Some Mena business owners are hoping to appeal a ruling by the National Forest Service that greatly restricts ATV use in the Ouachita National Forest. The group held a rally Saturday to raise money for the appeal.
The Forest Service says the greatest concern is in what is environmentally safe for the 2 million acres of the Ouachita National Forest. The new ATV rules would restrict ATV use in the forest by 90 percent. And it would close the Wolf Pen Gap area in Mena for much of the year. Wolf Pen Gap is a popular ATV trail, drawing thousands of visitors from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.
Right now there are more than thirty campgrounds and cabins along the Wolf Pen Gap area. Jeff Cunningham owns one of those spots. He says they're willing to do whatever it takes to keep the trails open. "All we've ever asked the forest service from the get go is just give us the opportunity to fix it. Don't shut us down, give us a chance to fix it. And if we don't then that's what has to happen, but just give us a chance," said Cunningham. But the new rules don't just affect the campgrounds. Wolf Pen Gap is one of the biggest tourist attractions for Mena. Shutting it down would mean bad news for local business. Tom Kiser owns an ATV dealership in Mena. He says his business will take a hit, but not go under. Other businesses may not be so lucky. "I'll still be a dealer. I'll still be here because of our local customer. We're not going to have to close our doors. But a lot of the cabin owners and lodging facilities are our customer and they are going to be in jeopardy. A lot will probably have to close," said Kiser.
Kiser is also on the tourism committee.
He says the closing of the trails would affect the whole city. "It's a big, big thing in our community. Tourism is the only thing we have because we don't have a lot of industry. We have probably in the neighborhood of 45 to 47 businesses that are directly impacted by this. Not just the restaurant and lodging, but the dealerships and things of that nature," said Kiser.
The group also had an economic impact study done by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. If the appeal is denied, the new rules will go into effect in May.
The Forest Service says the greatest concern is in what is environmentally safe for the 2 million acres of the Ouachita National Forest. The new ATV rules would restrict ATV use in the forest by 90 percent. And it would close the Wolf Pen Gap area in Mena for much of the year. Wolf Pen Gap is a popular ATV trail, drawing thousands of visitors from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.
Right now there are more than thirty campgrounds and cabins along the Wolf Pen Gap area. Jeff Cunningham owns one of those spots. He says they're willing to do whatever it takes to keep the trails open. "All we've ever asked the forest service from the get go is just give us the opportunity to fix it. Don't shut us down, give us a chance to fix it. And if we don't then that's what has to happen, but just give us a chance," said Cunningham. But the new rules don't just affect the campgrounds. Wolf Pen Gap is one of the biggest tourist attractions for Mena. Shutting it down would mean bad news for local business. Tom Kiser owns an ATV dealership in Mena. He says his business will take a hit, but not go under. Other businesses may not be so lucky. "I'll still be a dealer. I'll still be here because of our local customer. We're not going to have to close our doors. But a lot of the cabin owners and lodging facilities are our customer and they are going to be in jeopardy. A lot will probably have to close," said Kiser.
Kiser is also on the tourism committee.
He says the closing of the trails would affect the whole city. "It's a big, big thing in our community. Tourism is the only thing we have because we don't have a lot of industry. We have probably in the neighborhood of 45 to 47 businesses that are directly impacted by this. Not just the restaurant and lodging, but the dealerships and things of that nature," said Kiser.
The group also had an economic impact study done by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. If the appeal is denied, the new rules will go into effect in May.
