We need volunteers to cover the Save Markham Hill information booth this summer at the Fayetteville Farmers Market on Saturdays, July through September. We would like at least two people per Saturday to set up, pass out flyers, and tear down. The booth will run from 8:00am to 2:00pm on July 3 through Sept 11 (skipping Aug 21).  The goal: to inform more people about how wonderful it would be for the City to purchase the Markham Hill property for a forested City Park with features that the residents would love to have there. Combined with the adjacent 63 acres the City already owns, this would create a 200-acre forested City Park in the middle of Fayetteville, Arkansas. We need to do this before Specialized Real Estate Group and their anonymous financial backers deforest any more land for their big money development.

What might the people of Fayetteville want in this forested Markham Hill City Park?  An urban forest in the middle of the city for quiet sanctuary away from urban life; a large natural area nearby for the study of trees, wildflowers, geology, birds, reptiles, nature, and wildlife by students and researchers; a convenient place for plein air artists of all ages; a few pavilions and tent campsites for families and scouts on the wooded plateau; a contributor to the environmental and ecological health of our residents; paved, handicap-accessible trails on the wooded plateau surrounded by nature; natural trails across the hillsides for hikers, runners, and the champion U of A cross-country and track teams to continue their over 40 years of running there; maybe a second City pool which would be located in the Big Meadow where no deforesting is needed; protection of the historical places on Markham Hill where archeologists and others can study the early 20th century ruins and structures; a gathering place for Native Americans on their ancestral land and preservation of the known Native American sites; repurposing of the Pratt Place Inn for an art exhibition hall, art studios, U of A museum, etc.  A forested Markham Hill City Park would be so much better for Fayetteville than another development requiring deforestation and gentrification.

Please email Lisa Orton at lisa_m_orton@yahoo.com to volunteer to help in this effort. Let us know which Saturday(s) you would like to cover the booth:

July 3, July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31, Aug 7, Aug 14, Aug 28, Sept 4, Sept 11

Thank you for your support in any way you can help.

Sincerely,
Lisa Orton