Kathryn “Katchi” Childs is a third-generation resident of Carroll County. She grew up on the 800-acre Hidden Valley Guest Ranch owned by her parents, near Lake Leatherwood. She loved growing up surrounded by nature but, like many children, was ready to “get out of this little town” after high school.
She married Loyd Childs, and the family moved frequently over the course of his career in the Air Force. Upon his recent retirement from the Air Force, the couple moved back to Eureka Springs.
“We lived in many places and discovered this is the best place to be,” Katchi said.
The family came to visit for spring break in 2020. When Covid hit, the Air Force told them to stay put. They had been staying with her sister, who suggested a home for sale that might suit them. They loved the house, remodeled it, and moved in September 2020.
Since then, Katchi has started a movement to encourage people to plant trees and send a picture to #minisTREE.
“We have four kids, and I’m just really worried how we can turn the tide on climate change,” she said. “We have just thrown up our hands. Climate change is too big of a problem. I’m just asking people to do the minimum and plant a tree, then post a selfie with the hashtag #minisTree.
She calls it her ministry because saving the world takes a lot of faith, and the play on words was “just too irresistible.” Katchi isn’t about the “preachy stuff,” as she calls it. “This is about making the carbon numbers go down, and I have faith we can do it.”
Her hope is that people will feel called to be good stewards of the planet.
“I want Eureka Springs and The Natural State to be the starting point of a tree-loving faith movement,” Katchi said. “I would love to have local support to make it happen. I’m telling anyone who will listen to join the movement. Take a picture when the tree is planted and post it at #MinisTREE to take part. A lot of people don’t have a place to plant a tree, so those who can, should plant trees for other people, too.”
Throughout the year, they will be buying more trees and planting them. They are also making donations to the Arbor Day Foundation as a tithe since the family doesn’t attend an organized church service.
Katchi has been alarmed to see the increasing number of harmful weather events such as droughts, hurricanes, and wildfires combined with high winds. She has watched TED talks and other presentations about climate change. She is concerned with the disappearing glaciers.
“Once that large white mass of the glacier that reflects the sun is gone, warming will happen much faster because dark ocean water absorbs more heat than white ice, which reflects it back,” she said. “So, melting polar ice caps causes even more warming,” she said. “It is devastating watching environments turning into death bowls. There is so much frustration from scientists who have been fighting this for decades. I think we are at the place now, where everyone around the world needs to collaborate. We really must get busy facing this crisis.”
“My mom would say, ‘If you want to show someone your faith, show people you care about them. Actions speak louder than words.’ We can also help reduce carbon emissions with a community garden for produce. A lot of the groceries we buy are brought in from far-off places and require a lot of fuel to be transported. Local food is far better for the planet, and it tastes better, too.”
Hidden Valley Ranch has long encouraged people to get out into nature and enjoy the beauty and fresh air. The ranch with five guest cabins opened in 1994 and had no televisions or telephones in the rooms—something that was unusual at the time.
“It turned out to be a wonderful place for people to come for recharging,” Katchi said. “We’ve lived in a lot of cities with our moves. These kinds of places are not something you see a lot in the city.”
Katchi is happy to see the Eureka Springs area embracing eco-tourism, and believes that is not only our city’s past, it’s the future. She said she feels if more people saw the value of being outdoors and touching the ground, they would be more likely to take action.
“Just putting your hands in the dirt is so good for your body and soul,” she said.
Anyone interested in getting involved can email Katchi at katchi.Childs@gmail.com.