Drop-in event spotlights fight to preserve the Buffalo
BECCA MARTIN-BROWN
bmartin@nwadg.com
Lynn Risser and Ginny Masullo want friends in Fayetteville to stop by on Feb. 2 and call the hogs.
But they don’t mean the Razorbacks, and they won’t be at Bud Walton Arena.
Instead, the members of the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance and the Ozark River Stewards want to “call the hogs out of the Buffalo River,” and the event from 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 2 at Wesley Hall on Mount Sequoyah is intended to encourage letter writing on the topic.
“The event is very informal and is planned for people to drop by, have a snack, get updates on the fight for the river, write a letter, and then continue on with their Saturday afternoon or evening plans,” Risser says. “This is not planned as a full-blown benefit, and I wouldn’t want people to expect that.
“There will be no music, but there will be vegetarian beans and various cornbreads and beverages,” she adds. “Our event is very much a drop-by occasion.”
The idea, says Risser, is to encourage and continue opposition to CAFOs — concentrated animal feeding operations — around the Buffalo and its tributaries.
“The goal of the letter-writing campaign is to remind the governor that the supporters of the Buffalo remain very concerned about the increased pollution of the Buffalo National River and that we expect him to take actions to protect the river,” Risser says.
“The mission of the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance — formed in 2013 — is to help preserve and protect the scenic beauty and water quality of the Buffalo,” she explains, while the “Ozark River Stewards were organized in 2014 and consist of a diverse group of people who also work to protect the Buffalo as well as other waterways in Northwest Arkansas.”
“Like BRWA, ORS conducts research into the deteriorating water quality of the Buffalo and organizes benefits and letter-writing campaigns to increase public awareness of the problems facing our national river,” she says. “BRWA and ORS often work closely together on issues and events to protect the Buffalo River.”
Risser says those who can’t attend the event on Feb. 2 are encouraged to visit buffaloalliance.org and write their own letters to elected officials.
__
FAQ
‘Call The Hogs …
Out Of The Buffalo River’
WHEN — 4-7 p.m. Feb. 2
WHERE — Wesley Hall at Mount Sequoyah Center in Fayetteville
COST — Free
INFO — buffaloalliance.org
