Doug Schoenrock, director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, introduced himself to the Game and Fish/State Police Subcommittee and outlined priorities that include expanding public access to outdoors, accelerating education programs and strengthening partnerships to support recreation and conservation.

"Our primary goal is to keep the natural state natural," Schoenrock said, summarizing the commission’s mission and the strategic emphasis he plans to bring to the agency.

Nut graf: Schoenrock told legislators the commission will focus on increasing opportunities for hunting, fishing, boating and outdoor recreation through habitat improvements, education and improved public access — steps he said will support both conservation goals and the outdoor economy.

Schoenrock described ongoing outreach and education efforts, including partnerships with the governor’s office to expand classroom programming and a pilot to deliver outdoor education. He said the commission has been conducting fishing derbies and stocking programs: the agency reported it had stocked more than 20,000 pounds of fish for derbies earlier in the season and executed roughly 350 community fishing derbies in the prior year with about 15,000 participants.

The director outlined a multiyear Lake Conway restoration project the commission is managing. He said the work is a five‑year effort to create 28 miles of boating lanes and 28 miles of boating trails, with six miles completed so far. Schoenrock said the project remains on schedule with roughly three years left; the next phase includes spillway improvements to better manage water flow downstream at Belle Slough.

Schoenrock also described a conservation incentive program (CIP) that the commission used in a pilot year to provide grants for private‑land conservation practices. He said the pilot drew about 1,500 applicants and the commission awarded in the "several hundreds" range; award amounts are small and, Schoenrock said, typically capped at roughly $10,000 per award in the pilot.

Representative questions touched on the commission’s use of partners and local governments on Lake Conway work. Ben Batten, deputy director, said the City of Conway and its chamber of commerce are the commission’s principal local partners on north‑end improvements; other cities and counties have contributed as appropriate.

The commission also provided the committee with its Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) annual report (to February 2024) and said a multi‑year CWD plan would be published imminently. Schoenrock said the agency plans to publish a new outreach calendar to replace the previous agency magazine and is exploring digital tools to help the public find nearby access points, water conditions and other visitor information.

Committee members raised astrotourism and night‑sky protection; Representative Minkx noted the Buffalo River area’s designation as a dark skies sanctuary and urged the commission to consider light‑pollution impacts on wildlife and tourism. Schoenrock acknowledged the point and said the commission would work with partners on related issues.

Ending: Members welcomed the new director and invited Game and Fish to return with more detailed briefings on Lake Conway access points, partnership funding and the forthcoming CWD plan.