LEGAL NOTICE

The regular monthly meeting of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will be held beginning at 9:00 a.m. Thursday, April 20, 2023, at the Little Rock Office Complex, 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205. At that time, regulations and business pertaining to the operation of the Game and Fish Commission and other fiscal and administrative matters will be considered and acted upon. Additionally, Committee meetings attended by Commissioners and agency staff members will be held throughout the day on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Little Rock Office Complex, 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205. All interested persons are invited to attend these meetings.

The Commission meeting on March 20th will be live-streamed and a link for easy viewing access will be available on the agency website. Please visit the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission website at https://www.agfc.com for additional up-to-date details as the April meeting dates draw closer.

Items on the agenda for the April 20, 2023 meeting will include discussion and/or adoption of proposed regulations that previously were considered at the March 15-16, 2023 Commission Meetings, plus consideration of various Hunting and Fishing Regulations and regulations pertaining to the Enforcement Division of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, including but not limited to:

• Fishing Regulations – Amend existing regulation for Length and Protected Length Limits on Certain Lakes and Rivers to provide that the boundary of Lake Erling includes Bodcau Creek downstream of Arkansas Highway 360 Bridge for the purpose of applying the 10-inch minimum-length-limit for crappie.
• Waterfowl Hunting Regulations – Adjust season dates for migratory waterfowl hunting, including for ducks, coots, mergansers, White-fronted geese, Snow, Blue, and Ross geese, and Canada geese; plus adjust season dates for the Special Youth Waterfowl Hunting Season, the Veteran and Active Duty Military Waterfowl Hunt, the Nonresident Waterfowl Hunting Permit Requirements on WMAs, and the Snow, Blue, and Ross’s Goose Conservation Order Season.
• Miscellaneous Rules / Regulations – Amend the existing definition of “Resident” to clarify that: (1) children younger than 18 are presumed to have the same resident status as their parent or legal guardian; (2) persons who are enrolled as a full-time student at a college or university outside of Arkansas qualify as a resident, provided they qualified as an Arkansas resident at the time of enrollment; (3) nonresidents who are enrolled as a full-time student at a college or university in Arkansas and who reside in the state during the school year qualify as a resident; and (4) for an applicant to qualify as a resident and be eligible to be issued any of the listed resident lifetime or commercial licenses, permits, or tags, the applicant must satisfy the general resident requirements and also provide proof that his or her domicile is currently in Arkansas and has been for at least the past 1 continuous year.

Also adopt policy and procedures to establish and operate an Arkansas Game and Fish Advisory Council, having members consisting of invited citizen-volunteers and designated AGFC employees, for the purpose of providing stakeholder-focused advisory assistance to the Commission concerning AGFC programs and other critical matters related to the control, management, restoration, conservation and regulation of the wildlife resources of the State of Arkansas.

All persons wishing to be heard on these subjects should submit comments in writing to this office before the start of the April 20, 2023 meeting (preferably by 4:30 p.m. on the day before). Any request to make an oral presentation at the meeting should be submitted in writing to this office on or before April 10, 2023. Copies of any proposed rules or regulations may be obtained at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission main office and at www.agfc.com, or through a written request mailed to the address below.

AUSTIN BOOTH, DIRECTOR
Arkansas Game & Fish Commission
Game & Fish Commission Building
2 Natural Resources Drive
Little Rock, Arkansas 72205