The Commission
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission plays an important role in keeping The Natural State true to its name. Over the past 100 years, the agency has overseen the protection, conservation and preservation of various species of fish and wildlife in Arkansas. This is done through habitat management, fish stocking, hunting and fishing regulations, and a host of other programs conducive to helping Arkansas’ wildlife flourish.
In November 1996, Arkansas taxpayers passed Amendment 75 to the state constitution. The amendment now directs nearly 26 million dollars annually to wildlife protection and management in Arkansas. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is committed now, more than ever, to assuring a bright future for the state’s natural resources in years to come!
Our agency is more than just managing "critters." An essential part of ensuring a healthy wildlife population involves people. Through agency programs geared towards the public, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission works with the human element to generate awareness of ethical and sound management principles. Whether it be educational programs, fishing and hunting regulations, or environmental awareness, the agency understands that working with people is just as important a factor in managing wildlife as any other.
The Commission itself consists of seven Arkansans appointed by the governor to seven year terms. An eighth, non-voting, member sits as Chair of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville’s Department of Biology. It is the sole responsibility of the Commission to oversee the agency’s function as a wildlife management entity.
AGFC Director • AGFC Commissioners • 2009-10 Meeting Schedule • Meeting Agenda • AGFC Contact Numbers
The Director
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Scott Henderson, Director
Little Rock Central Office, Little Rock, AR 72205
(501) 223-6305 - shenderson@agfc.state.ar.us
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In February 2003, from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission appointed Scott Henderson as the agency’s new director. Henderson has worked for the AGFC since 1972. Before becoming director, he served as the agency’s assistant director for 16 years.
Henderson was born in Newport and is a 1970 graduate of Arkansas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology. Before working for the agency, Henderson taught high school chemistry and biology in Melbourne, Fla. He began his AGFC career as a fish truck driver at the Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery in Lonoke.
He has served as a fisheries research biologist, assistant chief of fisheries, chief of fisheries and was promoted in 1987 to assistant director. Henderson is married to the former Cathy Crow of Rector and they have two children: Mark and Karen.
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The following are the current members of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
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Brett Morgan - Chairman (2003-2010)
Little Rock, Arkansas
2 Rubra Ct., Little Rock, AR 72223 - (501) 529-1599 - bmorgan@agfc.state.ar.us
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Gov. Mike Huckabee appointed Brett Morgan of Little Rock to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
"I've been an avid Arkansas sportsman for 30 years," Morgan said. "I've actually hunted or fished on the majority of the state's wildlife management areas," he added. Morgan said the he would follow the governor’s lead in promoting the state. “I think Arkansas has some of the finest hunting and fishing in the country,” he said.
Huckabee said he chose Morgan because of Morgan's passion for protecting the state's natural resources and making them available to all Arkansans.
Morgan replaces Jim Hinkle of Mountain View. Morgan will serve until July 1, 2010.
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Craig Campbell - Vice-Chairman (2006-2011)
Little Rock, Arkansas
P.O. Box 34367, Little Rock, AR 72203 - 501-377-2403 - ccampbell@agfc.state.ar.us
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Gov. Huckabee appointed Craig Campbell, of Little Rock, to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Campbell replaces John Benjamin of Glenwood who resigned to pursue a new employment opportunity.
Campbell is vice chairman of The Stephens Group, LLC, a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas system, a member of the Executive Committee of the Arkansas Livestock Show Association Board and an avid outdoorsman and hunting enthusiast.
Campbell 's term expires on July 1, 2011.
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George Dunklin Jr. (2005-2012)
DeWitt, Arkansas
620 E. 22nd, Suite 206, Stuttgart, AR 72160 - (870) 946-4549 - gdunklin@agfc.state.ar.us
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Gov. Mike Huckabee has named George Dunklin Jr., an Arkansas County farmer, to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Dunklin replaced Forrest L. Wood of Flippin, who was Huckabee's second appointee to the commission in 1998. Dunklin's term expires on July 1, 2012.
Dunklin is a 1980 graduate of the University of Memphis with a bachelor's degree in business. He has been a member of the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board and manages several family-owned companies.
"George is one of the finest conservationists I know," Huckabee said. "His goal is to leave his land in better shape than he found it. He has spent a large amount of money planting thousands of hardwood trees in Arkansas County in an effort to restore the bottomland hardwoods of east Arkansas. There's a sense of responsibility there to give something back. He's making sure he leaves behind a positive legacy for his children and his grandchildren. George will bring that same sense of responsibility to the AGFC. He loves this state and its people. And he cherishes the natural resources God has provided for Arkansans. I cannot think of anyone who will do a better job of protecting those resources.
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Ronald Pierce (2006-2013)
Mountain Home, Arkansas
1453 CR11, Mountain Home, AR 72653 - (870) 430-5203 - rpierce@agfc.state.ar.us
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Gov. Mike Huckabee appointed Ron Pierce to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Pierce replaced Mike Freeze of England.
Pierce is CEO/owner of Challenger, Inc. Bass Cat Boats in Mountain Home. Previously, he was employed with Baxter/Travenol Laboratories as Plastics Superintendent in Mountain Home.
"I've known the Pierce family for many years pre-dating my time as Governor, and Ron's love of the outdoors, his knowledge of protecting and preserving our resources, and his strong business acumen will be a great asset to the Game and Fish Commission," Gov. Huckabee said.
Pierce has been involved in fishing, boating and water conservation for many years. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Bass Research Foundation. Pierce served as Mayor of Mountain Home from 1976 through 1986.
"Ron's having served as a Mayor will prepare him for making tough decisions, but his passion for wanting every Arkansas to have the opportunity to enjoy the natural treasures of our state will serve us well," Gov. Huckabee said.
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Rick Watkins (2007-2014)
Little Rock, Arkansas
P. O. Box 32050, Little Rock, AR 72260 - (501) 217-7503 - rtwatkins@agfc.state.ar.us
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Governor Mike Beebe has named Rick Watkins of Little Rock to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
“Rick has long been a champion for educating our youth about the outdoor opportunities that Arkansas provides us all,” Beebe said. “He understands and values education as a vital component of the services that Game and Fish provides Arkansans of all ages.”
Watkins has spent the past five years as a board member of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, which supports conservation- and outdoors-education efforts throughout the state. He has also spent most of his life actively involved in the Boy Scouts of America, as both an Eagle Scout in his youth and as an adult volunteer. Last month, Watkins received national recognition as a recipient of the Silver Antelope Award, which is presented for outstanding volunteer service to the Scouts.
Born and raised in Little Rock, Watkins graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a degree in Business Administration. He is the owner and president of the Watkins Company, a regional printing and advertising-distribution company. He also serves on the board of Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
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Ron Duncan (2008-2015)
Springdale, Arkansas
2001 Stout Drive, Springdale, AR 72762 - (479) 756-9129 - rduncan@agfc.state.ar.us
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Governor Mike Beebe named Ron Duncan of Springdale as his most recent appointment to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Duncan replaces Sonny Varnell of St. Paul, whose term had expired.
Duncan is a devoted outdoorsman and educator. Duncan started a fishing club in 1982 at Springdale Central Junior High School, where he was a civics teacher. Based on the simple idea of introducing kids to fishing, the club inspired a national initiative known as the “Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs” program. That program has produced thousands of similar clubs nationwide. HOFNOD, as the program is known, is also administered by AGFC to numerous
Inducted into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2004, Duncan has twice been honored as the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society Man of the Year and was the National Wildlife Federation Educator of the Year in 1999. Through the fishing clubs he’s championed, Duncan has worked closely with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s education and fisheries divisions.
A graduate of the University of Arkansas, Duncan joined the Springdale School District in 1974. He remains with the district today as a student counselor. Duncan’s term on the commission will expire on July 1, 2015.
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Emon Mahony (2009-2016)
El Dorado, Arkansas
106 W. Main, Suite 406, El Dorado, AR 71730 - (870) 862-6464 - emahony@agfc.state.ar.us
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Governor Mike Beebe named Emon Mahony of El Dorado to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission on July 1, 2009. Mahony was named to the Commission in a short ceremony at the AGFC’s Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center in Little Rock.
"Emon is a true conservationist, the result of being a lifetime outdoor sportsman," Beebe said. "He understands both the environmental protection and economic opportunities that good stewardship can foster."
Mahony has been a trustee for the Arkansas Nature Conservancy since 2007. Governor Pryor previously appointed him to the Arkansas Soil and Water Commission in 1978, where he served for seven years, including one as chairman.
Mahony was one of the advocates who helped establish the 1/8-Cent Conservation Sales Tax for the AGFC and still works to create conservation easements to protect local ecosystems.
Since 1996, Mahony has been president of an oil-and-gas business in Union County. He spent the 20 years prior to that with the Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corporation, serving most of that time as the company's president. He also worked for U.S. Senator John McClellan and as a private attorney.
Mahony fills the 4th Congressional District position on the Commission. Mahony’s term will expire June 30, 2016.
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Dr. Frederick W. Spiegel (Ex-Officio)
Fayetteville, Arkansas
UofA, Science and Engineering Bldg., Room 603, Fayetteville, AR 72701 - (479) 575-4248 - fspiegel@agfc.state.ar.us
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Dr. Frederick W. Spiegel became a Commissioner (ex officio) in July 2008. He replaced Dr. Kimberly Smith, who had served on the Commission for four years. Dr. Spiegel is Professor and Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
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The mission of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is to wisely manage all the fish and
wildlife resources of Arkansas while providing maximum enjoyment for the people.
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