Arkansas Blog

WOOOOHOOO! Victory!

Sad. We have a beautiful wetland in Pocahontas, right across the street from the local Wal*Mart supercenter. Prime real estate, as you might imagine.

It never dries up. Cypress trees, cattails, water grasses around the edges but always free water in the center. My brother and I have admired it for years, but never mentioned it to anybody. I'd hate to think somebody could drain it and build on it just because nobody has promoted it before.

I've always had a dream of building a boardwalk through it so people could take nature walks there. Maybe I better go public with my plans before it's too late!

I think it's idiotic to give up anything to build a Bass Pro shop in NLR. The "destination" versions of the outlet are no longer being built, they are now just your average sporting goods store, and NLR already has plenty of those.

If someone wants to develop that area, there needs to be a complete plan for how they plan on replacing the wetland in place before one shovelful is turned and not one dime of public money should go to the project. If the judge doesn't like the environmental approach, then maybe he would feel more inclined to protect the kids. It doesn't sound like he got a really good education himself.

Memphis is negotiating to turn the Pyramid in a giant Bass Pro Store at no cost to them, why would Bass Pro want to build here? If people think they are going to get a store like the one in Springfield they are sadly mistaken. This looks like it was greased from the start.

Its simple just don't shop at Bass pro shops Over priced hooks and bullets RETAIL is not the answer. but hey with Hays and his Burrows payola who cares about NLR .since the travs are moving I've not spent one dime in NLR nor do i plan to any time soon.

As if there weren't enough places to buy fishin' and huntin' gear in Arkansas. Now we get the Wal-Mart of the outdoor industry. And at what cost?

When will people realize we only have one planet? It boggles the mind.

Bad, bad news as far as I'm concerned. While we're on the issue of diminishing habitat and natural resources, I was scanning a website tonight for a trip to the Nantahala National Forest in Tennessee. This was the first time I saw news that the Bush Administration has authorized the U.S. Forest Service to take public comments on selling lands in national forests to continue funding for something called the Rural Schools Security Act (or something with a similar name). Sounds like just the latest episode in the systematic stealth drive by these nuts to sell off all government lands not related to Defense, something I sure as hell don't support as a taxpayer. Anyway, I clicked a link to the Arkansas national forests, and there's about 3,400 acres of forest service lands in Arkansas up for sale. I never heard anything about a public comment period, and now, I find out today the public comment period is over as of May 1st. Why does that not surprise me? The release about this project said the lands for sale are supposedly only remote lands that are difficult for the Forest Service to manage and maintain, but of course I'm skeptical without proof. Anyone at the Times aware of this issue, and have there been some articles about it? What's the next step by the U.S. Forest Service? Has the Forest Service decided for certain to sell these lands? If public comment is strongly against it, does the sale go through anyway? When can agencies and groups make first bid for the properties? Who can we contact besides our congressmen to protest this? And why do I strongly believe this is going to become a pattern where they constantly sell off government land, piece by piece? The next step for these guys will be to try to quietly sell off national parklands, possibly quality jewels like the Bufallo National River.

Oh no. Now where will all the endangered skeeters and dumped tires live?

Going after the judge is starting to make you sound like Jim Holt.

Dempatriot, you need to be going to DailyKos more often. They were talking about this a month ago. I bet you can find contact info there if you search for it.

I'm hoping that if this goes through the environmental groups will be able to buy a bunch of it, instead of developers that will trash out all that land.

Maybe you should go lay another canoe in the ditch and take a photograph... Save the "wetlands!"

Judge Howard totally blew this one. His decision makes no sense. Basically the same folks he certified as plaintiffs in the Jimerson Creek case were found to not have standing in this case. Strange, strange interpretation. Because of his strange decision, the merits of the case weren't even considered. Let's hope the plaintiffs appeal. The merits of the case deserve a fair hearing. And BTW, the big tire clogged ditch that Bass Pro keeps referring to is a savior for certain underprivileged neighborhoods in Dark Hollow. When that ditch is gone those neighborhoods will flood big time during storms. One last point, who is going to pay for the highway improvements to get folks in to Bass Pro?

Judge Howard totally blew this one. His decision makes no sense. Basically the same folks he certified as plaintiffs in the Jimerson Creek case were found to not have standing in this case. Strange, strange interpretation. Because of his strange decision, the merits of the case weren't even considered. Let's hope the plaintiffs appeal. The merits of the case deserve a fair hearing. And BTW, the big tire clogged ditch that Bass Pro keeps referring to is a savior for certain underprivileged neighborhoods in Dark Hollow. When that ditch is gone those neighborhoods will flood big time during storms. One last point, who is going to pay for the highway improvements to get folks in to Bass Pro?

It is one thing to be across the street from a wetlands area like up in Pokeyhontas. It is quite different to be right smack in the middle of it, like this proposed shopping center will be. The cost for this location is too great in direct and indirect costs.

It is all a moot point anyway. Bass Pro is not coming to Arkansas. They have built all around us and to build here would dilute their sales in other stores.

Based on the flurry of phone calls before they could clear out the courthouse yesterday, somebody in the Corps is getting serious about this wetland business...

Peter Pan says that in order to fly, you must think happy thoughts.

Dave Elswick (KARN News Radio, AM920, FM102.7) will be talking about the environmental wackos attempt to black the Bass Pro project on the 4-5pm segment of his show today.

Environmental Wackos feel free to call Dave at 433-0092. It's always more entertaining when you call.
If you aren't capable of forming thoughts and speaking in public, please consider joining a Toastmasters club (www.toastmasters.org)

Just one more reason not to shop in North Little Rock.

Pitiful, just pitiful. Big deep pocketed developers prattle on about the economic benefits of draining a wetlands that acts as a filter to the Arkansas River and provides drainage for storm runoff, all in the name of building an overblown big box store. Bass Pro stores have sprung like kudzu thanks in part to sucker local governments that give away the farm to recruit low paying retail jobs. As one poster noted all the Bass Pro store will do is take away sales from existing sporting goods retailers. Bass Pro will not increase the demand for hooks and bullets. The kudzu like growth has zapped the appeal. I sure hope somewhere along the way justice is served by stopping the draining of the Dark Hollow wetland and by discouraging Pat Hays from asking the school district to give up future tax revenue to build a mega retail store. Hays, you've already lost Ft. Thompson because of your zeal for TIF, others are sure to follow. Now how does that balance out?

Margaret and the Anonymous Travs whiner, thanks for lowering the level of discourse further. You don't like North Little Rock -- we get it. So now will you please get over yourselves? There's a larger issue here that affects all of us in Central Arkansas.

I knew it, all you swamp rats would holler when Judge Howard ruled that we could us the Darkl Hollow swamp for something useful for the community, Pulaski County and the entire State. This crap has gone on long enough, already. I am a very long time resident of NLR and know Dark Hollow for what it is. The Judge was right on when he admonised those for interfering in this development for nothing other than the publicity of being "environmentalists"!

Let it go and let's get on with the development!

For lots of information that may be useful in this fight go to:

http://www.sayno2outdoorsretailsubsidies.com

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