Sometimes the best choices in life are to oppose actions you believe are detrimental to your community. Over the years I've tried to be involved when I thought it was important, and this is one of those times when concerned citizens should be heard.
My goal is to save a 190-year-old black walnut tree, possibly a champion tree of Arkansas--a titan of its species. The oldest tree in the city limits of El Dorado, it's just across the 167 bypass where Calion Road intersects it. Since the 1830s this tree has stood in front of the Hanna family's log cabin. It has leaned for years, yet with its massive visible root system it shows no sign of falling. A storm took out a large upper limb years ago, but today the massive canopy is fully leafed out, and the tree seems very healthy.
County Judge Mike Loftin, who owned the land before its recent purchase, has moved the log cabin--a piece of Union County history--and is in the process of reconstructing it. The new owners of the land have plans that do not include saving the tree. They are going to build an assisted living and retirement center and take the tree down. The project will be a wonderful addition to our town, and I welcome it with open arms.
Since Vertis and I are the proposed project's closest neighbor, I have made it a goal to save this piece of history, because a tree of this magnitude is truly irreplaceable. I am certain, based on where the tree is located and the size of the property, that the tree doesn't have to be taken down in order to build the facility. There is plenty of room on the property to accommodate both.
With a copy of this column, I am contacting the Arkansas Forestry Commission with the request to send a forester to measure and confirm this tree is an Arkansas champion tree.
And I am going to write the company that is going to build the facility and encourage its management to save this historic tree. You may also want to write them as well, requesting this giant black walnut tree be saved. The address is: John Sledge, Landers Development LLC., 6720 Alcoa Road, Suite 3, Benton, AR 72019.
Many times, after a historic home or in this case a tree is taken down, we regret not trying to save it. This black walnut tree was 30 years old when the Civil War was fought. It has lived through ice storms and high winds and has remained rooted as a symbol of our historic past. Today, this massive tree isn't threatened by an ice storm or a tornado, but by a chain saw. Surely we won't just stand by and watch as this beautiful tree falls.
Please take a few minutes to contact Mr. Sledge. Your letter or note could the one that makes a difference and saves the tree.
Farmers markets
Among the advantages of living in Arkansas is the abundance of fresh produce available during the growing seasons, and there is not a better place to get it than your local farmers market. However, there are good, fair, and sometimes even bad farmers markets.
All farmers markets aren't created equal.
A good farmers market should be true to its name, a market for farmers to sell to the public, and not just a market for anything and everything. That's pretty simple, but you would be surprised at what turns up at some "just come sell stuff" markets without any regulations.
Do you like cardboard tomatoes? Yep, they are around at some markets. Tomatoes that have skin so thick they would bounce if dropped from the top of a two-story building. Those sure aren't the Bradley County Pinks.
I'm not a fan of regulations, but a good farmers market must have some, or it won't be truly a market for farmers, and you might as well go to Walmart. Here are some ways to tell the good from the bad:
Your farmers market should have a board made up of farmers and customers, and a monitor to assure quality. That is a critical part of being reputable. If you have no one checking quality, you won't have uniform quality, and one measure of that is defined as being sure this produce is from an Arkansas farm.
All farmers who sell in the city limits must sell at one place designated by the city. In order to do this, you must have a city ordinance restricting the selling of produce except at the city-designated place.
Sounds simple enough, right? But making a farmers market the only place in the city limits to sell produce is a lot harder than you might think, even though studies have clearly shown that by having all sellers in one place the individual farmer sells more produce. Having one farmers market attracts more customers, and both are vastly better off than having produce stands on roadsides all over town.
You are going to have a few farmers complain, and I can tell you from experience that very few mayors and city councils will tackle this small problem even though they understand how this would make for a better market.
- Encourage the selling of Arkansas handmade crafts in a section of the market, and if possible have working craftsmen.
I believe the way to have a top-quality farmers market is to pattern it after the most successful ones in the state. I haven't checked all of them, but I am familiar with two of the best--Bentonville and Fayetteville--and these have regulations to bring all farmers to one designated spot and monitor the produce.
The new farmers market in El Dorado at the Murphy Arts District is a work in progress; this year it has moved up another level with new participants and a lot more produce. The growing season is just starting and promises to give El Dorado's market a real boost as melons, peaches, peas, and cantaloupes become available.
However, unless El Dorado's City Council acts to bring all farmers to a designated spot, the market will never reach its potential. Let's make that happen.
Editorial on 06/30/2019