Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Albert Pike input date extended
After flood deaths, fate of recreation area to be decided
The public will have another month to comment on the fate of the Albert Pike Recreation Area in Montgomery County, where 20 people died a decade ago in a flash flood along the Little Missouri River.
The comment period was to end Monday, but Ouachita National Forest officials have extended it to Jan. 14, according to a news release from Terence R. Peck, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, which is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture.
The Forest Service wants to improve day-use facilities in the recreation area but keep it closed to overnight camping, according to a Nov. 15 letter to “forest stakeholders.” The “scoping letter” is available at www.fs.usda.gov/ project/?project=58793.
Most of the campsites in the Albert Pike Recreation Area are below the 100-year flood plain, Forest Service officials said in a Nov. 10 virtual public meeting.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman said the Forest Service needs to find higher ground for the campsites.
“That place is beloved by many people,” Westerman said of the Albert Pike Recreation Area. “We need to figure out how to use it and use it safely. That’s why I think if you had day-use down by the river and then they could eventually develop camping areas at the higher elevations, that would be a good compromise.”
In the news release, Troy Heithecker, supervisor of the Ouachita National Forest, said the comment period was extended to ensure the public had sufficient opportunity to provide input.
“We want to make sure that we make the best decisions for Albert Pike based on the science that we have, the knowledge that we’ve gained, and to reduce the possibility of future tragedies there,” Heithecker said during the Nov. 10 meeting.
The Ouachita National Forest proposes to improve day-use opportunities, which includes general maintenance, adding more parking, providing alternative bathroom facilities, increasing signage and improving the swim beach, according to the release.
“Overnight use below the 100- year flood elevation would not be permitted anywhere in the Albert Pike Recreation Area,” according to the release and the scoping letter.
When answering a question about “dispersed camping” during the Nov. 10 meeting, Don Seale, a hydrologist with the Ouachita National Forest, said that by developing and opening campsites, the Forest Service is “inviting” people to camp in those campsites. But people who do dispersed camping in other areas of the forest are doing so at their own risk.
“In this case with a developed recreation area, where we are inviting people into the area, we are considering the risk involved in an area that’s sort of open and with an invitation to the public,” he said during the meeting. “Certainly, if there’s interest in moving outside of the area and looking for areas to camp, you’re making your own best judgment about risk. That’s something that’s available on almost 2 million acres of Forest [Service] land that are undeveloped.”
This “river- side” recreation area became the subject of intense national, regional and local attention when the Little Missouri River overtopped its banks in the early morning hours of June 11, 2010, generating a flash flood that resulted in 20 deaths in the Albert Pike Recreation Area and undeveloped areas upstream, according to the scoping letter.
The flood also damaged vehicles, an asphalt parking lot, connecting lanes, campsites and bathhouses.
The Albert Pike Recreation Area was developed by the Forest Service in 1934 and improved over the years.
All comments regarding the proposal must be in writing and submitted through formal channels, according to the news release.
To comment on the proposed action, email is the preferred method at commentssouthern- ouachitacaddo- womble@ fs. fed. us. Comments also may be submitted through the mail to Troy Heithecker, Forest Supervisor, c/o Chip Stokes, 1523 Hwy 270 E, Mt. Ida, Ark. 71957 or faxed to 870-867-3338.
Office hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Please state “Albert Pike Recreation Area” in the subject line when providing electronic comments or on the envelope when replying by mail.