Volunteers build fencing at military park in Pea Ridge
Posted on Sunday, October 15, 2006
PEA RIDGE - Volunteers on Saturday built another mile of worm rail fencing at Pea Ridge National Military Park in an ongoing project that should make the park more like it was in 1862.
Saturday's event was part of the fourth annual National Park Tour hosted by Take Pride in America, the National Park Foundation, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and Unilever.
In 1862, there were 17 miles of the fencing where the park is today to keep livestock out of settlers' fields, park superintendent John Scott said.
Unilever volunteers have built nine miles of the fencing and hope to build another eight miles by 2008.
"The good thing about this partnership is we've got the private sector and local citizens out here," Scott said. "To date, if we had to build that nine miles of fence, it would have been close to $ 100, 000, so we saved the taxpayers $ 100, 000."
Scott said the ordinal fences were both an advantage and a deterrent for soldiers at the battle of Pea Ridge.
"Image as you sent your infantry through there, you'd have to send someone through first to start knocking down those rails," he said.
The National Parks Tour is a volunteer-driven initiative designed to provide National Parks with manpower resources to complete projects and engage communities in the National Park experience.
In the past 13 years, Unilever has donated $ 30 million and plans to give another $ 20 million by 2008.
"It's just an opportunity to get out here," said Dave Allen of Unilever. "It's a nice event for the whole family to get out and help the community."
After four years of hosting National Parks America Tour events, Pea Ridge National Military Park has benefited from more than 1, 000 volunteers building fences and restoring trails. The four events resulted in the donation of volunteer manpower resources representing more than $ 120, 000 in taxpayer savings and work that would have taken the park personnel more than 90 days to complete.
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