By Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and its partners in conservation are hosting special workshops throughout the state to help landowners improve the wildlife habitat on their property. Whether your focus is deer, turkey, quail or the many non-game species that depend upon healthy habitat, AGFC biologists want to help.
Clint Johnson, AGFC Private Lands Program biologist, said the workshops include a variety of topics and techniques that are low cost, but have significant effect on the property’s wildlife-holding potential.
“Habitat is the key to seeing healthier deer and turkey populations on your property,” Johnson said. “Managing wildlife populations requires a holistic approach, including balancing populations with available resources through careful harvest, monitoring for wildlife diseases like chronic wasting disease in deer and habitat improvements, which can include invasive species control, prairie restoration, forest management and prescribed fire.”
The workshops are part of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s ongoing effort to work with private landowners throughout the state to help manage wildlife across the entire landscape. Close to 90 percent of Arkansas is in private ownership, so partnerships with private landowners are essential to improve habitat for quail, turkeys and many other species on a landscape level. In addition to 12 AGFC private land biologists dedicated to working with landowners, the agency works with biologists from Quail Forever, the National Wild Turkey Federation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other organizations to point landowners on the path to success with their property.
“The workshops are all free, and there’s no obligation to sign up for any of the programs offered,” Johnson said. “I encourage anyone interested in learning more about how they can improve their property for hunting or simply using their property to help pollinators or other wildlife to register and attend.”
Registration for the workshops is available online at www.agfc.com/events. Select “Filter by Event,” and choose option 7 (Landowner), or you may click here to go directly to the landowner workshop registration panel.
