One of the larger tourist attractions on Beaver Lake, War Eagle Cavern, has sent an email raising alarms about how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) proposal to purchase land on the lake the floods could negatively impact not just the cavern, but other businesses that benefit from tourism.
“One of the ‘low-lying’ areas that the Corps could potentially acquire is the end of Devil’s Gap cove which leads right to the mouth of War Eagle Cavern,” the email states. “Should this land end up under the control of the Federal Government, the consequences for our business, the surrounding area, and the state of Arkansas could be devastating.
“Not only is this land acquisition project completely unnecessary, doing so would cost the State of Arkansas tens of thousands of dollars in tax revenue annually. If the Corps of Engineers takes control of the remainder of Devil’s Gap, this could mean that War Eagle Cavern, a thriving tourist attraction and field trip destination since 1977, would have to close permanently.”
USACE spokesman Jay Woods wrote in an email to the Independent on Tuesday that it’s important for everyone to understand that we are very early in the process and still determining impacts of the proposed project.
“We have many steps to complete before any decisions are made,” Woods wrote. “We will continue to engage with the public and the affected landowners throughout this proposed project – including another public review period that will allow everyone to see and provide feedback on the findings of our study. We appreciate the concerns that the folks at War Eagle Caverns have put forth and encourage the public to visit our website, review the preliminary mapping we’ve posted there. The more awareness the public has about the project, and the more ideas, suggestion and feedback we get, the better.”
War Eagle Cavern General Manager Guy Schiavone said in a telephone interview that they were not notified by mail and only found out about the proposal because a neighbor alerted them.
“Apparently it was posted to the Corps website in May, but that is the only public announcement anyone has been able to find,” Schiavone said. “The public comment period is ending June 10 and we have just found out about it in late May.
“There is an interactive map that highlights all the areas in red that they are seeking to acquire, and it includes a section of the lake that goes right up to the mouth of our cavern. We are concerned if the Corps takes that section near the cavern, will it affect the walkways we have? Will affect us being able to keep our business open?”
Schiavone said there are hundreds of different spots around the lake the Corps wants to acquire, and he is concerned that awareness of the proposal is slim to none.
“People need to be aware of it so property owners around the lake can have a chance to comment,” he said. “The proposal will take hundreds of thousands of feet of private property. You won’t be able to maintain it, mow it or cut trees. It will turn it into public land and people will be able to come right up to your house and you won’t be able to do anything about it. There are a lot of people who are concerned about losing lakefront status. A neighbor paid premium for lakefront property which the Corps might now take. What will happen to the value of the rest of their property?”
The land has been flooding as long as the lake has been here, and Schiavone doesn’t know any property owners who have a problem with that.
“I am hard pressed to find someone who wants to surrender that property because it is under a couple of feet of water occasionally,” Schiavone said. “A lot of other lakefront businesses could be impacted. What happens if some of these potentially have to close? I don’t know if that will happen, but it seems like it could be a real possibility. If we and others have to close, we could lose thousands of tourists, sales taxes, and income coming from other states. It would be a big domino effect on everyone in this area.”
“If War Eagle Cavern has to shut down, not only does that mean we stop generating tax revenues, it also means less visitation,” the email states. “The domino effect would result in a huge loss of income for many businesses in Northwest Arkansas, as well as a loss in much-needed tax revenue for the state. We are desperately seeking help to combat the proposal.”
The owners of War Eagle Cavern have been reaching out to Sen. John Boozman and Rep. Steve Womack, as well as the Arkansas Dept. of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. Almost 500 people had already signed an online petition against it as of May 25. Go to eureka.news for the link.
War Eagle is requesting that people register concerns before the deadline ending June 10. Comments can be emailed to CESWL-BeaverLakeAcquisitionPublicComment@usace.army.mil.