Community Panel Tomorrow: Economics, Environmentalism and the Buffalo National River

Photo Submitted

Neil Compton, U of A alumnus and co-founder of the Ozark Society that led efforts to preserve the Buffalo as a wild river, gassing up his Harvester Scout at an Ozarks general store. Courtesy Special Collections, U of A Libraries

A Community Panel, the second in the ongoing series of events celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the Buffalo National River, will take place both in-person and online at 2 p.m., Friday, April 29, in the Honors College Lounge in Gearhart Hall with a reception to follow.

This panel, organized by Jared Phillips, author of Hipbillies: Deep Revolution in the Arkansas Ozarks, and Joshua Youngblood from the U of A Libraries Special Collections, will facilitate a public discussion on the complex social and economic issues related to the establishment of the Buffalo National River park.

Conflict over people, place, nature and development swirled around the 1972 designation of the park. Environmentalists advocated keeping the river in its free-flowing state, while those interested in economic development pushed for damming the river for hydroelectric power. Yet a third group – landowners – resisted the loss of their property and livelihoods.

Joining Phillips and Youngblood will be:

• Brooks Blevins, Noel Boyd Professor of Ozarks Studies of Missouri State University, who will introduce and the lead a discussion with members of the Villines family of farmers;
• Gordon Watkins, Beth Ardapple and Austin Albers of the Buffalo Outdoor Center; and
• Herb Culver of Bean Mountain Farms.

The panelists will answer questions and discuss the economic and social impacts of the development of the Buffalo National Riverpark historically, in the present day and going forward.

The event will also be livestreamed and available online.

This panel is part of The Digital Buffalo project, which has been sponsored by the U of A Chancellor's fund and is under the direction of the U of A Humanities Center and U of A Libraries. Future events are planned at the U of A Archaeological Survey, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History and other community spaces. News on upcoming events, as well as videos of past events and a developing library of digital documents, is available at digitalbuffalo.uark.edu.