BNRP Newsletter

Fall 2019 - Winter 2020

Membership: It’s “Cool” to Renew | Guy Lord

As fall fades in the rear-view mirror and temperatures drop, we look forward to a new year and new opportunities to explore and enjoy the beautiful Buffalo National River. The cooler months of winter provide unequaled visibility on the hiking trails and solitude on the river itself. It’s a great time to get out and enjoy hiking, photography, paddling, and other activities in the Buffalo National River.

As of December 15th, we have 201 current members and 54 youth members. To date, we’ve received renewals from 71 members. If you haven’t done so already, please take a few minutes to renew your membership – your annual membership dues are a major component of our revenue that allows us to continue our efforts to preserve, protect and promote the Buffalo River.

In addition to your membership dues, please also consider including BNRP in your estate planning – you can find more information about how you can help support the Buffalo for years to come by clicking on the Join-Donate tab of our website.

If you’ve already renewed your membership this year – thank you for being proactive! If not, please take a few minutes to renew your financial support of BNRP. Thank you for your ongoing support of the Buffalo River and BNRP – the contributions of your time, talents, and treasure help ensure that many others will have the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of the Ozarks. In addition, please visit BNRP’s newly revamped website at bnrpartners.org to learn about volunteer opportunities for the coming year.

Youth Grant Initiative Successfully Matched

Buffalo National River Partners (BNRP) and the National Park Service (NPS) are proud to announce the recent receipt of a $13,000 matching grant from the National Park Foundation. These funds will help fund the Youth Explorers for Health Initiative which is designed to introduce area youth to the Buffalo River. This will be accomplished through ranger-guided hikes, canoe trips, and educational programs.
 

Earlier this year, BNRP began a fundraising campaign designed to raise the $13,000 necessary to qualify for the matching grant. Some of the fundraising activities included the annual Steel Creek concert in June, a Pint Night event at Pack Rat Outdoor Store in Fayetteville, and one of BNRP’s mix and mingle events in September. Major contributors to BNRP’s efforts included Magness Toyota, Pack Rat Outdoor Store, Equity Bank, Moscow Cash, and numerous other individual contributors.
 

BNRP is an all-volunteer non-profit organization headquartered in Harrison whose primary purpose is to work directly with the NPS to help preserve and promote the Buffalo National River. Some of BNRP’s ongoing activities include quarterly river and trail cleanups, eradication of invasive plant species, education at local libraries, and volunteers to supplement NPS resources.

Ginger Milan, BNRP president, said “We’re extremely grateful for the generous support of our BNRP members and others in the community in helping us raise the funds necessary to qualify for the National Park Foundation grant. BNRP continues to enjoy a fantastic collaborative partnership with the Park Service and we look forward to working with them to have the Youth Explorer program reach as many area youth as possible. I encourage everyone to visit BNRP’s website at bnrpartners.org to see how they can get involved through contributions of their time, talent, or treasure.”
 

Mark Foust, superintendent of the Buffalo National River, added “We have a strong working relationship with BNRP – they are an outstanding volunteer organization that supports the Park Service in any number of ways. Earlier this year, I challenged them to raise the $13,000 required to qualify for the matching grant and their response to that challenge was amazing. We’re currently planning numerous Youth Explorer activities for 2020 that will only be possible because of the generous support of BNRP and the National Park Foundation.”

Success for Youth Initiative Grant: Winning Match | Chris Vail

A $2,500 contribution from the Toyota Dealer Match Program (to match a donation from Magness Toyota) pushed us over our designated goal of $13,000 to be raised for the Youth Explorers Initiative, which was to be matched by the National Park Foundation. In November, BNRP remitted the $13,000 to the BNR Park Service and received word that the National Park Foundation has matched that, making a total of $26,000 available to the park for projects and programs specifically aimed at exposing area youth to the many outdoor activities within the Buffalo National River.  Our next fundraising goal will have to do with the 50th anniversary of the BNR, so stay tuned for information on that and more matching possibilities.

In other treasury news: In November, we received a memorial donation in honor of “river lover” Lynda Trolio (1951 – 2019). Also, our quarterly deposit from Amazon Smile was $25.89.  If you shop on Amazon, please go to Amazon Smile and designate the Buffalo National River Partners as your charity of choice, then remember to shop through the Amazon Smile link when you order.  It won’t cost you anything and the Buffalo River will benefit from your shopping! 

Public Lands Day: Final 2019 River Clean-Up | Aletha Tetterton

Thank you to the more than 30 volunteers who participated in our #NationalPublicLandsDay events at the Buffalo National River on September, 28th.

This crew with the Buffalo National River Partners did a river clean-up from Dillard's Ferry to Rush Landing, a popular 9-mile stretch in the park's Lower District. Stay tuned for photos from our trail maintenance event in the Upper District.

Save The Date: River Clean-Ups for 2020 | Aletha Tetterton

When you change out your calendar, here’s an idea. Plan ahead on some river fun for 2020 and pencil in the proposed dates for our BNRP 2020 river clean-ups. Remember, we are limited to about 20 people in the concessionaire’s canoes and you must be signed up ahead of time to participate. The event date also will depend on river levels, weather, and availability of boats from the donor concessionaires. Wednesday, April 22, which is Earth Day, is slated for the clean-up for the upper river. Saturday, September 26, which is Public Lands Day, is scheduled for our cleanup on the lower river. There will be a clean-up in June, probably on a Friday, but the date has not been set.

October 2019 Park Visitors | Evelyn Mills

Admittedly, colors this year did not match the long lasting and brilliant colors nature provided last year. Weather and temperature played a significant part, but that didn't stop the many park visitors this October in their quest to hear bugling elk (mornings and evenings are best) in the river area south of Ponca, visiting the Boxley Mill which the park opened on weekends during this time period, and maybe catching a hike on the Lost Valley Trail, with its renovated parking area that is now level and graveled. BNRP volunteers directed traffic, helped with car parking, answered park visitors’ questions, and performed many other tasks as directed by the rangers on duty.

Each day’s team of volunteers were firm river comrades by the end of the day.  Last year's Fall Review netted 5,633 visitor contacts with 20 BNRP members logging in 201 hours of time. Be sure, if you volunteer, to log in your time. The new website format has been designed to make this process easy. 

Partnering with Entegrity | By Aletha Tetterton

Buffalo National River Partners partnered earlier this year with Entegrity, a company with offices in Little Rock and Fayetteville. For this exciting partnership, the company asked if they could do a team building event, while giving their time and energy back to a worthwhile cause. Their volunteer coordinator, Mason Jewell, contacted me and we arranged for them to do a Buffalo River cleanup. I contacted Amanda at Crockett`s Canoe Rental where we arranged for canoes and shuttle for the group. Thanks to Amanda and Sherry for their care and patience. We cleaned trash from South Maumee to Dillard`s Ferry. It was a long and productive day. With the assistance of Cowper Chadburn, Bob Tyler, and Pam Stewart, we led and then followed these good folks down the river. We pulled out 8 tires, most of a cooler, buckets, and other miscellaneous items. Just up river from Spring Creek Landing we found and pulled out a large piece of geo-cell, the honeycomb material that, years ago, was years ago placed on the sandbars to hold back the shifting sand and gravel. Sometimes these cells do their job, sometimes not.

When we stopped for lunch, we learned more about their company and what it does. Entegrity is a sustainability and energy services company. The company fosters a sense of social responsibility that manifests itself in green office policies and community outreach. Entegrity is proud to serve as a model sustainable company while encouraging others to do the same.

They all seemed excited about their work both in the office and on the river as their enthusiasm spilled over into the cleanup on the river. Whether it was walking a gravel bar, digging a tire out of the sand, or stopping for lunch, there was an awareness that this was not a day to play on the river, but to really dig in to make difference. Everyone worked hard! And, yeah, we played some too! See you on the River.

Singing and Dying - Last Two 2019 Library Presentations | Terrie Martindale

September’s BNRP presenter at the Boone County Library in Harrison was Kathy Downs of Jasper, whose program “Ozarks History through Song” was both educational and entertaining. This program should earn our "best audience participation award of 2019" because she had the large crowd singing and thoroughly enjoying old-time folk songs. As part of her former job as a seasonal ranger for the park, Kathy presented a similar program in the evenings at BNR campgrounds. Kathy is a member of the talented local music group “Jazzper.”

October was the final BNRP presentation for 2019. Vicki Martin from the Searcy County Library spoke on the topic of “Death and Dying” in the Ozarks. Vicki is a retired land surveyor from Illinois who moved to the area 18 years ago with husband Kevin and began volunteering at the Searcy Library. She then became a board member and later president of their Friends of the Library organization. Years later she now finds herself as an employee at the library heading up the Genealogy department. She admits to being inspired by local author Abby Burnett’s 2014 book “Gone to the Grave” which led her to research the lives and death practices of the hill people in our area. Vicki laid out many items such as garments worn in death and a collage board chock full of information on the topic. A large crowd was in attendance.

Tuesday, January 28, 2020 will be BNRP's next educational program at the Boone County Library, with Jim Liles moderating the meeting with the showing of his 1992 film "Boxley Valley". Take a look at the BNRP website, https://bnrpartners.org for details.

This last newsletter of the year is a good time to introduce BNRP's new education coordinator, Cindy Dewitt. Cindy was on the board in 2013 and wrote the Active Trails grant that year, which enabled us to fund a youth retreat and the first "National Park Radio" concert. Her job required her to leave the board in 2014, but she's back and she's looking forward to volunteering in this position.

I have truly enjoyed the last four years as BNRP Education Coordinator, and will be moving into another position on the board. I look forward to seeing you all at the education and other events in 2020!

Mix and Mingle, Chili In Snow | Ginger Milan

Did it snow? No! Our hosts for our November 7th fundraising and fellowship event were Glen Carlson and Ellen Cato who live in Snow. Their home has a beautiful, panoramic view of Crooked Creek Valley. Chili, soup and appetizers were provided by Glen and Ellen and some members of the board. BNRP attempts to host 3 Mix and Mingles per year with one in each section of the river.

So, what is a Mix and Mingle you ask? It is a fun evening, usually held in a private home for the purpose of increasing membership and raising funds which are generated by the sale of tickets for the event. It gives BNRP the opportunity to share with those in attendance information about the many projects we do and how we support the Buffalo National River. If you are interested in hosting a Mix and Mingle, please email us. It's one way you can support the river.

Curious about events? Want to join us? You are cordially invited. Button below to see what is coming up. See you there!