The Newton County Wildlife Association (Ark.) continues its 35th year of investigating and advocating for forest practices that are beneficial to outdoor recreation, water resources, and wildlife including their habitat. In 2008-2009, we are opposing prescribed fire and herbicide use on public lands in Arkansas. Public health is again an issue.
Our concerns range from the impact of an increasing western elk herd along the Buffalo National River (Nat'l Park Service) to the proposed conversion of the Oak-Hickory association forest lands to Oak savanna on US Forest Service lands to expand western elk herds. Indicators suggest that these practices also can contribute to climate changes or global warming. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is involved in the administration of game related programs.
NCWA Board members and officers have spoken at public meetings, written newspapers, and met with US Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) about the dangers of smoke and particulates put into the air we breathe from setting forest and NPS fires of as many as 2,500 acres and more on a given day.
We want federal and state agencies to show public justification before conducting landscape scale burns which threaten public health, especially people of all ages who already have asthma, emphysema and other respiratory and heart problems. Smoke and particulate matter is expected to cause respiratory diseases including cancer in currently healthy persons.
N.C.W.A. GOALS
- To protect the quality of the air, water, soil, and wildlife of the Ozark forest of Newton County.
- To protect people’s health from dangerous levels of smoke by greatly reducing “prescribed burning” on public lands in the Ozarks.
- To encourage learning about nature. We are all learning.
- To stop the use of chemical poisons on public land in the Ozarks.
- To prevent fragmentation of the forest, and its impact on sensitive plant and wildlife habitat.
- To preserve forests and streams that have special characteristics, and to increase the number of areas s
o protected.
N.C.W.A. ACTIVITIES
- Regular and special meetings
- Field trips to places of interest
- Locating and documenting rare plants, animals, and cultural resources
- Active involvement in the planning and monitoring of public lands, and, promoting land management practices that raise the quality of the forest
- Publishing our newsletter: “Call of the Wild”, which informs members of urgent concerns
- Sponsoring public programs which expand appreciation of our natural, historic, and prehistoric resources
- Networking with other conservation groups.
Membership
NCWA is always seeking members to share ideas, actions, and fun. Members gain organizational voting rights, and a subscription to “Call of the Wild”, the NCWA Newsletter. We are supported solely from membership dues and contributions.
Please join today!
To join NCWA, send your donation of $20 (Supporting Membership), $5 (Active Membership), or other contribution to: Newton County Wildlife Association, P.O. Box 189 Jasper, AR 72641
NCWA contacts:
Barry Weaver, co-chair, wvrbrry@yahoo.com, Tel. 870-446-5884
Nan Johnson, secretary, nan.n.johnson@gmail.com
Dave Spencer, treasurer, toys@ritternet.com, Tel. 870-446-2795
Kent Bonar, naturalist, Tel. 870-428-5328
Dennis Larson, board member, larsondf@yahoo.com
