When Franklen D. Roosevelt said the nation’s population had nothing to fear but fear itself, he wasn’t referring to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Blueways System.
Gauging by Arkansans’ reaction to that program, however, it seems President Roosevelt might have uttered those remarks recently. Fear,opponents of the federal designation have demonstrated, is a powerful tool to influence the masses, and the government off cials who represent them.
The blueway systemis, in a nutshell, a federal outreach to support collaboration among the many public and private entities that care a great deal about the nation’s important rivers.
Its advocates say it simply serves as a blueprint for the many communities aftected by large waterways to work together toward river conservation and the promotion of outdoor recreation.
Locally, the designation involves all 700 miles of the White River.
Several Arkansas agencies once supportive of the federal designation this week backed away, saying the outcry and suspicion - not the blueway system itself - threatened to hurt the progress already made on conservation by making landowners wary of all such eft orts.
At one time, however, the designation had the backing of Ducks Unlimited, the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department, the state Forestry Commission and similar parties.
The blueway system never stood a chance in an era in which the government - especially the federal government - can do nothing good, at least in some people’s minds. Empowered by the distaste for the current administration in Washington and what they view as attacks on the American way of life, opponents activated an already suspicious constituency and fanned the flames of doubt, misunderstanding and intentional ignorance to cripple the approach to conservation.
The executive order that created the voluntary, non-binding National Blueways System expressly states it has no legal impact on private property, and does not diminish property rights. But activists opposing it recognized an opportunity to create a federal punching bag. They’ve convinced quorum courts in more than a dozen Arkansas counties to pass resolutions opposing the blueway designation.
Proving the eftectiveness of fear as a tool, U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Rogers knew there was no down side to opposing the blueway program. He recently cited “great confusion among the populace” about blueways and what the designation involves as he pushed to have the White River removed.
Even though fear has been the guiding force for Arkansas’ reaction to the blueways system, the Department of the Interior is largely to blame for creating a program so open to interpretation in terms of its purpose and implementation. It allowed imaginations to run wild, and boy, did they.
Lest anyone think otherwise, Arkansas is well served by conservation eftorts. We are the Natural State, and so much of what we and visitors love is Arkansas’ natural beauty and clean rivers and lakes. Those are worth protecting for future generations.
So, activists 1, collaboration 0. Fair enough.
Let’s hope their conspiracy theorist ways don’t do any further harm.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 06/29/2013