A combination of increasing cost and an extensive and growing list of critical backlog maintenance items has forced the Vicksburg District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to cut back on some campgrounds schedules.  We are making changes across all missions in our properties in order to provide the highest level of service within existing funding.  For a complete schedule of campgrounds at Lake Ouachita, Lake Greeson and DeGray Lake click here.  Before you do, there are some things you might not know about the Corps of Engineers mission in Arkansas.

1. THE CAMPGROUNDS ARE OPEN, just on a different schedule.
2. Lake Ouachita, Blakely Mountain Dam and surrounding facilities are more than 50 years old.  As with any aging structure they must be maintained.  There is now a growing list of critical and non-critical maintenance items that must be resolved within the next few years.  Some of those require action now; some can be deferred for a short time.
3. Recreation is only one of the several missions at these lakes.  Others include Hydropower, Water Supply, Flood control and environmental.
4. A failure in hydropower would affect tens of thousands of Arkansas residents immediately and dramatically.  One of the maintenance items is repair to hydropower generating equipment.  That repair alone will cost 3 million dollars.  If we wait for failure, it will be even more expensive to repair.
5. We seek a balanced approach to fulfill all of those missions to the greatest extent possible. 
6. We are deferring some less critical maintenance to shift money to recreation, but we are seeking a balanced approach to the overall mission.
7. The changes have not only been in closing campgrounds.  For example we have decided not to hire 24 seasonal rangers as part of cost saving, deferring some maintenance is also a way of saving money.  All missions are sharing the burden.
8. The problem is not isolated to Arkansas.  Other Corps districts are considering closing campgrounds and taking other actions to manage their budgets.  While other campgrounds are fully operational, it takes congressional level action to move funds across state lines.
9. The final FY 08 Budget was 19.9 million dollars.  A small increase over last year’s budget. However, the priority shift to focus on critical maintenance means that work items involving maintenance received a greater share of the budget this year than last, thus reducing the total amount available for recreation.

• What kind of camping you want to do.
• The pros and cons of RV camping including detail for choosing the right RV for you.
• What to do when you go camping.
• How to keep your children happy and occupied while travelling to your camping adventure and how to keep them happy and safe while camping.
• How to have a good first aid kit for your outdoor adventure.
• A little on cooking and the type of food to take and prepare.
• Why not take your dog along?  The pros and cons for taking your dog with you.

USEFUL LINKS

      http://www.shangrilaresortar.com
    http://www.crystalspringsresort.com
    http://www.bradymtn.com
     http://www.mountainharborresort.com