Lake Conway renovation public meeting Feb. 17

MAYFLOWER — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will host a public meeting on Feb. 17 to update the public on the progress of the Lake Conway renovation. The meeting, originally scheduled for Jan. 27, was postponed due to winter weather. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Mayflower High School Cafeteria.

Nick Feltz, Fisheries supervisor at the AGFC regional office in Mayflower, who is overseeing the renovation, said that rescheduling the meeting was an effort to ensure anyone interested in the progress of the lake renovation had an opportunity to attend and talk one-on-one with biologists and other AGFC staff.

Lake Conway has nearly reached the halfway point of its scheduled five-year renovation project that includes replacement of the lake’s outdated dam and water-control structure. In addition to critical enhancements to infrastructure, AGFC staff are working to improve valuable aquatic habitat on the aging lake. Gravel beds have been added throughout the lake to improve spawning habitat, and various forms of complex artificial cover have been placed in key areas of the lakebed during the drawdown.

Feltz and the Lake Conway renovation were recently featured on the Arkansas Wildlife Podcast, and people wishing to attend the meeting are encouraged to view that video at the AGFC’s YouTube channel to learn some of the details about the project. Feltz hopes to focus the effort of the coming meeting on a brief overview of these details and a more comprehensive dive into plans for the next year to work with local landowners to remove and update lakeside structures and improve aquatic habitat throughout the lake.

Visit www.agfc.com/lakeconway for a timeline of the project, including each component of the renovation to date.

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