Little Red River ramp repair delayed
Due to ongoing work at nearby Mallard Pond Road on Hurricane WMA, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has postponed repairs to the boat ramp at the Nimmo Access on the Little Red River near Searcy.
Construction to improve drainage from Henry Gray Hurricane Lake Wildlife Management Area has rendered Mallard Pond Road as impassable. A concurrent construction across the Little Red River, where the Nimmo Access is located, would cut off access to several property owners. Because the work has already started on Mallard Pond Road, construction at Nimmo will be delayed until that work is complete.
The Nimmo Access construction originally was approved by the AGFC in 2019 using Marine Fuel Tax funds as part of a large group of 15 projects totalling $538,900.
AGFC wants bear samples
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wants successful bear hunters in the Ouachita and Ozark mountains to help collect valuable samples from their bear to help research an increased occurrence of mange in the Ozark bear population.
According to Myron Means, the commission's bear biologist, there had been no reported cases of bears with mange until 2018. That year, four cases were documented in Ozarks bears. In 2019, 15 cases of mange were reported, and in 2020 that number rose to 40 reported cases. All of these cases were in bears in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma.
"This year, we've already received 40 reports from hunters, biologists and wildlife watchers," Means said. "So far, it's only in the Ozarks, so we're developing a plan to research possible factors that may be contributing to the problem."
Means said the mites that cause mange on bears are common, but it rarely causes problems.
Hunters that kill a bear, whether it has mange or not, can submit a 3-by-3-inch square of the bear's liver to help with this research. The sample can be placed in aluminum foil or a zip-sealed bag and kept in a freezer until arrangements can be made to drop it off at an AGFC regional office. Bears from the Ozarks as well as the Ouachitas also are important for the study.
Samples of skin taken from bears with obvious mange also are needed for analysis.
Anyone who sees a bear with obvious mange or any bear in poor condition also may report it to the AGFC's wildlife health email at [email protected] with a location. Even if biologists cannot find the bear after the initial sighting, they can keep a record of these locations to watch for future outbreaks of mange and act accordingly.