AGFC to hold public meetings on updated Dave Donaldson Black River WMA renovation plan

POCAHONTAS — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will host a public meeting from 6-8 p.m. March 5, at Black River Technical College to present updated plans for the renovation of infrastructure and greentree reservoirs at Dave Donaldson Black River Wildlife Management Area in northeast Arkansas.

Similar to those held in 2024, the public meeting will focus on the AGFC’s plan to renovate key components of the WMA’s water-control structures and established flooding schedules to continue providing flooded bottomland hardwood habitat for ducks while working to maintain the critical red oak component of these areas for the long-term benefit of waterfowl and the Arkansas hunters who pursue them.

Luke Naylor, AGFC chief of wildlife management, said meetings held in 2024 offered an opportunity for constructive feedback from the public on their desires for the duck-hunting component of the WMA.

“We’ve worked since that time to reengineer solutions to some of the issues the public was concerned about, and we should be able to conduct the renovation with nearly zero acres lost to flooded timber hunting opportunity,” Naylor said. “It’s not going to be cheap, but these renovations are required if we’re going to continue to have the same duck-hunting opportunities in both the short and the long term. We’re now ready to come back in front of the public and show what the new plans look like.”

Much like previous meetings, the AGFC intends to open with a brief overview of the project to explain the need for the renovation and the project timeline. Attendees will then be able to visit multiple booths where they can speak one-on-one with area biologists and engineers to address specific questions or concerns.

AGFC Director Doug Schoenrock said the meeting is a continued effort by the agency to keep lines of communication open with the public about ongoing renovation actions taking place throughout many of the WMAs across the state.

“The renovation of Arkansas’s greentree reservoirs is probably the most critical component of habitat management on public land this agency has undertaken in the last 40 years,” Schoenrock said. “We’ve all enjoyed incredible duck hunting throughout the existence of our GTRs, and we have to think in terms that put the habitat and the wildlife first for the long term if we are to ensure those same opportunities to our children and grandchildren. I think our staff has come up with some solutions that the public will agree are a good mix of making those steps for tomorrow without losing our opportunities today.”

Visit www.agfc.com/gtr for more information on the AGFC’s moist soil and greentree reservoir management for waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife species.

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