WYNNE — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission held its monthly commission meeting Wednesday at the Bill Thomas Tech Center in Wynne.
The meeting featured comments from local leaders, including Sen. Ronald Caldwell of Wynne and St. Francis County Judge Craig Jones.
Caldwell reflected on the assistance provided by Arkansas Game and Fish following the tornado in March 2023.
“It hit about an hour before sundown and Rodney Myers showed up with a drone, put it in the sky and directed us how to do search-and-rescue throughout the night. A thousand first responders showed up,” Caldwell said. “Hunting and fishing licenses paid for that. I have tried before in the legislature to get that raised. I think fishing licenses haven’t been raised since 1983, hunting licenses since 1992. But that night, Game and Fish saved lives.”
Jones said his relationship with Arkansas Game and Fish began soon after he took office in 2023. He said the partnership has increased recreational opportunities for St. Francis County residents.
“Last year, I noticed something. There was a road that was a little bit north of Highway 306 that was kind of a farm road. It had a nice road going to it but it was a farm road that led to about probably 70 acres that was hard to get to,” Jones said. “I talked to Game and Fish, what if we use some of that money this year to put in a new road that’s accessible. They said yeah, we can do that. We did that, opened that road up. We hope to put a parking lot kind of out there. That opened up a lot more land for that.”
The day also included tours of the Pine Tree Wildlife Demonstration Area at the Pine Tree Research Station in St. Francis County and Lake Austell at Village Creek State Park.
Commissioners will attend a One Million Acre Celebration hosted by Ducks Unlimited in Augusta today.
