SPRINGDALE -- The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wants to bring a Conservation Education and Nature Center to Northwest Arkansas but still needs $5 million to make it a reality.
Fundraising is ongoing, and there is no date when ground will be broken, said Chuck Dicus, president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, which is raising money for the center's creation.
How to donate
Donations toward the Conservation Education and Nature Center can be made by:
• Contacting the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation at AGFF.org
• Emailing Chuck Dicus at cdicus@agff.org
• Calling the foundation at (501) 223-6468.
Source: Staff report
"There's a number of benefits that the area will receive," Dicus said. "First of all, these conservation education and nature centers are designed to introduce the public to the wonders of the outdoors, particularly to the young people of the area. It's not exclusively set up for young people, but all the school-age kids in the area are going to benefit from this."
The center would be located on 60 acres of land near the southeast corner of Interstate 49 and Wagon Wheel Road, where Spring Creek runs along the northern edge, Dicus said.
The land was donated by the city and Springdale Water Utility, Mayor Doug Sprouse said.
"We're very excited in Springdale about the development of this center and thankful for the Hunt family and the Game and Fish Foundation and everyone who is making it possible," Sprouse said.
The facility will be named after the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt family because of a $5 million pledge from Johnelle Hunt, Dicus said. The estimated cost is $15 million. In addition to the Hunt pledge, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission pledged $4 million, and the foundation pledged $1 million, Dicus said.
No other private contributions have been made aside from the Hunt family pledge, which leaves $5 million to raise, Dicus said.
"We are reaching out daily," he said. "That's what we do in fundraising."
The foundation will host an invitation-only event at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers on Oct. 11.
"We hope to have a large crowd primarily from Northwest Arkansas so they can come and see what a conservation education and nature center is and what it does," Dicus said. "I'm hoping we'll find people who have a common interest in what we're trying to do and will want to support it with their donations."
Dicus is reaching out to people he knows and making new contacts. Donations also will be raised through phone calls and in-person meetings, he said.
"If we are successful in our capital campaign, there will be amenities on this site," he said.
A center without amenities probably could be built for around $10 million, but an official cost will not be known until an architect is hired and cost analysis completed, Dicus said.
"If we achieve the capital campaign goal, we will be able to provide so much more such as outdoor classrooms and the bike and walking trail," he said.
The bike and walking trail -- a wildlife observation trail -- will connect to the Razorback Greenway, Dicus said.
"There will need to be an extension, and in my discussions with the mayor of Springdale, the city of Springdale will help us connect our site to the existing Arkansas Greenway," Dicus said.
The city is collaborating with Game and Fish on the trail, Sprouse said.
"As Game and Fish develops their plans, we will be in close touch with them," Sprouse said. "Our plan is to have the Greenway connection complete by the time the new education center opens."
Not much development will be required to connect the trails, Sprouse said.
"We already have a connection from the Greenway to the mountain bike trail out west from the water treatment plant, so we only have to go another quarter to a half mile to get the Game and Fish property," he said.
The Game and Fish Commission has reviewed proposals from architects to design the center, and are in the process of selecting candidates for a more formal interview. That part of the process should be complete by October, Dicus said.
"Once an architect is selected we'll start with the process of the design conception and retain the engineering firms and let the architect put together his team," he said.
There are four facilities in Arkansas the commission refers to as nature centers and four that are referred to as conservation education centers. It has been 10 to 12 years since the last one was built. Advancements since then will be reflected in the exhibits and programs featured at the Springdale center, which will most resemble the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center in Fort Smith, Dicus said.
The nature center in Fort Smith is approximately 12,000 square feet. The new facility will be comparable if not as big as 15,000 square feet, Dicus said.
Melissia Tomlinson of Johnson supports the center being built.
"I grew up in the country, and we all went outside and played, and kids don't do that these days," Tomlinson said. "I think if they're going to do it, it should be at no charge for the public."
The center will provide programs for all ages. The programs will be geared toward conservation education, and all facilities and programs will be free to the public, Dicus said.
The center's location is ideal because it is located in a central part of Northwest Arkansas and near the creek, he said.
"Spring Creek gives us a great advantage because that's a yearlong flowing stream," Dicus said. "There's a ton of educational opportunities in a feature like that."
Educational and recreational opportunities will be the center's defining characteristics with an array of programs, including an archery course, a water feature that teaches kayaking and canoeing, fishing lessons, wildlife observation and bird watching, he said.
"Young people today need to have that experience, that there are a lot of things that can be done when you're out in nature, not just hunting, but educational and recreational opportunities when you get outdoors and get close to nature," he said.
NW News on 09/19/2016