Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, said today that the USDA Forest Service has announced that they are initiating a review of the decision to reduce access to the Wolf Pen Gap ATV area on the Ouachita National Forest. The plan, announced in January, would reduce access to the Wolf Pen Gap area by over 70 percent. The plan was appealed by over two dozen citizens and citizens groups. Lincoln is leading the Arkansas and Oklahoma Congressional delegations in a bi-partisan effort to get the Forest Service to reconsider the plan.
“I’m pleased the Forest Service has decided to take another look at the Wolf Pen Gap area under the Ouachita Travel Management Plan. I’ve been concerned about the impact of reductions in access at Wolf Pen Gap on the recreation-based economy in communities surrounding the Ouachita National Forest. When Forest Service Chief Tidwell and I recently visited the area, it was clear that local ATV businesses and user groups are just as concerned as the Forest Service about protecting the trails and preserving the environment. This review will give all those who care about the Ouachita and depend on it for both recreation and economic development the chance to address concerns raised by over two dozen appeals filed against the plan. It’s my hope that this review will provide reasonable, year-round access to important areas such as Wolf Pen Gap,” Lincoln said.
The Forest Service upheld the Travel Management Plan for the rest of the Ouachita, meaning hunters and other ATV users will face new restrictions on the Ouachita. Lincoln expressed concern that these portions of the decision will not be part of the review.
“There is plenty of room for compromise on other aspects of the plan and I will continue to urge the Forest Service to work with all users of the Ouachita to address these issues,” said Lincoln.
Lincoln recently toured the Ouachita National Forest with Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell and urged him to reverse the decision to limit ATV access in order to protect the local economies of communities around the Ouachita National Forest area. She has also met with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack about this issue.
Lincoln: Forest Service Will Revisit Decision to Limit ATV Access to Wolf Pen Gap Trail Area
Washington, DC and Wolfpen
We had an exciting day around here today. Senator Blanche Lincoln and Forestry Chief Tom Tidwell came to Mena and visited with us about the Wolfpen Gap trail system. Senator Lincoln has been very supportive of our fight to keep the trails open, and having Chief Tidwell come to our community was a great honor. He was very receptive, and we are encouraged by today’s meeting.
This has been a tough fight, and while I know we’ve still got a long way to go, I’m glad to see that we are now hopefully moving toward some resolutions. Rage is giving way to reason, frustration possibly giving way to friendships. And this is how it should be. Hopefully we will know within the next few weeks if there can be a workable compromise.
Campfire Cooking Ideas
Good Food Choices for Outdoor Camping
The possibilities are endless when deciding what foods you will bring when camping. The more non-perishable foods you bring the better because it is safer and more convenient. If you’re planning to hike, dried food is also much easier to carry.
You don’t have to cook everything on the campfire. Coleman stoves are economical, practical and easy to pack ,although they would be too heavy to bring along backpacking.
Solar cookers/ovens are a popular alternative when cooking outdoors and they are very lightweight. They use the heat from the sun to cook food and are easy to assemble with foil and cardboard.
Breakfast Food Ideas
• Cold cereal: Powdered milk is also handy and it tastes fine when mixed with cereal.
• Oatmeal: If you mix it up ahead of time and use instant oats, all you need to do is add water To add some flavor to your oatmeal, try a little cinnamon, raisins or dried apples.
• Granola or granola bars: Make your granola ahead of time and include dried fruits for a full breakfast.
• English muffins, pitas, tortillas: Great with jam, eggs or cheese.
• Pancakes: Make sure the pancake mix is the type that you only need to add water.
Lunch & Snack Ideas
• Dried fruit (banana chips, raisins, dried apricots)
• Instant noodles
• Bagels
• Pitas
• Biscuits
• Dried soup mixes
• Instant rice
• Trail mix
• Nuts
• Beef jerky
• Salami, pepperoni
• Crackers & Cookies
• Peanut butter
• Cheese
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Tomatoes
• Berries
Drinks
Bring along instant coffee, tea, powdered fruit drinks and powdered milk.
If you must have brewed coffee, bring along a French press. It is an effective and delicious way of filtering the grounds without using electricity.
Foil Wrapped Foods
Baked potatoes are delicious wrapped in foil and cooked on coals. To add some flavor and moisture try splitting the potato, adding a bit of olive oil, rosemary and/or garlic, onion, green pepper, carrot or other favorite vegetable. Sprinkle with bacon bits or grated cheese if desired.
Another very versatile food item is instant mashed potatoes. You can use it to make fish cakes with fresh or canned fish. Canned food has obvious benefits since it will keep for months but they’re heavy to drag around. If you do bring cans, don’t forget the can opener. Common ingredients for fish cakes include egg, onion, flour, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Make sure you dust your hands with flour before coating them because they’re sticky.
Cooking Food on Sticks or Skewers
There are other things to cook on sticks besides marshmallows. Hotdogs are always fun but what about sausage, vegetables, and biscuits? If you make the dough thick enough it will stay on the stick and brown nicely.
Dutch Ovens
You can cook just about anything with a Dutch oven because they’re heavy, covered and can be placed more directly into the heat. It still needs monitored and a grill would be handy to keep the Dutch oven straight and prevent it from getting too hot. Some foods that are good for Dutch ovens include stews, dumplings, cakes, chili, and spaghetti sauce.
See you on the trails! Visit http://wolfpenatv.com and reserve your spring / summer get-away today!
New Trail Numbering System
Check out our newest Wolfpen blog, and the new trail number system! Laid out like a road map!
New Trail Signs!
Good news…..The trails have been officially renumbered, and as of today all sign posts with correct markings are officially installed! This new numbering system was developed by the Ouachita ATV club in collaboration with our local nation forest personnel. We can’t guarantee you won’t get lost….but you might have to work at it a little harder!
The numbering system is based on the same principles as a highway map.
Odd-Numbered Trails: North/South Route
Even-Numbered Trails: East/West Route
Trail # ending in “0″ : Dead End
3-Digit trail number: Connecting Trail (ex. Trail 614 connects trail 6 and trail 4)
With this new numbering system, every trail has it’s own number.
Any map you have prior to August 15, 2009 will not be accurate.
New maps are being printed and will be available soon. Check back often for printable maps.
http://www.wolfpenatv.com
Till next time,
Phyllis
More than just ATV trails…
Yes, Wolfpen is known for its ATV trail system, in fact, some may argue that they are WORLD-FAMOUS. I wouldn’t argue that however, I’ve seen the stats! But Wolfpen and the area surrounding beautiful Mena, AR has much more to offer than just ATV trails. Hidden swimming holes promising an ice-cold dip on a hot day, mountain bike trails for the experienced rider, or the “Sunday” rider, hiking trails over the mountains and through the woods, and scenic hot-spots perfect for picture taking are just a small list of the many things to do our “neck of the woods,” in addition to riding ATV’s. However, many of these activities can be done from from ATV….if you know how to get there. Stop into our office on your visit and ask how to find Little Missouri Falls, or Albert Pike. Maybe take a ride up Eagle Mountain for breathtaking views! Up for a hike? Set out for Winding Stair (the BEST swimming hole in the United States) IF you know how to get there. Take a step on becoming more familiar with our area by becoming a member on our mailing list, http://wolfpenatv.com/mailing_list.php Receive updates on the trail system and information on some of the many hidden treasures we have to offer.
From a little north of L.A.
Nick C.
A side note on safety
I guess I’m on a “blogroll”, but I did want to take an opportunity to remind everyone to be safe during this upcoming holiday weekend. As a healthcare worker, I was very happy when we got the heliports on the trails….but I’m sure disappointed that they are being used as often as they are. Accidents happen, and sometimes can’t be avoided. But sometimes it’s just a little bit of thinking things through and applying some good old common sense. Know your machine. If you don’t….don’t learn it the hard way…with your buddy or girlfriend on the back, climbing Hawks Overlook. The trails are marked. If the sign says experiened rider only……..then why not just give it the benefit of the doubt? Excessive speed — seriously, what’s your hurry? You’re in Arkansas, for crying out loud. We’re not in a hurry, you don’t need to be in a hurry either. The only time you need to be in a hurry is getting here. From there on out, slow down, be careful, and have fun. We’ve had numerous accidents on the trails this years already….please be sure you and your family aren’t next on the list!
Til next time,
Phyllis
A Note from Phyllis
Welcome to Wolfpen’s own Blogspot!! We want to use this forum to keep our customers (and customers-to-be) up to date on what’s going on at Wolfpen Campground, as well as what’s going on in our community. Today, I’d like to share a little bit about how our campground came to be.
Wolfpen Campground is located on 80 Bee-utiful acres in Board Camp, Arkansas – 10 miles east of Mena. 13 years ago, we had an opportunity to purchase the property without erry a thought of building a campground. Retirement was more in our line of thought at the time.
One afternoon, whilst Jeff was contemplating how we were ever going to win the battle of the creek crossing (which by the way, the creek is still putting up quite the fight), a man pulled up in his van pulling a trailor with an ATV and asked if he might camp there overnight. You could almost see the little cartoon lightbulb come on in the box above Jeff’s head. From that point on, the vision began.
We started out with 4 A-Frame Cabins, and 4 RV sites. Since that time we have grown. Considerably! We now have 51 sites total, including 10 A-frame camping cabins and in 2004 we added our 5 cottages with all the amenites of home. And if Jeff didn’t hammer the nail or dig the dirt – he was supervising the job! Having 2 great, energetic teenagers at the time didn’t hurt either — I don’t know if they have good memories or not – but they certainly put their time in on the development of Wolfpen Campground. Our son Nick is now 29, and lives in Fort Smith. He continues to be a great help to us. Our awesome, cool website — Thanks, Nick!! Our daughter Jessica is now 27, and she and her husband Chris live in Bentonville. They have 2 year old Ayden…..that’s right “The Grandson”. And we adore him!!
Jeff and I both have other full time jobs. We own an auto collision repair shop (28+ years!) and I’m a registered nurse at our local hospital. We’re very fortunate that we have great people at the campground – Ced and Linda Mosley and Leslie Reed to take care of our great customers! We have lived in Mena “forever and a day”, and love our community. We’re proud of our tourism industry, and proud of our tourists!!
Thanks for reading….
Phyllis
WolfpenATV.com
Hello Campers! WolfpenATV.com has recently joined WordPress to help better get the word out about Mena, Wolfpen Gap ATV trails, and all things outdoors in the great town of Mena, AR and surrounding areas! If you’ve not visited our website in a while, do so now! http://wolfpenatv.com It now offers videos, information on mountain biking and hiking, as well as an interactive store! Caps, T-Shirts, Koozies, and Coffee Mugs are now available for purchase. We use Paypal –so you know it’s safe!
Owners Jeff and Phyllis Cunningham are happy to announce the newest members to the Wolfpen ATV Campground family. Linda and Cedric Mosely, origianlly from Mena, and nearby Oklahoma, are very excited to be the new campground hosts for the 2009 season, and years to come. What better job is there than to greet and welcome all the great people that visit Wolfpen Gap ATV trail system everyday!? Knowledgeable of “all things Wolfpen,” stop into the store and ask Ced directions to a trail “off the main trail loops” or ask about the newest trail openings! You can also find this information on our website, http://wolfpenatv.com.
Wolfpen Gap ATV trail system in the Ouchaita National Forest has provided good family recreational fun for over 20 years…don’t miss an incredible opportunity to see the beauty of western Arkansas. Book a weekend at Wolfpen ATV Campground, and see why more and more people return year, after year, after year. A home away from home, in a cabin with at home amenities such as a kitchen, television with Dish, and full bathrooms, to cabins with more of a rustic feel with electricity and beds and a community bath house. Bring a tent and camp in nature, or bring your RV — with full hook-ups. Wolfpen ATV Campground is the oldest and largest campground in the area. Established 1997, we are now in our 12th season and are bigger and stronger than ever. Other campgrounds have popped up around us over the years, but none can compete with what Wolfpen ATV Campground offers.
Call 479-394-0404 to book your reservations today!
Visit our website and become a member by clicking “mailing list” http://wolfpenatv.com
