Central Chapter meeting, Tuesday(24th) Oyster Bar, 7:30

[Tim Eubanks]

Come on down and beat the heat! Official stuff starts at 7:30, informal stuff starts when you get there. Chris Ham,
Program Manager: Recreation, Wilderness, Trails, Wild & Scenic Rivers and Volunteers with the Ouachita National Forest will talk to us about some issues related to access. Should be a productive conversation. See you there

[Tim Eubanks]

Bump

[Tim Eubanks]

Last bump! See ya tonite

[hilbili]

can we please get a run down on the program last night?

[Tim Eubanks]

Chris gave us as much information as he had regarding closures, etc. Someone else who was there please add more if I miss something:

The Forest Service really can't "close" a river, prevent you from floating, like park service can. They can close a road, they can close campgrounds. There are often several enforcement agencies on a given site and they don't communicate very well. All of them have the charge to prevent dangerous activities, like driving across a bridge with 6' of water running over it.

He personally thought that Albert Pike was closed too long, but that's his opinion, not policy. The on-going lawsuit is affecting reopening that campground.

The float camps on the Ouachita are under revue and the data is still being analyzed. These areas are supposed to be "safe" and just what that means is being evaluated.

Chris' job is to promote the recreational use of the national forest, not keep us off the river. He is an avid climber, hiker, and mountain biker. One of us minus the boat.

If you have questions, please call Chris:

Chris Ham
Program Manager
Recreation, Wilderness, Trails, Wild & Scenic Rivers and Volunteers
Ouachita National Forest
Hot Springs, Arkansas
501.321.5253