Maurice Jackson, the FCFP coordinator, said the “grand opening” of the park and pond is a long time coming. The program has held events at Matthews Park in recent years, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the park and pond were built, there was never a proper opening. Saturday’s event will serve that purpose with invited local dignitaries led by Greenbrier Mayor Sammy Hartwick.

“Our park has been open a couple of years and it’s being used for many things,” Mayor Hartwick said. “So many people are up there now using the splash pad, and we’ll see folks under the pavilion with birthday parties for kids. A circus based out of Springfield (about 10 miles from Greenbrier) is up there doing horse riding training for kids … It’s what we were hoping for when we build the park and pond, having people come out and have a good time.

“It looks like Mr. Jackson has quite an agenda” for Saturday’s event, the mayor added.

The park, which is 55 acres with a pond taking up a small portion of that, was named for Percy “P.B.” Matthews, who served as the town’s mayor and recorder-treasurer five times in the 1950s and ’60s. The Matthews family owned the land, off Ivy Street and east of U.S. Highway 65 (South Broadview Street), and it sat idle and for sale for about 20 years, Hartwick said. Hartwick saw an opportunity to develop the land for city use, and the two children of the late Matthews who live out of state agreed to the city’s offer, allowing the city of Greenbrier to pay the sale amount over two years.

“Our citizens, they are great people and they saw the need,” Hartwick said, noting the half-cent sales tax that Greenbrier voters approved for the park and a new fire station. When the bond is paid off, two-thirds of the half-cent tax sunsets and the remainder will provide for operation and maintenance, he said.

Also, a timely matching grant of $250,000 from the Arkansas Parks and Tourism’s Outdoors Recreation Grants Program helped fund the park and amenities.
“Man, it’s just a blessing,” Hartwick said.

The AGFC’s Jackson continues growing the FCFP, providing family fishing opportunities with special events at several communities throughout Faulkner and White counties, as well as in northeastern Arkansas. To be a part of the FCFP lineup, a town must be in a county of at least 25,000 people. Vilonia’s Weaver Family Community Pond recently was added to the roster, and Beebe’s Community Pond in White County came on board at the same time as Matthews Park during the waning days of the pandemic. The program’s 50th pond, now being built in Osceola, should come online by the fall, Jackson said. Marion opened an FCFP location at its Recreation Complex in recent years, just after West Memphis’s Tilden Rodgers Park Pond joined the roster.

Greenbrier city officials anticipate up to 500 people attending Saturday’s fishing derby. All ages are welcome. Advanced registration is urged; visit https://register-ed.com/events/view/214185 to register. Participants should bring their own fishing gear.

For a full list of FCFP ponds around the state and an interactive map to find them, visit https://www.agfc.com/fishing/where-to-fish/family-and-community-fishing-program-stocked-ponds/.

Also, 22 catfish derbies are scheduled throughout the state through the month of June with stocking by the AGFC’s fishing derby program. For a list of derbies, see https://www.agfc.com/education/fishing-derby-program/.

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CUTLINES:

TWO YOUNG ANGLERS:
June 15 marks the “grand opening” celebration of Matthews Park Pond in Greenbrier being added to the AGFC’s Family and Community Fishing Program.

COMPLETED POND:
The AGFC will stock hundreds of catchable-sized channel catfish for anglers to enjoy, and the park will be buzzing with a party atmosphere Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

CONSTRUCTION:
The 55 acres where Matthews Park now sits once sat vacant for more than 20 years before residents of Greenbrier approved a half-cent sales tax increase to help purchase and transform the property.

Space around the ponds can get tight, so visit www.agfc.com/education/2024-free-fishing-weekend to register for a derby now before they’re all full.

Free Fishing Weekend, sponsored by the AGFC, is an annual event each June that lets anyone in the state, resident or nonresident, fish without the need for a license or trout stamp. All daily limits and fishing regulations are still enforced, but the license requirement will be waived from noon, June 7-11:59 p.m. June 9.

Even if you can’t make it to a fishing derby, Arkansas has more than 600,000 acres of lakes and reservoirs and more than 90,000 miles of rivers, streams and creeks to ply with rod-and-reel to enjoy. Many anglers who specialize in bass, crappie or catfish often use Free Fishing Weekend to try a change of pace, chasing rainbow trout or brown trout on the Little Red, Norfork or White rivers. The waiver of the extra trout permit often is enough to tempt a few “Southern-fried” bass and crappie anglers to give coldwater angling a shot.

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CUTLINES:

THREE GIRLS
Three young girls show off their catch from the Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery in Lonoke.

ANGLER FIGHTING FISH
In addition to standard, catchable size catfish, hatchery staff often throw a few “surprise” monsters in the ponds for visitors to enjoy.

FATHER/DAUGHTER FISHING
Families are encouraged to visit www.agfc.com and register for one of the AGFC’s four hatchery fishing derbies held from 8 a.m.-noon June 8.

“When I caught a trout to start the year, I decided to see just how fast I could get it done,” Ferguson said. “I caught a bass the next day, then a catfish and bluegill the day after. I went one day without that last fish, so I went to Higginson Lake because I know it’s got crappie, and I caught that one the next day.”

JJ Gladden, AGFC assistant chief of education, said the beauty of the Arkansas Grand Slam program is that an angler doesn’t have to have access to many bodies of water or a boat to complete the award.

“You can do it in a single Family and Community Fishing Program pond if we stock it with trout in winter,” Gladden said. “Or you can go nuts and travel all over the state if you want to. The main thing is to get out, fish and have a good time.”

All qualifying applicants will receive a decal to put on their car, boat or tackle box letting all their angling buddies know they are a fishing fanatic.

Fanatic is a bit of an understatement when it comes to Ferguson. When we caught up with her for an interview, she had just loaded her kayak and was headed to the Kayak Bass Fishing National Championship being held in Alabama on Lake Guntersville April 3-6.

“I fished the Catch 22 nationwide online fishing tournament last year and the team I was in placed in the top three, which qualified for the national championship this year,” Ferguson said. “I’m really excited about it. I normally fish from the bank, and I’ve been a little cautious about fishing in a lake here in Arkansas, but here I am, about to fish in a kayak on a 69,000-acre lake!”

Ferguson says she began fishing about six years ago, when her children were about to head off on their own.

“I wanted something fun to do with all the extra time I was going to have,” Ferguson said. “I got some of my husband’s fishing stuff out of the garage and started going to Searcy City Lake. For the first year and a half, I caught nothing but panfish, but then I caught my first largemouth and it was ‘game on!’ I’ve since caught my personal best largemouth at 6.8 pounds down at [Rick Evans Grandview Nature Center].”

Ferguson volunteers for anything fishing related with the AGFC’s Fishing in The Natural State or Becoming an Outdoors-Woman programs.

“I try to help people out whenever I’m fishing and see someone holding their rod wrong or looking lost, and I volunteer with Lea White (AGFC BOW coordinator) and Bo Davidson (AGFC FINS coordinator) whenever I can,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson doesn’t just fish. Thanks to an extensive lineup of courses and offerings she learned about through the AGFC, she’s gone headfirst into hunting as well. “I’ve been able to do so much in the outdoors thanks to the [Arkansas Game and Fish Commission]. I got to take my first deer, my first alligator, went on my first duck hunt and my first quail hunt, and that is all since October!”

Visit www.agfc.com/education/arkansas-grand-slam to learn more about the Arkansas Grand Slam and apply for your award when you’ve completed the quest.

 

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CUTLINES:

WOMAN WITH BLUEGILL
Caroline Ferguson caught this nice bluegill in her four-day quest to complete the Arkansas Grand Slam this year. Photo courtesy of Caronline Ferguson.

WOMAN WITH TROUT
A rainbow trout at Searcy City Lake kicked off Ferguson’s Arkansas Grand Slam for the second year in a row. Photo courtesy of Caronline Ferguson.

LOGO
The Arkansas Grand Slam is an incentive-based program to reward anglers who catch at least one bream, one bass, one catfish, one crappie and one trout in a single year.

WOMAN WITH CRAPPIE
He might be small, but this crappie completed Ferguson’s Grand Slam Fishing Award. Fish of any size qualify. Photo courtesy of Caronline Ferguson.

Robinson’s efforts to bring the outdoors to her Lincoln High School students through archery, fishing, rock climbing and other pursuits started with a chance encounter.

“I got into Trout Unlimited five years ago,” Robinson said. “I was going through something in my life and I ran into this guy, Brian Kick, and he talked me into taking on Trout in the Classroom.”

Kick is a fishing guide and former president of TU Chapter 514 based in Fayetteville (Robinson is the current president). Trout in the Classroom is a TU program that places aquariums with teachers.

“So I started just with a trout tank in my classroom,” Robinson continued. “Today I run Trout in the Classroom for northwest Arkansas and we have seven schools and eight on a waiting list.”

That would be plenty to handle for many teachers, but Robinson, who holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas and a master’s in educational leadership from Arkansas State University, was just beginning.

“Last year we started our first trout camp,” she said. “My goal is to make public education and conservation education, specifically, free to kids. Public education is deep in my blood and it’s incredibly important to me to make sure that kids have the opportunity and don’t have to pay for it.”

Looks like she met that goal, again, thanks to a bit of chance. She and her husband, Aaron, who’s also a TU member, went to the group’s national meeting in Maine two years ago and visited a TU trout camp. Robinson was impressed, yet perplexed.

“They charge (for the camp) and that just sort of bothered me,” Robinson said. “So I figured out a way to make it free. JJ assisted me with that.”

Some of the money raised at TU 514’s annual banquet is used to help pay for the trout camp, held in June and open to youngsters ages 13-17. Some people donate directly to the camp or sponsor a camper. Everyone who works on the camp is a volunteer.

“We teach kids how to fly-fish, they get a free fly rod,” Robinson said. “It’s just been an incredible experience. This is the second year we’re offering trout camp to 14 kids, completely free, five days, overnight, at Riverview Resort. Jordan Bevil (an AGFC regional coordinator) has been huge, coming not just to my classes, but also to my trout camp.

“We’re also offering two scholarships to students who are going into the conservation field. They write us a little essay, tell us what they want to do that involves conservation.”

Then there’s the Lincoln High School archery team Robinson has coached for two years. Lincoln fielded teams before but never had a high school squad, which reached the state championship round last March.

“I started the program with nothing,” Robinson said. “The Arkansas National Guard donated bows to our team so we’d have enough to shoot at state.”

Robinson’s students also are involved in events with the Beaver Watershed Alliance and Illinois River Watershed Partnership. As an educational partner and board member of Northwest Arkansas Fish Habitat Alliance, Robinson built fish habitats with her students, a process that was recorded for a video. The habitats were placed in Lincoln Lake, a couple of miles north of Lincoln.

“The idea is to connect kids to their hometown, to their home lakes, wherever that might be,” Robinson said. “Lincoln Lake is pretty incredible. We rock climb there as well; that’s part of my outdoor education curriculum.

“We’re getting kids outside and we’re doing stuff that they’re going to remember forever. They’re not going to remember what they did in geometry class, probably not going to remember what they did in my biology class, but they’re going to remember rock climbing with Mrs. Robinson. They’re going to remember the eight-mile canoe float down the Elk River.”

These activities sound like fun but Robinson has overcome some challenging hurdles.

“We’re making a difference and Arkansas Game and Fish has been huge with that,” she said. “Every year I apply for a grant to help pay for some of this stuff because my school is 80 percent free/reduced lunch. I have a student on my fishing team who is homeless; I have a student who can’t afford anything. I have found a way to pay for absolutely all of his gear. I drive him to every single tournament even if we have to leave at 2 a.m. My husband has been a huge help with that.”

At the AGFC awards ceremony, Gladden announced that Robinson and TU 514 were selected to receive a $10,000 George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar (Let’s Go Fishing) Education Fund grant from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. The money will be spent on outdoor outreach to northwest Arkansas’s Hispanic families.

Robinson also recently received the 2024 Joe Hogan Award from the Arkansas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. The award, named for the AGFC’s first chief of fisheries, recognizes a strong commitment to fisheries and aquatic resources.

Although she has made amazing strides with her students, Robinson pointed out that Lincoln High School Principal Stan Karber has backed her since the beginning.

“He’s highly motivated to get kids outside and to create opportunity,” Robinson said. “He says yes to everything I ever ask him to do and he’s the reason we have these programs.”

Archery team coach, Trout in the Classroom sponsor, TU chapter president, trout camp manager, fishing team coach and, lest we forget, Robinson also coaches a chess team. She laughs at the absurd number of irons she has in the fire but realizes that Lincoln is a small, rural school with 65-95 graduates per year. Anything other than basic education requires an army of volunteers.

“Small schools,” she said with a laugh. “If you don’t do it all, no one will.”

Visit www.agfc.com/education to learn how to incorporate nature-based education in your elementary, middle or high school.

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CUTLINES:

GROUP ON BANK
Robinson’s first fishing team on the shore of Beaver Lake in fall 2022 after their first bass tournament. Photo courtesy of Hailey Robinson.

FISHING
Students in Robinson’s class participate in a “catch, clean and cook” field trip at Roaring River in Missouri in 2022. Photo courtesy of Hailey Robinson.

ARCHERY
Students participating in archery classes at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale. Photo courtesy of Hailey Robinson.

FLY TYING
Students in Hailey Robinson’s class learned the subtle art of tying fishing flies thanks to one of Robinson’s Gofundme efforts. Photo courtesy of Hailey Robinson.

The week will start off with an outdoor gear swap meet March 16 at the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center. Vendors will be available to purchase items, but the real fun is bringing your own gently used fishing and hunting equipment (except firearms) to the center to see if other attendees are interested in buying or trading gear.

“If you have a lot of gear, you can call ahead and see if you can get a booth space, but most people just carry a few things with them,” Maynard said. “It’s also a great place just to meet fellow outdoors enthusiasts and share stories you’ve experienced with some of that gear.”

A new addition to this year’s spring break lineup is the creation of two fish camps, one at Rick Evans Grandview Prairie Nature Center in Columbus (Hempstead County), and the other at the Andy Simmons Outdoor Skills Farm, a recent acquisition near Grady (Lincoln County) being run by a partnership of the AGFC and Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation.

“The camp at the skills farm is actually an overnight stay and has limited registration being handled through an application process,” Maynard said. “But people who attend it will learn fishing, cleaning, cooking and using passive fishing techniques like using trotlines, yo-yos and jugs to catch a limit of fish for the fryer.”

The fish camp at Grandview is a day camp, but participants will still have plenty of fishing time, plus time for food and fun.

Other nature centers like the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center and Potlatch Cook’s Lake Nature Center have lakes where visitors can fish, and less structured fishing programs will be available at those centers throughout the week as well.

If your kids are more interested in cooking their catch, Potlatch Nature Center is the place to be. Center Director Wil Hafner is known for his skill whipping up gourmet meals from wild game and fish, and he’s excited to boil things down for a younger audience in some special “Cooking with Wil” classes scheduled throughout the week.

“In the past, we’ve made homemade fish sticks using fresh caught fish, wild game quesadillas and build-it-yourself pizzas during these courses,” Hafner said. “I’m getting the kitchen ready to get busy cooking and show our visitors that the fun doesn’t stop when you put the fishing rod away.”

Maynard says the spring break programs aren’t all about catching and cooking; there are tons of outdoor-based activities available for kids who would rather take nature hikes or even spend their time indoors learning about nature.

“Ultimately, we want people to get outside and enjoy The Natural State, but there’s something for everyone to get them interested in conservation and wildlife and spark that fire,” Maynard said. “Some of our nature centers will have track casting classes where kids can make prints of various animal tracks in playdough, clay or even soap they can take home. We’ll have a lot of archery classes throughout the state, and I know at least one nature center will be having decoy-painting classes to allow participants some artistic expression that fits into the conservation story.”

Although many nature centers will be closed March 17-18, some of the staff also are setting up wildlife hikes to scenic destinations to enjoy their “day off” with anyone else who loves nature.

“It’s really just a matter of looking through the agency’s Outdoor Skills Calendar and picking out an activity that suits you,” Maynard said. “Some do require registration and some have limited space, so it’s important to check out the details on the calendar and sign up if you’re interested.”

Visit www.agfc.com/springbreak to find a list of offerings and plan your spring break adventure.

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CUTLINES

GUIDED HIKE
Guided watchable wildlife hikes are only one of the many offerings available to parents and students during spring break. AGFC photo.

CANOES
Canoe and kayak classes are available at some of the AGFC’s nature centers during spring break. AGFC photo.

BOYS WITH TURTLE
Visit some of the AGFC’s animal ambassadors at one of nine nature centers across the state during spring break. AGFC photo.

BOY GLUING TURKEY CALL
The Taklin’ Turkey Class at Forrest L. Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center is always a popular spring break activity, where students will build and keep their own turkey call to use in their hunting adventures. AGFC photo.

Schools in 67 counties were awarded grants, and 240 awards were made, according to Becca Caldwell, Director of Rural Services for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

“Outdoor recreation is a vital part of Arkansas’s quality of life, and it is an important draw for people looking at The Natural State as a place to live, work and raise a family,” said Clint O’Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “We are proud to help support wildlife education and conservation programs in schools across Arkansas, growing our outdoor recreation economy and building stronger communities throughout the state.”

JJ Gladden, AGFC assistant chief of education, said the fine money grant partnership has been a huge success for many schools, particularly those in rural areas with limited budgets.

All schools in the state are eligible to participate in the program, but only money collected in the county where the violation occurred may be used as grant funds for that county.

The funding has helped schools create and maintain archery, fishing, and competitive shooting sports programs. Schools also have used the money to help improve wildlife education by purchasing educational materials, materials for the creation of indoor and outdoor habitats, lab supplies, and field trips to AGFC nature and education centers. Conservation districts have used the funding to help promote wildlife conservation awareness in the communities by hosting environmental education days and fishing derbies for children of all ages.

“Budgets are so tight in some districts, they’re barely able to cover the cost of core classes,” Gladden said. “The fine money grant program enables us to help shoulder some of the load and bring all sorts of great education programs to the kids. Many of these children will be the future of conservation and we can’t let money get in the way of their future.”

For more information, including a complete list of 2024 Game and Fish Wildlife Grant Award recipients and program narratives, visit https://www.arkansasedc.com/Rural-Services/division.

 

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CUTLINES

ARCHERY
Most schools participating in the Archery in the Schools Program purchase bows, arrows and other equipment through fine money grants administered by the AEDC.

TEACHER WITH STUDENTS
Fine money grants administered by the AEDC are used in outdoor classroom projects and schoolyard habitat projects to keep students engaged.

FISHING
Travel for mentored fishing trips and on-site experiences that tie back into lesson plans through the AGFC can be paid for through fine money grants collected by the AGFC and distributed by the AEDC.

Hailey Robinson, life sciences teacher at Lincoln High School, received the Education Division’s Conservation Educator of the Year Award. Robinson not only inspires her students through in-school curriculum fostered through the AGFC, but also is the president of Trout Unlimited’s 514 chapter in northwest Arkansas. Her work with students has ranged from growing trout in an aquarium in the classroom, to taking students on fishing trips and conservation projects for fisheries and even developing a free fishing camp for students to learn how to fish. Other programs she leads include habitat programs for lakes and rock climbing with the students.

“We’re getting kids outside and doing stuff that they’re going to remember forever,” Robinson said. “They’re probably not going to remember what they did in my biology class, but they’re going to remember rock climbing with Mrs. Robinson … They’re going to remember the 8-mile canoe float down the Elk River; and a lot of this is made possible through Arkansas Game and Fish.”

Batesville School District received the Education Division’s Conservation Education District of the Year Award for their work in many conservation and recreational shooting programs offered through the AGFC.

Dr. Michael Hester, superintendent of Batesville School District, praised the educators in his district for their commitment to the many conservation programs in which the district is engaged. He equated the Batesville area as being similar to Fort Collins, Colorado, in the many outdoors opportunities available to residents and visitors.

“The Batesville culture is to get our kids out, get our people out and enjoy the beautiful nature around us,” Hester said. “I want to thank all [Batesville educators], through the programs they pull it together, and it’s just wonderful.”

Dr. Greg Pilewski, superintendent from the North Little Rock School District, and Mary Beth Hatch, an educator in the district, were honored with the AGFC’s Conservation Education Project of the Year Award for their implementation of AGFC outdoor curriculum across nearly the entire school district. Professional development classes for hunter and boater education, Fishing in the Natural State, Archery in the Schools and many other AGFC offerings were attended by multiple teachers from elementary through high school level to implement these programs in their classrooms.

“I was privileged to grow up in north-central Arkansas and I had the opportunity to play in the pond that was on my land; to go to the creek, play in caves, and have that experience,” Hatch said. “When I had children, I wanted them to have those same experiences that I have. Now I have hundreds of children from 18 years in education and I want them all to have those same experiences as well. Dr Pilewski laid out a vision for what impact outdoor education and environmental learning could have for all of the students in our district.”

In his monthly report to the Commission, AGFC Director Austin Booth continued the discussion about the many partnering organizations who create Arkansas’s conservation ethos. He spoke about the educators in attendance, as well as groups like Ducks Unlimited, and the many outdoorsmen and women who attend public meetings to be a part of conservation and come alongside the agency to move the needle.

“The flame of conservation is what drives conservation forward,” Booth said. “It lives first in the hearts of people before it does expertise or degrees. As we look at Natural State Tomorrow and the conservation work ahead, I remain more confident than ever that the flame of conservation burns brightly within all of us. The best part about conservation and the most important thing for it to thrive are people.” [CLICK FOR PRESENTATION]

The Commission recognized Keith Stephens, AGFC chief of communications, and Eric Maynard, interim chief of education, who presented the artwork for the 2024 AGFC Conservation License Plate, a barred owl. Conservation license plates are available for an additional $35 fee over the normal registration fee, $25 of which is sent to the AGFC to fund scholarships, internships and other education efforts in the state. The program has generated nearly $20.8 million for conservation education since its inception in 2000. [CLICK FOR PRESENTATION]

In other business, the Commission:

• Recognized Deke Whitbeck, president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, who presented Patricia Salisbury, AGFC licensing specialist, with a lifetime hunting and fishing license for a member of their family under 16 in a drawing of all AGFC employees who joined the Foundation in a membership drive during January. [CLICK FOR PRESENTATION]

• Recognized Luke Naylor, AGFC Chief of Wildlife Management, who presented AGFC Deputy Director Brad Carner with the Arctic Goose Joint Venture’s Partner Appreciation Award. [CLICK FOR PRESENTATION]

• Recognized 17 employees with a combined 365 years of experience serving the people of Arkansas and conserving the precious natural resources of The Natural State.

• Authorized Director Booth to complete a grant agreement of $130,500 with Southern Arkansas University to expand the recreational shooting facilities at SAU’s Outdoor Campus in Magnolia. [CLICK FOR PRESENTATION]

• Authorized Director Booth to complete the purchase of a building from the city of Mountain Home to serve as the AGFC’s permanent Mountain Home Regional Office. The building previously served as Mountain Home’s Police Department headquarters and will be purchased for $1.1 million. [CLICK FOR PRESENTATION]

 

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CUTLINES:

SEATED COMMISSIONERS
AGFC Commission Chairman Stan Jones led healthy discussions on many of the proposed regulations changes during yesterday’s Commission briefings and today’s formal Commission meeting.

WOMAN SPEAKING TO CROWD
Hailey Robinson was awarded the AGFC’s Conservation Educator of the Year Award for her work with students at Lincoln High School in northwest Arkansas.

MAN AT LECTERN
Dr. Michael Hester praised many of the educators in the Batesville School District for the continued implementation of outdoors curriculum throughout their schools.

THREE PEOPLE AT LECTERN
Mary Beth Hatch and Dr. Greg Pilewski of the North Little Rock School District listen to student Chris Brown describe his experience with the district’s many outdoor-based curriculums that have been implemented in the last year.

According to the latest survey, about 15 percent of Americans 16 and older fished an average of 20 days during 2022. Sixty-seven percent of them were male, seventy-five percent were White and 36 percent were in the 25-44 age group.

“The average expenditure per angler in 2022 was about $2,500,” Feltz said. “This could have been trip expenditures, equipment, license fees or other expenses.” Feltz pointed out that among ethnic groups, Asian-Americans had the highest rate of fishing participation at 20 percent.

In Arkansas, 516,000 people 16 and older fished, or about 28 percent of residents 16-34. Thirty percent of men and 15 percent of women in Arkansas fished; they spent $3.8 billion in 2022. Hispanics led all ethnicities in participation rate at 28 percent. About 391,000 people came to Arkansas to go fishing.

About 5.5 percent of Americans hunted in 2022, and 80 percent of those pursued big game such as elk, deer, bear or wild turkey. They averaged 12 days hunting big game and eight days chasing migratory birds, and spent an average of $857 on hunting-related costs. Seventy-seven percent of hunters were male and 35 percent were 55 or older. About 270,000 Arkansans hunted, or 19 percent of residents 16-34. Eighteen percent of men and 6 percent of women hunted; they spent about $1.7 billion. About 127,000 people came from other states to pursue game in Arkansas.

The survey defined wildlife watching as “closely observing, feeding or photographing wildlife, visiting public spaces to view wildlife, and maintaining plantings and natural areas around the home for the benefit of wildlife.” Trips were captured as either being done around the home or greater than one mile away from the home.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans fit the definition. Birding was the most popular activity among wildlife watchers; birders averaged 78 days in 2022, and 44 percent of them traveled to observe birds. Each wildlife watcher spent an average of $2,188.

Sixty-four percent (1.5 million) of Arkansans 16 and older were wildlife watchers, including 69 percent of men and 60 percent of women. About 1.2 million people came to see wildlife in Arkansas. Wildlife watchers in the state spent $7.1 billion during the year. Sport-shooting statistics were included in the survey for the first time, revealing that 47 million Americans participated in target shooting in 2021 (579,000 Arkansans). Nineteen million people participated in target archery (248,000 Arkansans) and 48 million (499,000 Arkansans) took part in motorized pleasure boating (not fishing). These figures are just a glimpse of the statistics captured within the revamped national and state surveys, which will stand up to comparison in the future.

Visit the USFWS survey site to learn more about the results of the survey on a national level.

 

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CUTLINES:

MAN AND DAUGHTER DEER HUNTING
Seventy-seven percent of hunters were male during a 2022 national survey.

MAN WITH FISH
According to the most recent survey 516,000 people over 16 fished in Arkansas in 2022 and had an average expenditure of $2,500 per year toward angling efforts in the state.

PEOPLE VIEWING ELK
Arkansas Wildlife watchers spent an estimated $7.1 billion in 2022 pursuing their passion.