AGFC approves fisheries projects

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission on Thursday approved multiple fisheries access projects at its regular monthly meeting at Little Rock.

The commission approved five federal partnership access projects at the Caney Creek Access on Lake Conway, the Lennox Marcus Access on DeGray Lake, Benson Creek Natural Area at Bayou DeView, Boggy Point Access at Lake Norfork and the McCallie Access on the Mississippi River.

The projects will be partially funded by federal marine fuel tax receipts by way of the Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration Act.

The Caney Creek project will cost $671,700, of which $125,000 will be offset by a marine fuel tax grant. The Lennox Marcus project will cost $300,000, of which $250,000 will be federally funded. The Benson Creek Access project will cost $20,000, with $15,000 to be federally funded. The Boggy Point road restoration project will cost $307,668, of which $230,751 will be federally funded. The McCallie Access will cost about $1.6 million, of which $970,119 will be federally funded.

The Benson Creek and McCallie accesses are new projects. The Game and Fish Commission will build a new concrete boat ramp and gravel parking area at Benson Creek. It will build two new boat ramps to access the Mississippi River at regular water levels and a high water emergency ramp.

In related business, the commission approved a budget increase of nearly $1.2 million for 12 proposed construction and maintenance projects, including five fishing access facilities. The projects include new boat access facilities at White Hole ($195,000) and Wildcat Shoals ($175,000) on the White River, and a walk-in fishing access at State Hwy. 89 on Lake Conway ($100,000).

Other projects include covering the parking lot at the Horseshoe Lake Access ($65,000), expanding the parking area at the Ackerman Walk-In Access on the North Fork of the White River, and stabilizing the shoreline at the Snow Access on Crooked Creek ($65,000).

The commission also approved spending $496,000 to purchase 17 new vehicles. The agency will buy 17 Ram Crew SSV trucks at $29,000 each for the enforcement division, one Ram Quad truck ($27,000) for the fisheries division, a Chevrolet van ($32,000) and Chevrolet Suburban ($45,000) for the operations division, and seven Ram Quad trucks at $27,000 each for the operations and wildlife management divisions.

These vehicles will replace 20 high-mileage vehicles that the commission will sell at auction.

In enforcement business, the commission authorized donating 167 bullet-resistant vests to Vest for Life, a non-profit organization that provides ballistic vests to other law enforcement agencies.

Greg Rae, chief of the commission's enforcement division, said the commission routinely donates five-year old vests to law enforcement agencies that cannot afford new vests.

"We keep them for five years because that's the duration of the vests' warranty, but they continue to be effective long beyond that period," Rae said.

The original cost of the vests was $106,966, Rae said. Their net value is zero. The donation terms include a provision that relieves the AGFC from liability.

Sports on 02/23/2018

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