Buffalo roams

The Buffalo River area is in the news again, but this time without so much acrimony. The paper reports that a company affiliated with Runway Group, owned by heirs of Sam Walton, has purchased Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Newton County. The property, which is about two miles south of the Buffalo River, is said to have one of the most iconic rock climbing spots east of the Rocky Mountains.

And, for good measure, it’s home to the longest zip-line in Arkansas and 20 miles of hiking trails with considerably more coming.

All of this comes on the heels of attempts by some to simply redesignate the Buffalo National River to a national park and preserve, which would make more federal funding available to the region. It became controversial in the eyes of locals when some objected to being approached after, but not before, Runway had approached Rep. Bruce Westerman, chair of the House Natural Resources Committee.

This current project doesn’t appear to have local opposition, which is good because it sounds like a great opportunity for a getaway.

Given the focus on attracting tourists to visit the state to essentially pay us for the pleasure of experiencing our abundant outdoor opportunities, it’s hard to see this Buffalo River development as anything but positive for the state.