Arkansas recently enjoyed a visit from United States congressmen French Hill and Bruce Westerman. The congressmen met in October with representatives from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Ducks Unlimited at Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA to talk about the future of green timber management and duck hunting. The meeting focused on the dire situation within the WMA’s greentree reservoir and the deadening of habitat caused by excessive annual flooding during the last decade.

Congressmen French Hill and Bruce Westerman visit Arkansas.

The WMA currently has roughly 800 acres of dead hardwoods within the north and south GTR units, with another 600 acres showing signs of severe stress. Brad Carner, chief of wildlife management for the AGFC, said the Hurricane Lake deadening is a grim wake-up call to the condition of many GTRs throughout the state. One that has prompted the AGFC to take a hard look at how it manages these systems and what steps are needed to continue offering excellent public waterfowl hunting in a way that is sustainable for future generations.

The Hurricane Lake GTR represents just one of 40 managed by AGFC, all of which are in need of renovations to halt habitat loss. Gradual changes in water cycles and shifts in land uses have altered the way water comes to and through the AGFC’s GTR systems. Aging infrastructure and siltation also have played a role in slowing the flow of water on the land. Meanwhile, the forests themselves have begun to shift, with red oak species being replaced by more water-tolerant tree species that are far less valuable for ducks utilizing flooded forests.

Carner shared “we’ve already begun assessments and plans for renovations on Hurricane Lake and many other GTRs in the state.” The renovations won’t be cheap. While some GTRs may be able to be outfitted with a few new water-control structures to clear the drainage issue, others will require substantial engineering and capital expenses. With 40 GTRs and about 50,000 acres of flooded hardwoods to plan for, those expenses continue to climb. “The AGFC has spent more than $5 million in the last few years improving hundreds of miles of internal drainage systems,” Carner said. “We’ve also partnered with Ducks Unlimited on many grants that total $3.5 million, to start working on infrastructure improvements.”

The current estimate to renovate and upgrade the AGFC’s GTR infrastructure is $60 million, and large GTRs, like those on Bayou Meto and Dave Donaldson Black River WMAs, will require large portions of that sum at one time for the changes to be effective. The effort will require long-term partnerships between hunters, private sector support, state and federal governments. The issues did not arise overnight, nor will the solution.

While the price tag may be high, AGFC Director Pat Fitts was encouraged by the presence of key members of Arkansas’s congressional delegation on-site to see first-hand the task ahead. Still, he hammered home the importance of the habitat to Arkansas and conservation efforts throughout North America.

AGFC and its partners have an excellent video highlighting the GTR challenge titled Restoring Arkansas’s Greentree Legacy.

Hurricane Lake WMA Die-off Attracts Attention from Congressman & Partners