Outdoor briefs

AGFC reschedules WMA meetings

In September, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced at a special news conference that George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area, Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA and Earl Buss Bayou DeView WMA all would see changes to their traditional water management plans.

The changes are in response to recent die-offs and damage seen on these popular duck-hunting areas to protect remaining duck habitat and regain lost bottomland hardwood trees that mallards and other waterfowl need during their winter migration.

The commission has rescheduled the four public meetings it planned to discuss new and future policies for managing green tree reservoirs. The meetings will be held from 5-7 p.m. on the following dates at these locations:

TUESDAY Searcy, White County Cooperative Extension

THURSDAY Stuttgart, Rich-N-Tone's Flying Duck Taproom

Nov. 9 North Little Rock, Diamond Bear Brewing Company

Nov. 18 Jonesboro, ASU Cooper Alumni Center

Longear sunfish license plate

A colorful longear sunfish will be featured on next year's Arkansas conservation license plate.

Designed by AGFC Graphic Artist Greta James, the plate honors one of Arkansas's most charismatic, most colorful, and often overlooked species of gamefish.

AGFC Fisheries Chief Ben Batten said the longear sunfish was chosen because of its bright blue and orange markings that rival the colors of many fish found in coral reefs and saltwater. It is the first fish that many Arkansans catch.

The longear sunfish is the fifth fish species to be featured on a conservation license plate. It will be available in January at all Department of Finance and Administration offices.

The previous four were largemouth bass (2002), rainbow trout (2005), black crappie (2012) and smallmouth bass (2015). The Conservation License Plate program began in 2000 and has provided more than $18 million for scholarships and conservation education efforts in Arkansas since its inception.

-- Democrat-Gazette Press Services

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