Vandals damage cave
The staff at Buffalo National River in August discovered significant vandalism inside Fitton Cave in Newton County.
The cave is one of the largest in the state. It holds a variety of rare formations. The cave is also the second most biologically diverse cave in Arkansas. Vandals broke through a secure entrance to the cave and damaged, vandalized and removed many cave formations, such as stalagmites and draperies.
Anyone with knowledge about who may have committed this crime is asked to contact the National Park Service investigation tip line, 888-653-0009, or email [email protected].
Lake tops for catfish
Lake Sequoyah in southeast Fayetteville is a great lake to fish for channel catfish and crappie, a study by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission revealed.
Biologists sampled the lake in June collecting fish in baited hoop nets. Some 175 channel catfish were caught and released after they were measured, said Jon Stein, district fisheries supervisor with Game and Fish.
Angler reports and a Game and Fish study in 2018 shows the lake has a healthy population of crappie. A total of 949 white and black crappie were collected in over several days in trap nets.
Stream cleanup set
Volunteers are needed for the 15th annual cleanup on the West Fork of the White River from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, hosted by Beaver Watershed Alliance.
Check-in starts at 8:30 a.m. at the riverside park in West Fork. Volunteers will receive trash bags, gloves and maps to cleanup areas. If the water level allows, volunteers can pick up litter by floating the river. Put-in and take-out information will be available at the riverfront park.
Groups must be comprised of 10 or fewer people because of virus concerns. Volunteers removed 2,000 pounds of trash from the river last year.
To help streamline check-in, preregistration is encouraged. Contact [email protected], 479-750-8007.
Part of greenway closed
A section of the Razorback Greenway that runs under North Walton Boulevard and Interstate 49 in north Bentonville is closed because of construction on the Bella Vista bypass.
The section is expected to reopen in the fall of 2021.