Virus damaging to Buffalo River canoe outfitters
Life on the Buffalo River might never be the same.
On April 28, I visited Wild Bill’s Outfitters on Arkansas 14 near Yellville. “Wild” Bill Scruggs owns the largest canoe livery on the lower portion of the lower Buffalo National River. The day was clear and sunny, with a cool, gentle breeze. The river level was perfect for floating, as was the weather.
Ordinarily, the parking area at the Highway 14 Bridge would be full of vehicles. Buses owned by Wild Bill’s and other outfitters would be ferrying river enthusiasts to Spring Creek Access to float back down to Arkansas 14 or to Rush. Instead, the river and its corridor are closed to all activities, including fishing, hunting and hiking. The economic impact has staggered Scruggs and other outfitters. Some of the smaller outfitters might not survive.
“The parks service has told some of the outfitters on the upper part of the river that if they don’t want to open this year, they won’t hold it against their contracts,” Scruggs said. “It is my understanding that some will not reopen.”
The coronavirus is much worse for outfitters on the upper part of the Buffalo. Peak floating season from Ponca to Pruitt ends sooner because that section depends heavily on rainfall which starts abating right about now. Larger outfitters, like Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca, offer other activities like ziplining and mountain biking. The ziplining facilities and biking trails are on private property, but they are closed to comply with social distancing mandates. Buffalo Outdoor Center and Wild Bill’s have also closed their lodging facilities.
Scruggs said he has not calculated the financial impact on his business, but he said his position is stable because he was approved for the federal paycheck protection program. That enabled him to retain his permanent staff and maintain readiness for eventual resumption of operations.
“I still haven’t hired any part-time people for the summer because I don’t know what’s going to open up when,” Scruggs said. “If we don’t get opened up pretty soon, we will survive, but I have a lot of employees that depend on me. Unless I continue to get financial help, I won’t be able to keep them on the payroll, and that’s my biggest worry, that I’ll lose my crew that I’ve had for a long time.”
Scruggs said that undisciplined visitors triggered the shutdown in March when photographs and video circulated showing huge crowds at Steel Creek and Tyler Bend recreation areas. The lack of social distancing at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak terrified residents in Newton and Searcy counties. They complained to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who asked the parks service to close the river.
“They were not social distancing,” Scruggs said. “There were cars there from everywhere. The trails there were packed with people, and cars were parked outside the parking areas. There were a lot of out-of-state tags, too. I think that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Scruggs said he fears that river users will not self police when the river reopens, and that the parks service will close it again. That would wipe out the summer portion of the canoe business.
Arkansas has spent a lot of time, money and effort marketing itself as a tourist destination. We have all been shocked to see that message reversed, officially telling non-residents that they are not welcome here.
“I know it was a rude awakening for me,” Scruggs said. “My wife and I had some business in Mississippi. When we crossed the bridge at Helena, the first things we saw were two big signs. One said that no out of state lodging was available in Arkansas. The other one said there is no out-of-state recreation available in Arkansas right now. I’ve been here 30 years and spent thousands and thousands of dollars to get people to come to our area. It’s a shock when you see that.”
Scruggs said he doesn’t believe people from other states will hold it against us. They’ll come back, he said, because we offer so much.
Ultimately, Scruggs said, the coronavirus will permanently change the way outfitters operate. No longer will they pack canoeists into buses for shuttling, he said. Also, there will probably be restrictions on outfitters shuttling customer vehicles to access points downstream because due to the possibility of vehicles exposing employees to illness. Furthermore, outfitters will have to disinfect canoe paddles, cushions and other items after each trip.
On the other hand, social distancing will have the natural effect of reducing crowds. That will be good for the river.