(Our weekly wrap-up of local and national outdoor news from other sources)
Local –
Walmart donates 75 acres for ‘destination park’ in Bentonville – Talk Business and Politics
Walmart Inc. announced Friday (Dec. 6) a sizable land donation to the city of Bentonville. And it may offer a clue of what the area surrounding the company’s existing home office may one day look like.
The company said it has gifted two parcels totaling roughly 75 acres west of the intersection of Southwest 8th and Southwest I streets. The land is expected to be developed into a park. The property is situated near Walmart’s existing home office at the corner of 8th and Walton.
“The holidays are a time for giving, so it’s appropriate to share Walmart’s latest gift to the people of its hometown,” Walmart executive vice president Dan Bartlett wrote in a blog post announcing the land donation. Bartlett said when combined with 23 acres nearby donated by the Walton family, the new park will cover nearly 100 acres.
According to online property records, Benton County appraisers within the past two years put a combined value of $5.11 million on the 100 acres.
Walmart also owns an additional 34 acres of undeveloped property to the west of the 23 acres donated by the Walton family. There was no mention of development plans for that property in Friday’s announcement…(more)
What Makes Home, Home? – ArkansasOutside
This is how an email I received yesterday from the Walton Family Foundation began. The important words are “strong sense of place.” The best definition I’ve found for a sense of place is this: “A sense of place is a unique collection of qualities and characteristics – visual, cultural, social, and environmental – that provide meaning to a location. Sense of place is what makes one city or town different from another, but sense of place is also what makes our physical surroundings worth caring about.” (https://www.planetizen.com/node/56165)
Northwest Arkansas cities have worked hard at creating a strong, positive sense of place as demonstrated by the video below. It could be said that Hot Springs, Arkansas has always had a strong sense of place, something they were on the verge of losing when the loss of the Majestic Hotel served as a wake-up call to the community. In Little Rock, what started with the River Market revitalization has now expanded up Main Street to SOMA and is beginning to extend east of I-30. North Little Rock is working to turn the Argenta area into the center of the city and Fort Smith has used artistic expression in the form of the Unexpected to jump-start the Garrison Avenue area and the US Marshalls Museum and the new bike/skateboard park are…(more)
National –
The Making of a Thrive Outside Community: Oklahoma City – Outdoor Industry Association
A river that once divided Oklahoma City is now the unifying artery of the community, linking diverse and previously underserved populations to incredible meaningful and repeatable outdoor experiences.
The significance of the river running through Oklahoma City has changed in recent years, according to Mike Knopp, executive director of the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, the backbone partner in the OKC Thrive Outside Community network. “What used to be a dividing line is becoming a unifier, and we feel like [Thrive Outside] is really going to help take it to the next level, and again make that generational change and shift,” he says. “And so already we’re seeing the communication that occurs through this [Thrive Outside network], and it’s really exciting to see the collaboration that is beginning to take hold and take place.”
As they analyze the various partner organizations and physical resources around OKC, Knopp, and partners are working to address all segments of the diverse community and bring together a wide array of stakeholders, including the Boys & Girls Club, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Oklahoma City Public Schools, Oklahoma City Community Foundation, Native American Cultural Authority, Latino Community Development Agency, Indian Health Clinic, Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce, the health department, charter schools, and even the Police Athletic League, among…(more)
Group files lawsuit against park service for allowing e-bikes on non-motorized trails – Bicycle Retailer
The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and a coalition of conservation groups are the primary plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the National Park Service for allowing e-bikes on non-motorized trails.
“The impetus from industry is not surprising given that, as a former industry lobbyist himself, Secretary Bernhardt is known for hearing industry concerns and not public concerns,” said PEER Executive Director Tim Whitehouse in a release.
Whitehouse later told BRAIN the NPS’ decision is an example of how an agency is not supposed to act.
“The use of e-bikes on many trails in the National Park System will negatively impact hikers, bicyclists, horseback riders and other users and strain the service’s ability to handle accidents and injuries,” Whitehouse said. “Most trails should be off-limits to…(more)
Have a great weekend and we’ll see you on a trail.
