The day after canoeists reportedly flocked to the Buffalo National River (BNR) in droves, additional modifications in facility operations have been announced. The additional modifications to park operations is in response to the latest guidance from the U.S. Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health officials in support of slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
BNR officials say beginning Monday morning, overnight stays in designated park campgrounds are being suspended. The impacted areas are transitioning temporarily to day use only from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.
In addition to the impacted campgrounds, the list of services and operations suspended include:
-All shower facilities
-Pavilions throughout the park
-Tyler Bend Visitor Center
-Steel Creek Visitor Contact Station
-Buffalo Point Visitor Contact Station
-Buffalo National River Headquarters Office in Harrison
-Volunteer service groups of more than 10 people
-Educational and interpretive programming
Outdoor spaces at Buffalo National River remain accessible to the public, in accordance with the latest federal, state and local health guidance.
In an account late last week, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports with forecasts calling for sunshine and temperatures in the 80s, canoeists flocked to the Buffalo. Some doctors believe ultraviolet rays degrade the coronavirus, and many people were ready to take that medicine Thursday as they slathered on sunscreen and waited to get on the water.
It was the first really warm day in a week that was officially spring break for many schools. Outfitters worked to stagger the number of people launching boats at the same time. They were trying to abide by state and federal guidance to keep from having crowds of 10 or more people as a way to blunt the spread of COVID-19.
While some were taking advantage of the sunny, warm day, outfitters reported the number of visitors down during this same period from previous years.
On a beautiful Saturday during spring break, there could be as many as 500 boats on the Buffalo River, says Buffalo Outdoor Center co-owner Austin Albers.
But there won’t be that many this year, he says.
He said Thursday was the first pretty day of the year, so lots of people wanted to go canoeing.
Buffalo Outdoor Center has 135 canoes and 10 rafts. On a very busy day, all could be rented out. But this week, Albers says he’d probably rent 70 canoes all week, and those are just to people who made reservations earlier.
Jesse Jefferson, owner of Buffalo River Canoes in Mount Sherman, says, “It’s one of those deals where all we can do is follow our disinfectant plan and try to reduce any — it’s hard to say all exposure — but trying to manage our exposure,” he says. “We’re spraying the boats with disinfectant, rotating the boats. Literally, a boat we use today won’t go out again for four or five days. The virus can’t live forever outside.”
If contemplating a visit to a national park during this pandemic, the NPS asks visitors to adhere to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local public health authorities to protect visitors and employees. As services are limited, the NPS urges visitors to continue to practice Leave No Trace principles, including pack-in and pack-out, to keep outdoor spaces safer and healthier.
BNR officials say they will notify the public when full operations are resumed and provide updates on their website nps.gov/buff/planyourvisit/conditions and social media channels.
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