Students Design Ecotourism Opportunities for Delta Town

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — University of Arkansas landscape architecture students hope to revive a virtual ghost town with ecotourism ideas that range from an alligator farm to a raptor retreat. An exhibition of their proposals for Wittsburg, developed in cooperation with Students Engaged in Economic Development (SEED), a component of the University of Arkansas Economic Development Institute (UAEDI), will open Thursday, Sept. 9, with a reception at the Cross County Chamber of Commerce in Wynne, Ark.

The student proposals, developed under the direction of John G. Williams Visiting Professor Catherine Wiley, present a range of possibilities for the tiny Delta town.

"I wanted students to look at using landscapes as a catalyst for economic opportunities, and I wanted them to plan and design the site in a way that puts the townspeople first, creating markets for them," Wiley said.

Once a thriving river port, Wittsburg began to decline after the railroad passed it by in the 1930s and the St. Francis River was dammed and deepened, leaving a non-navigable oxbow lake by the little town. The town is situated between the hills and lush vegetation of Crowley's Ridge and the flat Delta swamplands, offering very different landscapes within seconds of each other.

Students responded to this landscape of contrast with a wide range of ecotourism plans centered on the natural resources in Wittsburg. Megan Dale was captivated with one of the most abundant resources in the area — mud. Her plan called for a resort to throw pottery and take mud baths in the currently unused land along the lake's edge. A riding stable would provide horses for the miles of trails in the area and a connection with nearby Village Creek State Park. Lee Stewart proposed revegetating Wittsburg's fertile soil with flowers for harvest and building small cabins along the lake and a community center on a floating pier that would afford views of the flower fields. And Rick Shelton focused on birds of prey in the area — the Mississippi kite, osprey, great blue heron, belted kingfisher, merlin, and great egret — as a tourism draw, with a raptor breeding and exhibition area supplemented by guest cabins, a restaurant offering regional cuisine and guided tours to bird feeding areas.

“These projects appeal to people’s imaginations. They’re dreams, and we need dreams,” said Otto Loewer, director of the UAEDI and a native of Cross County.

 “I was amazed by their projects,” said Bill Thomas, executive director of the Cross County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation. “If you're going to develop an area like Wittsburg, that has been neglected for many years, with conventional thinking there's no way to do it, or it already would have been done. The students have no limitations, no preconceived idea of what these things can be. They're encouraged to think creatively — and they did.”

In October the Wittsburg exhibition will travel to the third annual Economic Development Seminar hosted by the Delta Research and Design Center, an outreach program of the UA School of Architecture. This year, the seminar will take place October 20 at East Arkansas Community College in Forrest City. Loewer hopes to send the Wittsburg exhibition to other communities following the October meeting.

“Something like this can make a huge difference in the lives of people and connects the students and the university with the people that support it,” he said. “You never know where this will lead.”

In the meantime, the SEED program has launched an ambitious new project to rethink the entry to West Memphis, the eastern gateway to the state of Arkansas. A multidisciplinary team of engineering, art and landscape architecture students led by Professor of Landscape Architecture John Crone will develop a master plan using plantings, lighting and public art to visually enhance the interchange of Interstate 40 and 55, the busiest truck interchange in the country.  The SEED project was initiated by the Crittendon Arts Council and the Marketing Committee of the West Memphis Chamber of Commerce.

“This project challenges our students with an urban context that is very different from the rural Wittsburg scenario. I look forward to seeing the creative ideas and concepts

that they develop,” Loewer said. For more information on the SEED program visit the UAEDI Web site at http://uaedi.cast.uark.edu/. Student proposals for Wittsburg may be viewed at http://www.uaedi.cast.uark.edu/Wittsburg