NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Editor,
On Tuesday, March 20, American Legion members of Post 25 attempted to have a meeting. Only two members attended. Under the American Legion guidelines, we must have five members present to hold a meeting. We have not had a meeting in five months.
For many years Mike Carnahan, Bill Howard, Charlie Griffin, Tom Bass and I have faithfully met to keep our post going. The post has accomplished much. Our Memorial Day service, the Avenue of Flags in the cemetery, sending high school students to Boys State, teaching patriotism in the schools, War on Drugs Poster Contest, scholarship program, flag retirements. These are some programs that immediately come to mind.
As all know, Bill Howard passed away last year. Bill took care of the flags and poles. They need painting and repair. Last month, Tom Bass moved to the Veteran’s Home in Fayetteville, where he is getting good care. Tom took care of the school programs. Charlie Griffin is now in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. That leaves only Mike and I.
Next month we are to elect post officers. If we cannot have a meeting or have enough members who can become involved to some degree and elect officers for the coming year, I will have no choice but to inform the state and national offices of our situation.
Our post is at a crossroad. If we can get a few folks to become involved.... It really is not much, 20 hours a year. If we had 10 people active, about 20 hours a year of volunteer time would be all it takes to keep our post running smoothly.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 17, at 7 p.m., in the Gravette Civic Center. That is the date we will know if our post will survive. If area veterans could at least make that meeting and voice theirthoughts, I would be ever so grateful.
This is a rally cry of sorts. Please mark your calendar, April 17, 7 p.m., Gravette Civic Center, Legion meeting.
J.R. Gibbs Adjutant/Finance Officer American Legion Post 25, Gravette
Wolves in Arkansas Editor,
One evening in 2002, just south of North Little Rock, near Scott, I and a couple of friends were driving down Faulkner Lake Road. As we rounded a curve, we saw an animal the size of an average doe deer but resembled a coyote in looks. I grew up hunting and spending a lot of my time in the woods and fields riding ATVs, hiking and being a typical country boy from Arkansas; so I've seen countless coyotes, and the animal I saw was not a coyote! We immediately went to our friend’s house, got online and pulled up pictures of wolves and there's no doubt that's the animal we saw in the swamp that night.
Back in the late ‘90s, my brother was hunting in the Wattensaw Wildlife management area near Hazen. He also saw what he believed was a wolf. Later that day he questioned a game warden he knew from hunting the area so many years about it. At first the game warden denied any wolves being in Arkansas; but after several minutes of shooting the bull with him, he told my brother the reason the Arkansas Game and Fish denies the existence of wolves, mountain lions and panthers in Arkansas is, if they deny their existence, they saved a lot of money and resources protecting the animals when they are few and farin between and are rarely seen by humans.
So wolves in northwest Arkansas I'm very sure of since I've seen one in central Arkansas back in 2002 and my brother saw one in the ‘90s, 30 miles east of central Arkansas.
Scott Addie North Little Rock
Opinion, Pages 7 on 04/04/2012