By Jeff Niese

FAYETTEVILLE -- A group working to keep 70 acres of Mount Sequoyah land in its natural state said it is hopeful the public will step forward for the cause.

"The problem is now before us. We have a finite amount of time to get this accomplished," said Duane Woltjen, who is a member of the Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association.

Friday, the Mount Sequoyah Center board of trustees voted unanimously to sell the property on the east side of Mount Sequoyah. The land, which has hiking trails running through it, has been known as Sequoyah Forest.

The trustees formed a task force chaired by Bishop Bruce Blake, chairman of the board of trustees, to oversee the sale of the property, which adjoins the center at 150 N.W. Skyline, atop Mount Sequoyah.

The land is part of 400 acres given to the United Methodist Church in 1922.

The land was appraised at $1.3 million earlier this year.

Woltjen looked at Friday's decision as a possible benefit to preservation efforts.

"We are not disappointed. We are pleased they are going to sell it. It gives Fayetteville citizens the opportunity to put the land in permanent public access. We welcome this decision," he said.

Pete Heinzelmann, also a member of the heritage association, said development of the land would be a tragedy and compared it to New York City building skyscrapers in Central Park.

"It is a pristine forest trapped in the city of Fayetteville that is now at the risk of being lost," Heinzelmann said.

"It's like Devil's Den inside Fayetteville," he said referring to the state park near West Fork.

Woltjen and Heinzelmann, along with Mayor Dan Coody, tried to persuade trustees Friday that the best use of the land would be to keep it as it is.

The trustees' vote, however, came as no surprise to Heinzelmann. The center had two appraisals on the land in the past two years, he said.

Environmentalists have speculated that some of the trees in the forest could be 200 years old. Red and white oaks tower in the woods. At least one red oak reaches more than 100 feet into the sky and has a trunk 8 feet in diameter.

One way to protect the land from development would be to sell it to a holding agency, Woltjen speculated. The Ozark Regional Land Trust and the Nature Conservancy might be possibilities, he said. Environmentalists will also try to persuade the city of Fayetteville to purchase and keep the land as a natural park.

Woltjen added, however, that he suspects developers with checks already in hand might start calling the center.

The land is surrounded by development. Houses border the property on two sides. To the east is a Lindsey and Associates apartment complex, The Cliffs. Land south and west of the property is under development.

Money from the sale of the land will go to programming at the center, said Charles Wallace, president of the center.

There are 52 buildings, including meeting rooms, classrooms and a cafeteria, on the 30-acre campus on top of the mountain. The campus can accommodate 350 residents.

Members of the staff produce about 20 programs throughout the year. Methodist-affiliated groups produce another five programs, and not-for-profit groups produce about 30 programs, he said.

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