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MARCH 25TH UPDATE - HEAVY RAINS CREATE MUD SLIDES ON OHT AND ACCESS ROADS. See the Alerts Page for details.
LAKE FORT SMITH STATE PARK IS STILL CLOSED (which includes the first six miles of the Ozark Highlands Trail).
All of our outings are always free and EVERYONE is welcome - membership is not required! Contact the outings leader by phone or e-mail to register and for more information. Our volunteer leaders are not responsible in any way for the safety of participants.
DAYHIKES
May 31st, DAYHIKE Pedestal Rocks/Kings Bluff Loops, 4.3 miles. Meet at 10am at the trailhead. This will be an easy/moderate hike showcasing rock formations and waterfalls, including the Kings Bluff Falls. Optional overnight camp on Falling Water Creek. Contact Charles Ellis at 870-294-5252 for more information.
OVERNIGHT HIKES
June 7-8th, OVERNIGHT FLOAT ON THE BUFFALO RIVER. This scenic float trip will begin at the Carver access and end at Woolum, 15.1 river miles total, gravel bar camp. Dean LaGrone will lead. Give him a call at 479–750–2550 for more info and to sign up.
MAINTENANCE WORK TRIPS ON THE OHT
There are no work trips scheduled until the fall, however if you have your own section please be sure to maintain it and send in a report of downed trees or other serious issues. Call Colin Berger at 479-986-9022 if you have any maintenance questions.
CLUB MEETINGS & MISC
June 8th, OHTA GENERAL MEETING in Springdale. To get to the meeting site, from Hwy. 71 B in Springdale turn EAST on Emma street, go several blocks, then turn LEFT/NORTH onto N. Main Street, then pull into the parking lot on the right behind the building (across from Shiloh Museum—here is a map). We will devorte most of this meeting to eating and discussion of what to do with our Williams Woods Nature Preserve (see below). Our POT LUCK dinner will begin at 7pm, with the meeting at 7:30. Please bring a tasty treat to share with the group as well as your own table service. Contact OHTA for more information.
LAKE FT SMITH STATE PARK - as of April 30th the park and new OHT beginning trailhead were still closed - we have been told the park "will open in May," however we have been told many opening dates that have come and gone so don't hold your breath.
TRAIL CLOSED DUE TO MUD SLIDES. Two short sections of the OHT have been closed by mud slides. One is located west of Hwy. 23 near the Rock House. A short reroute will be built below the rockhouse. A much larger mud slide has closed a 1/4 mile section along Falling Water Creek—drop down to the road to get around this giant mud slide. See the ALERTS section for more info.
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WILLIAMS WOODS NATURE PRESERVE. OHTA owns a nature preserve near the town of St. Paul that contains over 500 acres of wooded terrain and an old log house (which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places), plus a three mile hiking trail. Over the years we have had a couple of different caretakers who have lived on the property or spent a great deal of time there. The property has been vacant for a couple of years now. The historical house has not been vandalized but there have been poachers hunting on the property and four-wheelers tearing up part of the land—both are activities that could be expected of land left vacant for long periods of time. You can find more info HERE.
We have been approached by an OHTA member who has made a proposal to move onto the property with the intent of becoming a full-time volunteer caretaker. At first it seemed like this could be an easy decision with a yes or no vote of the OHTA board of directors, but it really is much more complicated than that. In the past we have met with extreme opposition to caretakers from some OHTA members, extreme opposition to not having a caretaker from others, members who want to sell the property (and use the proceeds for trail maintenance along the main OHT), and others who simply want the land left alone. As a result of all this turmoil we have lost many OHTA members and friends—we don’t want a repeat!
When the property was given to us we received cash from the donor (Alphie Williams). We have spent triple this amount on the property for upkeep, utilities, etc. It has been the general feeling of late that no additional club funds be spent on the property.
So now we seem to be at a crossroads once again and need to deal with the proposal that is on the table for a new caretaker. But before we do that we need to make sure what the interests of the OHTA membership are and what direction we want to go with Williams Woods. So, we have proposed two things that we can do to make sure that everyone has a voice and a vote in the future direction of Williams Woods. One, is that we will take a vote of members to decide what to do; and two, we will devote the June meeting to this discussion. For anyone who cannot attend this meeting you will be able to mail in a ballot with your vote, however only those present at the June meeting would be able to vote on any specific issues that arise out of the final vote tally, including selection of a caretaker proposal. If you really feel strongly about this issue you need to attend the June meeting.
A ballot is included with the hard copy of this newsletter, which can be mailed or brought to the June meeting. IF option #1 gains a majority of votes, then we would have a second vote at the June meeting for any caretaker proposals that have been submitted to OHTA by the deadline of June 1st.
INTERESTED PARTIES who would like to submit a proposal to become the caretaker may do so by sending that info to OHTA at the above address BY JUNE 1st—proposals will be posted on the web page after this date for your reference.
Option #1: Have a volunteer caretaker at Williams Woods. Some general guidelines any caretaker would have to operate under would include but are not limited to: A) No OHTA funds would be spent—the caretaker would have to be financially self-sufficient, which would include covering expenses for utilities; general maintenance; and capitol improvements to the property like drilling a new well, plumbing and electrical upgrades, fixing leaking roofs, etc. Grants and donations could be sought after and used in the name of OHTA, however securing these would be the responsibility (and cost) of the caretaker. B) No rent would be charged to the caretaker; the caretaker would be responsible for all expenses. C) Any changes or improvements to the building must not violate the terms of the National Register of Historic Places guidelines; nor could any activities violate the terms of the deed, which basically include no cutting of standing trees. D) Any caretaker agreement would include a time limit (example, per calendar year), with renewals granted after a review by the OHTA board of directors. No caretaker would have exclusive rights, and new proposals could be introduced at any time. E) The property would remain open to the public at all times. F) Someone would be appointed to act as liaison between a caretaker and the OHTA board.
Option #2: Take no action—Williams Woods would remain open to the public as is. We pay no taxes, utilities, or other expenses so the property is essentially free to us.
Option #3: Sell Williams Woods and use the proceeds to further the goals of OHTA. We are allowed to sell this property to anyone we choose—the restrictions on the deed would be passed onto the new owner. A conservative estimate of the value of the land could exceed $500,000, however there is no telling what the land might actually sell for considering the deed restrictions and market conditions (could be a lot less, could be a lot more). There would be no tax liability resulting from a sale. Funds could be used for anything, but the best use might be to set up ways to beef up our trail maintenance duties, which have grown to a tremendous level, including contracting trail maintenance coordination and/or hiring crews to do the heavy work that is required at an ever increasing level. Putting the property on the market and completing a sale could take a year or longer.
One thing to keep in mind—OHTA was organized to “Build, maintain, and enjoy the Ozark Highlands Trail.” Do we want to continue to be in the land business, or it is time to pass this unique property to someone else and use the proceeds to help our ailing trail?
A ballot is enclosed with this newsletter and any OHTA member in good standing may vote by mail, or in person at the June 8th meeting. We will have a general discussion about all of these options at the meeting and then you may turn in your ballot. If option #1 gets a majority we will discuss and vote on any caretaker proposals we have (due by June 1st, will be posted on the OHTA web page).
OHTA Officers Tim Ernst, President, 870-861-5536 Keiko Wilke, Treasurer, 479-927-1999 Colin Berger, Maintenance, 479-986-9022 Scott Crook, Secretary, 479-521-6340 Bobby Shepperd, Meeting Programs, 479-587-0200 Tim Ernst, Outings, 870-861-5536 Duane Woltjen, At Large/Membership, 479- 521-7032
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