AGFC launches outdoor education student club and competition 

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is forging a new path to further bring nature into the classroom and increase opportunities for Arkansas students to build outdoor skills and conservation knowledge.

AGFC is launching “Generation Conservation,” a science-based student outdoor recreation and conservation club, that will culminate in a two-day state summit for students and educators at the Hot Springs Convention Center and Bank OZK Arena, Nov. 5-6. Multiple contests, challenges and experiences will test and expand students’ outdoor skills and conservation knowledge as they compete for bragging rights and scholarships.

Students can sign up to demonstrate skill in more than a dozen events, including wildlife ID, creative applications of technology for conservation in STEM, plant ID, a quiz bowl on conservation knowledge, a team debate, archery challenges, app development for online maps, a game warden-inspired cadet fitness challenge, and more. The summit will be an immersive experience that will engage attendees in the world of outdoor recreation: from fishing to rock climbing, including “meet and greets” with conservation professionals and celebrities, outdoor recreation booths and hands-on learning opportunities.

AGFC Education Chief Mary Beth Hatch said. “Whether or not students have an existing love for outdoor recreation, we want to ensure that Arkansas students know that The Natural State has every resource available to offer them outdoor education opportunities, no matter what their ZIP code is. We want conservation science to be a part of their current classroom instruction, knowing that focusing on conservation of the habitats, species and resources in their own communities will change Arkansas’s education landscape.”

Hatch says the competition will be a launching pad for schools to engage with many other initiatives like STEM, school clubs and career and technical student organizations.

“Schools building these teams may be empowered to keep the program going beyond our yearly competition,” Hatch said. “They’ve entered these projects; they’ve entered these competitions, and this will be a foothold for what they’ll be working on for the rest of the school year in other science and STEM programs they already incorporate in their classrooms and schools.”

Giving the students an opportunity to learn about and engage with the state’s natural resources has been proven to benefit both physical and mental health. Incorporating outdoor education into lesson plans brings those tremendous health benefits into the school and opens up exciting new career path opportunities for students in the fields of conservation, agriculture and outdoor recreation.

Outdoor exposure won’t only be for students; Hatch envisions a portion of the event to be used as a gathering point for educators to learn how to incorporate outdoors-oriented content in their classrooms.

“We’ll have programming available for teachers and administrators during the competitions that will help them engage with many of our ready-made conservation-based curricula to use in their classrooms,” Hatch said. “They will be able to bring even more outdoor programming back to their schools and even gain some professional development credit hours while attending with their students.

“Giving our students the opportunity to engage with relatable conservation and experience outdoor recreation will truly create the next generation of outdoor recreation users, conservationists and natural resource professionals needed to keep The Natural State a national leader in conservation education,” Hatch said.

In support, former AGFC Commissioner Bobby Martin of Rogers, is leading an initiative to ensure schools have the necessary funding to introduce students to this program. Through the launching and initial seeding of the Bobby L. Martin Generation Conservation Endowment Fund, he and his family are working alongside the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation to raise funds for scholarship awards, teacher stipends, STEM equipment and travel grants. Martin, who fostered many advancements in AGFC outdoor education during his term, brings his well-regarded business career and reputation together with his passion and leadership in and for conservation education. We are excited to have this kind of support and partnerships to help ensure the long-term success of this program for Arkansas’s future generations, said Hatch.

The endowment, competition details and registration information will all be covered in a series of informational webinars hosted on the AGFC’s website in May and June. Visit www.agfc.com/conservationsummit to learn more and register for one of these informative sessions.

####

CUTLINES:

MAN AT DEMONSTRATION TABLE
The AGFC’s new Generation Conservation initiative will culminate in a two-day summit for students and teachers in Hot Springs, Nov. 5-6. AGFC photo.

WOMAN AT DEMONSTRATION TABLE
Students attending the Generation Conservation Summit will be immersed in a variety of conservation and outdoor-recreation activities and competitions. AGFC photo. 

FIELD ARCHERY
Archery in the Schools is one of many AGFC programs to be highlighted at the Generation Conservation Summit in November. AGFC photo.