Commission Renews Commitment to Bayou Meto Irrigation Project

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at Thursday’s meeting unanimously approved a minute order to strongly urge the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Division to prioritize design and construction of Little Bayou Meto hydrology improvements in the Bayou Meto Water Management Project at the highest priority level in its regular funding request to the Army Corps of Engineers.

The Little Bayou Meto drainage effort is a component of a larger water management project that was initially authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1950 and reauthorized in 1996. The primary goals of the project are to provide agricultural water supply, protect aquifers from groundwater depletion and remove floodwater to conserve wetland habitat vital to Arkansas’s waterfowl resources.

It may seem odd to talk about the continued effort to increase drainage in Lower Bayou Meto at a time when lack of water is at the forefront of every duck hunter’s mind, but conservation not only factors in current conditions; it focuses on issues that affect the long-term maintenance of the state’s natural resources for generations to come.

Although pumping stations have been constructed for part of the project, the AGFC’s key focus is on the improvement of bayous and ditches downstream and within the  George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area.

“Holding water to provide waterfowl habitat and hunting opportunity was the focus of this area for decades, but we’ve learned over the years that removal of that water during the growing season is even more critical to those trees that mallards and other ducks need during their migration,” David Luker, AGFC assistant chief of wildlife, said in a meeting on Monday.

According to Luker, this resolution not only helps prioritize the design and construction of infrastructure on the WMA, but also renews the focus on working with landowners and drainage districts downstream to clean out Little Bayou Meto to increase the flow running out of the WMA to the pump station in Reydell. [LINK TO PRESENTATION]

The Commission heard a presentation from AGFC herpetologist Amanda Bryant on the 2026 alligator harvest as well as an ongoing alligator research project with Clemson University. According to Bryant, 197 of the 212 alligator tags available were filled this year. While private land hunters exceeded their quota by a single alligator, public land hunters maintained a 64 percent harvest rate. Twenty-eight alligators were taken on public land, leaving 16 tags unfilled. Private land hunters harvested 169 alligators.

“We also continue to see a reduction in the number of nuisance alligator calls as the harvest has climbed,” Bryant said.

Bryant also spoke about an alligator tagging and recapture study that’s in its second year with Clemson. AGFC staff assisted researchers in catching, tagging and recording data on 76 alligators before the 2026 hunting season.

“The information will help verify spotlight surveys as well as information on growth in our alligators through reports of harvested alligator tags and alligators we recapture in the future,” Bryant said. “It also was a great opportunity to have staff training on alligator handling, and we had staff from every fisheries division section engaged.”  [LINK TO PRESENTATION]

In his monthly report, AGFC Director Doug Schoenrock highlighted a few of the presentations given to the Commission during the last two days. While much of the focus was on the complications of drought and the coming waterfowl season, Schoenrock offered one silver lining in the form of this year’s bear season.

“The mast crop this year has been a bit spotty, which had our bears up and moving a little more than normal, and that has led to a healthy bear harvest so far this season,” Schoenrock said. [LINK TO PRESENTATION]

The Commission formally recognized three AGFC employees in the annual presentation of the agency’s Campbell Awards. These awards are given to three employees each year who exemplify not only excellence in their profession, but also in their sharing of the sense of community prevalent in conservation and the outdoors. Ashley Turley, an administrative specialist in the Enforcement Division; Michael Gilbert, a geospatial programmer in the Conservation Support Division; and Clint Johnson, the AGFC’s quail program coordinator in the Wildlife Management Division, were all nominated by fellow employees and chosen as this year’s recipients of the prestigious award [LINK TO PRESENTATION].

In other business, the Commission:

• Recognized 25 employees with more than 260 years of combined service to the natural resources of Arkansas. [LINK TO PRESENTATION]

• Approved the transfer of an outdated Evinrude outboard with a current book value of $3,400 to the Ashley County Office of Emergency Management to aid them in search and rescue operations. [LINK TO PRESENTATION]

• Authorized Director Schoenrock to complete the work necessary to grant a right-of-way easement to Entergy over an existing transmission line at St. Francis Sunken Lands Wildlife Management Area. [LINK TO PRESENTATION]

• Formally elected all AGFC game wardens and staff to serve as employees in accordance with personnel policies and procedures adopted by the Commission. [LINK TO PRESENTATION]

A video of the meeting is available on the AGFC’s YouTube Channel.

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CUTLINES:

PRESENTING TO COMMISSION
AGFC Assistant Chief David Luker presented a resolution for the Commission confirming their commitment to the Bayou Meto Water Management Project and the steps needed to focus on drainage of Little Bayou Meto during flood events. AGFC photo.

ALLIGATOR ROUNDUP
AGFC Herpetologist Amanda Bryant led a large group of biologists and researchers in tagging and releasing alligators for a study being conducted by Clemson. AGFC photo.

SPEAKER
AGFC Director Doug Schoenrock spoke to the Commission about recent highlights from the agency, including a rebound in the Arkansas bear harvest as a result of the drought. AGFC photo.

TWO OF THREE
Michael Gilbert (left), Ashley Turley and Clint Johnson (not pictured) were selected as this year’s recipients of the annual Campbell Awards. AGFC photo.