Attention! Weidower Cadron access lost for now

[Crane]

Okay, Roger, Chester, et al... In the past, preliminary conversations with G&FC comissioners and staff indicated they were willing to work with us on access issues. They indicated their preferred scenario was for us to find a site & work with them on the front end to make sure they wanted it. Then, we would obtain donation of or purchase either fee title to it or a long-term lease. G&FC would accept title of donations (that gets a tax benefit if a landowner cared to donate), or they would accept transfer from ACC of the fee-simple title or lease-hold interest. They would then work on LIMITED site improvements, but were not in the road-building business. They were most receptive to sites close enough to roads that walk-in access would work. They also were interested in not being expected to build access ramps, etc. Luckily, the ACC doesn't usually need ramps or other improvements to do what we enjoy... and would mostly prefer not to have them:)

My personal opinion, which is worth exactly what you are paying for it, is that the paddling community would be better served by having ownership of access reside permanently in the state and not in a private organization that might dissolve... Some would disagree, being against government generally. But, I want my grandson to be able to get on rivers... even after I'm gone... for sure! Crane

[robkanraft]

[i]Now that Mrs. Helton is no longer living,[/i]

not to hijack the thread... albeit late, I'm sorry to hear this. I still remember the first time I was ever there and the lady on the porch. Certainly a piece of our canoing experience lost.

[Crane]

Legitimate question... I hadn't heard, either. I have a friend checking... Crane

[Gordon Kumpuris]

I am 100% in agreement with Crane. I think the state needs to be the owner or lease holder of access points. In an effort to not just be a cheerleader, I'd be willing to make calls or visit with goverment officials or landowners etc to try to work on this. I however don't wantand won't be a lone ranger. Of course I am also most certainly NOT an attorney. I have for years mentioned the following as access points that needed attention.

1. Heltons on the Big Piney (see above)
2. Cadron Creek (see above)
3. Archey Fork of the Little Red (this one I think is seldom run almost completely because of it's long standing access problems upstream of Hwy 65)


There are others.

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

Setting up a 501(c)(3) tax exempt foundation is actually very easy and the cost is less than $1000 to obtain state and federal registrations. The Ouachita River Park Commission created the Ouachita River Park Foundation during the years I was on the Commission (and Foundation) in order to assist in soliciting donations for development of the river park. As secretary of both organizations, I maintained a complete paper trail of the process, including the responses I supplied to questions from the IRS. I left all those documents in the possession of my successor, whoever that turned out to be. There are at least two ACC members still on the Commission/Foundation, Lance Jones and Ted Smethers, with ready access to the paperwork.

The Park Commission received free assistance from both a lawyer and a CPA from Malvern, but it is not necessary to use either. The document collection lays out the procedure in a manner any layman can follow.

Captain Aleve

[Crane]

FYI, I have it on reliable authority that, as of yesterday, Mrs. Helton had not passed away... Crane

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

If an income tax exempt 501(c)(3) is set up to generate donations for the ACC, a separate website is recommended. Such a website will have a donation button that makes it very easy for someone to donate online after reading about the goals of the foundation. Guidance for running such a fundraising source is provided by the website
"networkforgood.org". They offer free tutorials and tips on fund raising. They also provide a link to "www2.guidestar.org" which is a website that publishes information about all nonprofits. The nonprofit supplies info to the site about themselves; the site independently publishes financial info (including federal tax returns) about nonprofits. Right now you can find the ACC on the site and look at our tax returns and other public info. The ACC does not currently post any info on the portion of the site where we could highlight our mission and activities.

I was investigating online fundraising for the Ouachita River Park Foundation at the time I resigned. I hope the ORPF moves ahead with that project. It is a good venue for listing all the individual needs of the foundation and providing an opportunity to collect donations for each project. That way donors can give to something they are interested in such as the Lower Ledge Project, the walking trail along the river, memorial benches, etc. The ACC could list each access project, gage projects, education needs, etc. The website would just be one way of raising funds and is successful primarily with the young, hip generation. Most funds are still raised by geezers writing checks and obtaining grants from private foundations and government agencies. Geezers and grant writers, that's what the ACC really needs, but the times are changing and the website is necessary, too.

Saw your name in the Democrat Gazette today, Larry.

Captain Aleve

[Faulkner]

Loss of the Weidower access is indeed bad news. Is there any way to resolve the issue . . . do we know what the issue is?

Also, looking at Google Earth, it looks like access could be gained via the new pipeline just a but upstream from the Weidower access. Wonder if that's a viable option.

[Chester]

Faulkner, yes, we certainly know what the Weidower issue is, it is not resolvable at this time, possibly later. I am still working on another access, but it doesn't look as promising as I indicated earlier. I will post yea or nea when I get an answer. Several of us are looking at all possibilities, and yes we are aware of the pipeline.

[Faulkner]

Thanks.

I know a number of people in and near Guy, I may have to go asking around to see how the locals are gaining access.