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Annual partnership meeting celebrates rich history between arkansas land and resource management agencies

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RUSSELLVILLE —The Forest Service and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission held their 2021 Annual Cooperative meeting virtually on Tuesday.
The Forest Service in Arkansas and the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission have been cooperatively managing public lands since the 1970s, coordinating work on the ground, conducting annual meetings, and remaining aligned on land management and wildlife habitat priorities in the state.
“Chances are, most outdoor enthusiasts have seen the positive results of the long-term relationship between the AGFC and the Ouachita and Ozark-St. Francis National Forests doing conservation work together, whether it’s through visitor assistance, law enforcement officers from both agencies working together, or technicians and biologists working jointly on wildlife management areas,” said Clay Vanhorn, Ouachita National Forest biologist.
Although the annual cooperative event is primarily between the AGFC and the Ozark-St. Francis and Ouachita National Forests, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wild Turkey Federation, and University of Georgia presented project work and findings from their research on public lands in Arkansas. Because the meeting was held virtually, a record number participants attended and heard updates on Chronic Wasting Disease in deer habitat in Arkansas, habitat mapping classification, stewardship successes, mussel and paleback darter research, Indiana Bat activity, and cooperative prescribed burning efforts.

“Although some of the personal connections were harder to make within the virtual format, we felt it was really important to get together and share information among the agencies on some of the key projects and issues that we are working on,” said Vanhorn. “Postponing the meeting this year due to COVID restrictions was not an option for us.”
"Caring for the Land and Serving People’ is the Forest Service motto,” said Lori Wood, Forest Supervisor for the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests. “We simply cannot be as successful in fulfilling that without the partnership and collaboration with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. We look forward to many more years of successful collaboration.”



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