Education Centers
The idea of creating conservation education centers was born when Amendment 75 (the Conservation Sales Tax) was approved in 1996 and increased the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s revenue. Part classroom, part museum and part playground, the centers are intended to help people of all ages better understand their natural surroundings.
Education Center Brochure
Fred Berry Conservation Education Center on Crooked Creek
P.O. Box 489 - 851 Conservation Lane
Yellville, AR 72687
(870)449-3484
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One of four Arkansas Game and Fish Education Centers. The 421 Ozark acres that comprise FBCEC lie in a 2.75 mile “crook” of Crooked Creek just above Kelley’s access. The property, a former dairy farm, is now the site of a joint conservation education project between the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation (AGFF) and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). A very generous donation by retired Yellville-Summit school-teacher and counselor, Fred Berry, set the project in motion in 1999. Donations from Berry, and others, provided the land, education building, pavilion and other improvements. The center was opened and dedicated on June 17, 2005. Berry grew up just up the road. His love for the area and its people inspire more than a monetary involvement. He regularly volunteers to assist with programming and events.
Visit us on the web at www.fredberrycec.com
Rick Evans Grandview Prairie Conservation Education Center
1685 CR35 North
Columbus AR 71831
(800)983-4219
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Located in the rural Hempstead County town of Columbus, the center's vision is to provide everyone with diverse interactive opportunities to experience, enjoy, and share with others the uniqueness of a blackland prairie and its associated vast natural resources for all generations. Participate in annual special events, learn about area history, fish (under 16 or 65 and over), reserve public use facilities, shoot sporting clays, enjoy an outdoor program, take a field trip, drive, walk, or picnic. The adjacent 4,885 acre wildlife management area also has opportunities available to the public that include watchable wildlife and wildflower viewing, and hunting and fishing opportunities for all ages. Archeology and paleontology are also key points of interest.
Visit us on the web at www.grandviewprairiecec.com
Ponca Elk Education Center
P.O. Box 31
Ponca, AR 72670
(870)861-2432
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Want to find out about the largest mammal in Arkansas? Where can you view herds of elk along the Buffalo River Valley? These questions can be answered at the new Ponca Elk Education Center. The Center houses an exhibit area focusing on elk ecology, wildlife and area information. The building also contains classrooms for school and civic group use. It is an excellent Watchable Wildlife area with large shaded decks with birdfeeders and an Ozark stream behind the Center.
Visit us on the web at www.poncaeec.com
Potlatch Conservation Education Center at Cook’s Lake
625 Cooks Lake Road
Casscoe, AR 72026
(870)241-3373
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If you’re looking for a field trip to a unique area with plenty of opportunity for spending time in the outdoors observing and sampling both aquatic and terrestrial life, Potlatch Conservation Education Center at Cook’s Lake near Casscoe is a perfect destination for you and your students. This conservation education facility operates under a joint agreement between the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. It is located 20 miles southeast of Stuttgart on the White River National Wildlife Refuge. The 72-arce facility is surrounded by 1,800 acres of upland and bottomland hardwood forest that includes a three-mile long oxbow lake and a 40-acre green timber reservoir.
Visit us on the web at www.cookslakecec.com