Factory Farms and the Threat to the Buffalo National River Watershed

Media Advisory for:October 25-31, 2013

FACTORY FARMS AND THE THREAT TO THE BUFFALO NATIONAL RIVER WATERSHED

STATEWIDE EDUCATIONAL TOUR SLATED

The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance will host and fund a seven-city, educational Whistle-Stop Speaking Tour in Arkansas featuring experts from Waterkeeper® Alliance, beginning on October 25th in Fayetteville and ending on October 31stin Little Rock. Other cities included in this educational tour include Harrison, Eureka Springs, Jasper, Yellville, and Mountain Home. The public is invited to attend these free educational events concerning the protection of water quality in the Buffalo River Watershed.

Industrial-sized hog farms are coming to Arkansas. The first is now operating near the Buffalo National River in Newton County. A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) is a method of mass producing meat by confining large numbers of animals to small spaces. The C&H Hog Farm located in Mt. Judea, Newton County, AR, is contracted to international conglomerate Cargill and is operating with a multi-million dollar taxpayer subsidized loan. It is located near Big Creek, which is one of the major tributaries of the Buffalo National River.

The factory hog farm sits on top of one of the most environmentally sensitive areas of the state in the Ozark Mountains. The 6500 pigs will produce about 1.5 million gallons of manure per year. This along with the wash water results in over 2 million gallons of hog waste per year that will be spread over porous ground adjacent to Big Creek and across from the Mt. Judea public school.

During this educational speaking tour, Waterkeeper® Alliance professionals will discuss impending health and economic issues, pollution of air and water, and the threat to the entire Buffalo National River watershed.

The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance (BRWA) will hold the first event on Friday October 25th at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s Parish Hall in Fayetteville.

Introduction: Fayetteville- Dr. Kim Agee, Buffalo River Watershed Alliance

Jasper- Gordon Watkins, Buffalo River Watershed Alliance

Eureka Springs- Becky Gillette, Buffalo River Watershed Alliance

Harrison, Mountain Home, Little Rock, Yellville- Elva Kelly, Buffalo River Watershed Alliance

SPEAKERS

Rick Dove, nationally acclaimed speaker, Neuse Riverkeeper Emeritus and a founding Director of the Waterkeeper Alliance, will speak from his personal experience in studying the effects of hog CAFOs. (Please see attached bio).

Don Webb, a former North Carolina industrialized hog farmer (CAFO) owner will share his experience as a participantwithin the industry. Don is well known on speaking tours for his frank and honest discussion of his perspective on the impact of the corporate hog industry, not only in his state of North Carolina but as it affects the citizens of America.

Larry Baldwin, the North Carolina CAFO Coordinator for Waterkeeper® Alliance and former Neuse Riverkeeper, will speak about the CAFO issues in North Carolina from an investigative point of view and how those issues relate to the Buffalo National River.

SCHEDULE OF ARKANSAS SPEAKING VENUES

FRIDAY, OCT. 25, FAYETTEVILLE

St. Paul’s Church, 224 N. East Avenue, Fayetteville AR

6:00 pm-8:00 pm

BONFIRE/FUNDRAISER,

Dan and Deborah Coody, Address announced at event, Fayetteville AR

8:00 pm-10:00 pm

SATURDAY, OCT. 26, YELLVILLE

First Presbyterian Church, 2250 Highway 62/412E, Yellville AR 72687

1:00 pm- 3:00 pm

MONDAY, OCT. 28, JASPER

Carroll County Electric Building, Hwy. 7, Jasper AR

11:30 am-2:30 pm (Please feel free to bring a sack lunch.)

MONDAY, OCT, 28, EUREKA SPRINGS

17 Elk Street, Eureka Springs AR 72632

5:30 pm-8:00 pm

TUESDAY, OCT. 29, HARRISON

North Arkansas College, Durand Center, First Federal Room, 303 N. Main, Harrison AR 72602,

5:30 pm-9:00 pm

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 30, MOUNTAIN HOME

Reynold’s Library, 424 W. 7th, Mountain Home, AR 72653

10:30 am-1:00 pm

Arkansas State University, 1600 So.College St., Mountain Home AR 72653, D200 McMullin Lecture Hall

3:00 pm-5:30 pm, 6:00 pm-9:00 pm

THURSDAY, OCT. 31, LITTLE ROCK

Main Library, Darragh Center, 100 S. Rock St., Little Rock AR7220

12:00 pm- 2:00 pm, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

The BUFFALO RIVER WATERSHED ALLIANCE is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the Buffalo National River Watershed from threats from water and air pollution. It also considers education of the general population concerning water and air quality in the Buffalo National River of the primary importance. It was founded in order to protect the scenic beauty and pristine water quality of the Buffalo National River by opposing and preventing the construction and operation of industrial confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) within the Buffalo River watershed.

Waterkeeper® Alliance was founded in 1999 by environmental attorney and activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and several veteran Waterkeeper Organizations. Waterkeeper® Alliance is a global movement of on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect over 100,000 miles of rivers, streams and coastlines in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa.

Please go to for-up to-date information concerning CAFO issues in the Buffalo National River Watershed.