The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s (AEDC) Division of Rural Services have announced the availability of more than $690,000 in grant funding for Arkansas schools to support conservation education. The money, funded entirely through hunting and fishing violation fines collected over the past year, is now open for applications.
AGFC Chief of Education Mary Beth Hatch explained that the funding is allocated on a county-by-county basis, depending on fines collected locally. Additional rollover funds from previous years—amounting to more than $150,000—are also included. “We actually have more than $150,000 from previous years that’s still available; just over $536,000 is from last year’s fine money,” Hatch said. She also noted that unused or unallocated funds from prior years are added back to each county’s available grants.
Under this system, wildlife and fishing fines collected in each county remain within that county, with AGFC and AEDC’s Division of Rural Services overseeing the grant distribution. Hatch emphasized the importance of engaging students through conservation programs that tie into real-world learning. “We really feel that students are able to learn best in settings that are engaging and applicable to the real world,” she said.
Programs funded by these grants cover a range of opportunities, from outdoor classroom projects to extracurricular activities such as AGFC’s Archery in the Schools program and the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program. Field trips to the state’s nine nature centers and participation in conservation summits are also supported through the funding. The application deadline for this year’s grants is November 12, and details can be found at www.arkansasedc.com/rural-services/division/grants/wildlife-education-grant.
Becca Caldwell, director of AEDC’s Division of Rural Services, highlighted the critical role conservation education plays in fostering a connection to Arkansas’s natural resources among the state’s youth. “School conservation programs play an essential role in fostering young Arkansans’ love of our great outdoors,” Caldwell said.
Hatch noted that some schools have used grant funds in recent years to pursue designation as an AGFC School of Conservation Leadership, a program designed to promote conservation projects at both elementary and secondary levels. These projects often include building outdoor classrooms, purchasing equipment, and taking students on conservation-related field trips. According to Hatch, participation in the initiative has grown significantly.
For more information on the Wildlife Education Grant Program, applicants can explore resources and county-specific funding totals at www.agfc.com/conservationgrants.