How We See It: State Lawmakers Should Protect The Buffalo River

Critics of banning large or medium hog farm operations within the watershed of the Buffalo National River say fear, not science, is driving those fighting to preserve one of the jewels of Arkansas tourism.

Well, let's embrace fear, as they call it.

No, we don't suggest fear should drive public policy, but state lawmakers need to recognize many Arkansans who support protecting this incredible river have some justification for fears. They aren't based on the science or lack of science involved in permitting hog farms. Instead, they're based on a lack of trust in Arkansas' environmental protection policies and leadership.

The existence of the area's first -- and we hope only -- operating large-scale hog farm on Big Creek in Mount Judea, about six miles from where the creek meets the Buffalo River, is Exhibit No. 1 in demonstrating the concerns of Arkansans. The way that operation gained approval, without adequate notification of even the U.S. National Park Service much less interested Arkansans, has convinced many residents the state's environmental protection leadership can't be trusted.

The hog operation, known as C&H Hog Farm, would not be affected by a ban because it has already been granted permission to operate. The question is whether it serves Arkansas' best interests to allow more hog farms in the watershed that feeds one of its most iconic and popular natural features. Remember, this is The Natural State, right?

Perhaps state lawmakers must be reminded there's nothing like the Buffalo River anywhere in Arkansas. It draws more than 1 million visitors a year who spend an estimated $46 million while they're here, according to the National Parks Service. In whose world does it make sense to threaten all the work that's gone into establishing the Buffalo National River as a destination for nature lovers? Even if one accepts the proposition that the thousands of piglets and hogs can be contained with no contamination of the environment, do Arkansans want to allow even the possibility that the area around the river could become known as prime territory for additional hog farm operations?

And if Cargill, for which C&H Farms produces its animals, believes one operation there is a success, why wouldn't it promote the establishment of other farms in the area?

It's natural (there's that word again) for farmers across Arkansas to react with their own fears to any state regulatory scheme that might get in the way of agricultural operations. Indeed, if you're going to farm in this state, you're going to be near a waterway.

But we're not just talking about any waterway here. We're talking about the Buffalo River, a natural resource the state should, as a matter of policy, protect at all costs.

The Illinois River, which starts in Arkansas and flows into Oklahoma, has a long history of man-made pollution that the two states have fought over for years. Its watershed was degraded over the years by chicken farms and hog farms. Does Arkansas want to wait until that happens to the Buffalo before its lawmakers realize action is needed?

One hog farm is there. That's enough. State lawmakers should protect the watershed from further encroachment, and that can be done without threatening farmers elsewhere.

Long flow the Buffalo River. Arkansas should make an enduring commitment to preserve the river as one of the state's great resources.