This past February was the ensemble’s grand concert and instead of strings, woodwinds, percussion and brass, the players consisted of preservationists, recreational groups, academics, politicians, a charitable foundation and one very determined maestro, Frank Sharp. Sharp's stewardship campaign to save Mount Kessler's 376 acres of wooded and rocky land is the stuff of Dr. Seuss' Lorax. Sharp spoke for the trees and, after four decades of talking the talk, his orchestrated voice was finally heard.
Sharp moved to Mount Kessler with his family when he was only four years old. He and his wife, Sara, live in the same house that his family built on property that served them well, land where they raised pigs and other livestock for the historic smokehouse that sits at the base of the mountain. The Ozark Mountain Smoke House eventually became famous enough that President Bill Clinton stopped in with his Secret Service agents to buy fixins to bring back to the White House. It was likely Sharp's continued sense of hospitality and his generous feeding home-cooked food to the diverse lot of passersby, whether mountain bikers, hikers, trail runners, wildlife aficionados, teachers or students, that helped to solidify the conservation movement. That and a matching grant from the Walton Family Foundation.
All the groups came together, rallied to preserve the outdoor teaching space with its rocky and rooted trails, inspiring “Rock City” monolithic area and old-growth forests containing rare species for Northwest Arkansas. The City of Fayetteville's dedication to the concerted effort grew out of the municipality’s effort to "assemble an enduring green network," as stated in the City’s 2006 planning documents. Fayetteville was to "vigilantly nurture a continuum of green, including .... greenways and trails ... large-scale preserves for stabilizing hillsides, protecting natural habitats ...." The Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association, Sharp’s organization, and many user groups filled City Hall in mid-February and when the City Council voted to preserve Mount Kessler you can bet Sharp's smile was the broadest. For he had saved a mountain.
