federal government, while federal officials have said that won’t happen.
Doss encouraged those supporting the designation to attend a meeting regarding the National Blueway to be held by the Arkansas House and Senate Interim Committee on City, County and Local Affairs at 1:30 p.m. today in Room A of the MAC building at the Arkansas Capitol in Little Rock.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 14 on 06/26/2013