Cossatot River State Park Natural Area 2018

Cossatot River State Park in the southwest Arkansas is renowned for its scenic beauty. The park encompasses 12 miles of National Wild & Scenic River and encompasses outstanding geological features, cascading clear water, the dramatic Cossatot Falls, and Class III, IV, and V rapids. The park is a popular destination for hikers, campers, skilled canoeists, rafters and kayakers. It is also a summer destination for swimming, fishing, snorkeling, and tubing. The Cossatot River State Park is seeing severe impacts from recreation in the park, including water resource impacts, campfire scars, tree damage, human waste, litter, vandalism, and the creating and proliferation of user created trails.

Solution

• 55 Volunteer Hours
• 430 People Educated
• 24 Bags of Trash Removed

The Leave No Trace team spent a week working with Cossatot State Park staff to implement Leave No Trace solutions to the severe litter problem threatening park resources. The team held a workshop for park staff to help them better understand Leave No Trace skills and ethics and how to best communicate to visitors the importance of these practices in protecting the resources at the park. Another major focus of Leave No Trace’s time on site was connecting with the public, primarily through work with local youth. On two separate days, students from local schools visited the park for a full day of Leave No Trace programming. The team spent both days running the students through various activities that helped participants understand what it means to Leave No Trace and the importance of these practices.