Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Arkansas remains The Natural State in large part because of the work of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission working with partners, both public and private, to conserve the state’s natural resources and apply good stewardship so those resources will remain in place for future generations.
The agency is responsible for conserving and enhancing Arkansas’s fish and wildlife, and their habitats. It is overseen by a seven-member board appointed by the governor to serve seven-year terms. Another major focus of the AGFC is conservation education taught through promoting sustainable use, engaging in outdoor recreation and building awareness of conservation and management practices.
Legislation creating the agency was established through Act 124 of 1915 and signed into law by Gov. George Washington Hays. Arkansas was one of the last states with no state agency to regulate wildlife and habitat. Game populations had begun to decline in the state and across the country, and state leaders recognized the need to manage them.
Initially funded mostly by license fees and fines, the commission created a system of game wardens and refined regulations for hunting, fishing and trapping, the latter of which remained popular in the early 20th century.
Through its first 30 years, the commissions conservation methodology, regulations, season dates and bag limits were influenced by state legislature and changing gubernatorial administrations. But in 1944, the people of the state passed Amendment 35, which gave the commission it’s current autonomy as a constitutional agency and enabled wildlife regulations to be enforceable on a statewide basis. Amendment 35 was the true mark of the beginning of wildlife conservation in Arkansas.
“Amendment 35 represents two important aspects of wildlife conservation,” according to AGFC Director Pat Fitts. “The ability to enforce statewide regulations and the autonomy to allow wildlife and fisheries management decisions to be driven by more long-term, science-based methodology.”
In 1937,the federal Pittman-Robertson Act gave conservation in Arkansas a much needed new source of funding. The act provided dedicated funding to states for conservation and habitat restoration. It designates an excise tax on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment that is distributed to states for the selection, restoration and improvement of wildlife habitat. In 1950, the federal Dingell-Johnson Act provided similar federal funding for states’ conservation programs related to fish.
Both laws include a funding formula determined by a state’s size and its number of licensed hunters and anglers, and they serve as the primary funding source for state conservation efforts. Throughout most of the 20th century, this “user pay, public benefit” model placed most of the burden on hunters, anglers and associated industries while benefits were spread throughout the landscape for other outdoor recreation.
For the next 50 years, the commission continued to operate on funding sources that were tied to hunter and angler licenses or an excise tax on goods mostly consumed by that user group. Hunters and anglers were baring a majority of the investment in conservation for the rest of the country and state fish and wildlife agencies were having to make the extremely difficult decisions of what high-value conservation and management programs to not fund.
In November 1996, Arkansas voters passed a conservation sales tax, which went into effect July 1, 1997. It designates one-eighth of 1 percent of the state’s general sales tax for Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (45 percent), Arkansas State Parks (45 percent), Department of Arkansas Heritage (9 percent) and Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission (1 percent). This additional funding source gave AGFC the much-needed support to continue creating habitat and improving the quality of wildlife our state holds with so much reverence. “The AGFC continues to make good on its promise to Arkansans to be good stewards of its investment and to use those resources to invest in wildlife law enforcement throughout the state, more wildlife habitat for public use, expanding conservation and outdoor skill education and an increased focused on endangered species,” Fitts added.
The AGFC embraces its responsibility as the leading conservation agency in the state and as a trusted steward of Arkansas’s natural resources. AGFC manages 600,000 acres of lakes and 100,000 miles of rivers and streams; manages 400,000 acres of wildlife management areas; cooperatively manages 3.2 million acres of public land, and operates five fish hatcheries. The commission’s conservation work entails habitat management on more than 100 wildlife management areas located across the state. These designated areas provide Arkansans with public venues to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors. AGFC also operates nine nature and education centers across the state with a new nature center under construction in Northwest Arkansas. These are all vital components of the conservation work in Arkansas, but they require a heavy investment to maintain.
Outside of the typical annual conservation objectives, the AGFC has a growing list of high-value, long-term maintenance needs. The projects that currently top that list and will come with a price tag well over a $100 million include:
• Updates to water-control structures that protect the state’s world-renowned green-tree reservoirs on state wildlife management areas
• Renovating aging and failing dams on public fishing lakes
• Modernizing trout and other sportfish hatcheries
• Expanding conservation education programs to inform the public about nature and to teach the next generation of hunters and anglers proficient skills.
• Increased demand to combat invasive plants and wildlife that negatively impact our native species and public recreation.
Over the last 104 years, the AGFC has helped write the history of conservation in Arkansas. During that time, the commission, its partners and Arkansans have worked together to maintain the “Natural State” as a destination for those that love the outdoors and everything that Arkansas has to offer. Access to some of the best public land for outdoor recreation continues to expand and help grow Arkansas’ economy. Plentiful game and fish populations provide opportunities for hunters, anglers, hikers, paddlers a memorable experience. Unfortunately, as the hunting and angling participation declines, so does the funding that is needed to care for our state’s fish and wildlife.
It’s important to identify other avenues of conservation funding as current funding models age. But a new means of funding is necessary if the agency is to help write future chapters.
Timeline of important dates
1915
State legislation creates what would become the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
1937
The federal Pittman-Robertson Act provides dedicated conservation funding to states based on sales of hunting licenses and related accessories.
1944
Amendment 44 to the Arkansas state constitution provides the commission autonomy from the state legislature.
1950
The federal Dingell-Johnson Act provides dedicated conservation funding to states based on the sales of fishing licenses and related accessories.
1997
Amendment 75 to the Arkansas state constitution sets a statewide sales tax of one-eighth of one percent dedicated to the commission.