The Buffalo National River has been temporarily closed in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt gave verbal approval Wednesday and the national park was closed Thursday, according to a "determination of temporary closure" signed by Mark Foust, the park's superintendent.
"This emergency closure is for the maintenance of public health and safety and is in direct response to guidance from state and federal health officials," according to a news release from Cassie Branstetter, a spokeswoman for the Buffalo National River.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson joined four state legislators and other elected officials Wednesday in asking Bernhardt to close the park because of crowding during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Newton County residents complained to elected officials that hundreds of people had been hiking trails in the park, which are too narrow to allow for the recommended six feet of social distancing.
"The trail heads are overrun with vehicles from every state in the country, including states with hot spots of covid-19," wrote state Republican Sens. Missy Irvin of Mountain View, Scott Flippo of Bull Shoals and Breanne Davis of Russellville in their letter to Bernhardt on Tuesday.
"Our single greatest weapon against the spread of coronavirus is to shelter in place and avoid contact with others," wrote state Rep. Keith Slape, R-Compton, in his letter to Bernhardt. "Now is not the time for the national parks to encourage travel and visitation."
The Buffalo National River -- which runs through Newton, Searcy and Marion counties before merging with the White River in Baxter County -- became the first national river in the United States on March 1, 1972. It is one of the few remaining free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states.
Foust said it broke his heart to close the park.
"It is, however, the right thing to do to protect the people that work here, live here, visit here, and love this place," he said. "We all have to do what we can to slow and prevent the spread of the virus in and around the park. We believe this will help."
Across the country, people have been told to avoid crowds and, preferably, stay home to keep from spreading the virus. An estimated 25% of people with coronavirus could be asymptomatic.
Doctors, including Nate Smith, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health, say ultraviolet rays from the sun tend to "degrade most viruses," decreasing the risk of transmission.
Many people have seen this as an opportunity to enjoy hiking and other activities in national and state parks, but it has caused crowding in many parks.
The National Park Service has closed several other parks because of crowds, including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Canyonlands, Arches and Joshua Tree.
Some trails in Arkansas state parks also have been closed because of crowding.
Newton County is home to many of the park's tourist attractions, including floating, hiking and elk watching in Boxley Valley.
Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said he hated to see the Buffalo National River closed, but the crowds had strained the county's resources.
"Last weekend, we were seeing more and more people from areas where the coronavirus is rampant just looking for a place to get away from it," Wheeler said. "Our trail head parking areas were overrun causing people to park on private property and in county roads. There were disturbances and other issues throughout the day as well."
Jasper Mayor Jan Larson also wrote Bernhardt advocating the park's temporary closure.
"I'm hoping it will all be over soon and everything can get back to normal and we can manage the situation so it's working for everybody," she said Thursday. "We definitely need tourists."
Larson said she's taken other measures to stem the spread of covid-19. She has removed a dozen wooden rocking chairs that were positioned around the downtown Jasper square because people were pulling the chairs close together to visit or eat lunch.
"We stored them until all of this is over," Larson said. "People are really proud of those rocking chairs, and they love to sit in them, so I can't wait to get them back out there."
Jamie Mefford, a Newton County justice of the peace, said the park closure is a good thing.
"I think this will really deter people from coming," he said.
Rachel Bunch, executive director of the Arkansas Health Care Association, the state's largest organization of long-term-care providers, said a prayer service was held Thursday morning in the parking lot of the Newton County Nursing Home in Jasper, where a staff member has tested positive for covid-19.
She said there were 57 vehicles in the parking lot, with flashers on and people waving from car windows.
"I talked to some of the staff, and they said it was really, really touching to see the community come out and support them like that," Bunch said. "We are working hard to test all of the other residents and employees. We're waiting on those results to come back."
So far, Newton County has had from one to four positive cases of covid-19.
The park closure includes the Buffalo River, trails, open spaces and campgrounds, according to Thursday's news release.
"The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, communities and partners is our No. 1 priority," Branstetter wrote. "The National Park Service is working service-wide with federal, state and local authorities to closely monitor the covid-19 pandemic and will lift the closure as soon as possible."
State highways and county roads that run through the national park will remain accessible to through or residential traffic, according to the release.
"Roads that enter and terminate within the park, are closed to all but residential traffic," Branstetter wrote.
The public will be notified of any changes in the park's status, and updates will be provided at nps.gov/buff and through social media channels, according to the release.
A Section on 04/03/2020