Blanchard Springs Caverns on Path t...

Arkansas officers have begun the formal means of designating Blanchard Springs Caverns because the state’s latest state park.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Shea Lewis signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Forest Service that may deliver the Blanchard Springs Caverns Advanced into the Arkansas State Parks system because the state’s 53rd park. As soon as finalized, the location might be generally known as Blanchard Springs State Park.

Situated in Stone County close to the neighborhood of Fifty-Six, the cavern advanced sits throughout the Sylamore District of the Ozark National Forest. The location contains eight and a half miles of explored caverns, the one Forest Service Main Customer Heart in Arkansas, in addition to a campground, swim seaside, picnic areas and a number of trails.

Sanders mentioned the transfer displays the objectives of the Pure State Initiative, a statewide effort launched in 2023 to develop Arkansas’ outside economic system whereas defending its pure assets.

“Blanchard Springs Caverns is a jewel of the Ozarks, and by kickstarting the method to designate it as a state park, we’re preserving its cultural and environmental legacy whereas creating new alternatives for tourism, jobs and year-round journey,” Sanders mentioned.

Lewis mentioned the settlement establishes a joint administration framework between Arkansas State Parks and the Ozark-St. Francis Nationwide Forests. The partnership is designed to reinforce customer companies, strengthen environmental protections, and align federal and state investments in staffing and services.

Blanchard Springs Caverns is considered one of solely a handful of federally managed “dwelling” caves in the USA, which means energetic mineral formations proceed to develop. The cave system has been open to the general public since 1973 and affords guided excursions, together with the Dripstone Tour and the Discovery Path, in addition to seasonal Wild Cave Excursions in undeveloped sections of the system.

The advanced attracts practically 70,000 guests annually and performs a big position within the native tourism economic system. State officers mentioned incorporating the location into the state park system would permit for expanded programming, unified branding, and year-round visitation whereas connecting close by recreation alternatives similar to mountaineering, biking, tenting, and trout fishing on the White River.

State Sen. Missy Irvin, whose district contains the location, mentioned the redesignation secures the long-term way forward for considered one of north Arkansas’ most necessary tourism property.

Officers additionally mentioned state park administration would assist tackle conservation considerations as visitation continues to rise. The caverns are residence to endangered grey bats, uncommon salamanders, and a fragile cave ecosystem that geologists estimate has remained structurally unchanged for greater than 10,000 years.

Arkansas tourism officers reported that greater than 50.7 million folks visited the state in 2023, producing $9.9 billion in journey spending and supporting greater than 100,000 jobs statewide. Stone County alone recorded $74.1 million in customer spending final yr, a lot of it tied to outside recreation and Blanchard Springs Caverns.

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award-winning outside journalist who resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outside column for the Slidell Impartial Newspaper. He additionally writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Fee’s VisitTheNorthshore.com. He’s the previous host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Present and is on the board of the Louisiana Out of doors Writers Affiliation. Keith contributes to quite a few publications each on-line and in print and prides himself on selling South Louisiana’s distinctive fishery. To contact Keith e mail: keithlusherjr@gmail.com