OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY

The message to river conservation advocates inside the beltway is clear: "Get out of town fast!" Anyone interested in the conservation of anything other than capital gains tax breaks has already fled the capitol. The only river conservation now happening is happening in the boondocks.

In this kind of political climate, the only realistic tactic for river conservationists is to go back to ground zero and begin rebuilding the whole philosophy and structure of river conservation from the ground up. The Buffalo River is a case in point.

The Buffalo River, in northern Arkansas, was designated by Congress as America's first National River in 1973. The river is currently threatened by agricultural runoff and deforestation in its watershed, but the politics of the region makes any environmental protection difficult.

So river protection advocates founded a group to work with land owners and farmers instead of using the power of government to try to control them. The Buffalo River Stewardship Foundation, based in Harrison, Arkansas, buys "conservation easements" along the tributaries to the Buffalo River. The easements pay land owners to grow trees on land within 100 feet of the tributaries, instead of grazing cattle or growing crops which increases surface runoff and erosion. Land owners hence earn money for "good stewardship" which protects a precious natural resource. According to Timothy T. Jones, the Stewardship Foundation's Executive Director: "We work directly with local land owners who can directly contribute to protecting the river. We expect high compliance because our programs are voluntary. We expect significant water quality improvements because everyone will be working towards the same goal: maintaining the Buffalo River as a pristine waterway."

"Our program works because people are willing to pay to protect the Buffalo River," adds Jesse Gordon, the Stewardship Foundation's environmental economist. "We bring together those who are willing to pay with those who can provide an environmental benefit. We provide an opportunity for environmentalists to contribute directly to environmental improvement."

The Stewardship Foundation also conducts economic studies and produces educational material concerning the Buffalo watershed, as well as facilitating a "Watershed Council" where all parties discuss mutually acceptable solutions to watershed problems.