The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has renewed its commitment to improving hydrology in the Little Bayou Meto drainage area, a crucial component of the larger Bayou Meto Water Management Project. The commission approved a resolution urging the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Division to prioritize design and construction of these improvements in its funding requests to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Bayou Meto Water Management Project, authorized under the Flood Control Act of 1950 and reauthorized in 1996, aims to address multiple issues, including agricultural water supply, groundwater conservation, floodwater management, and wetland habitat preservation vital to Arkansas’s waterfowl ecosystems.
David Luker, AGFC's assistant chief of wildlife, emphasized the importance of balancing conservation efforts to meet both immediate needs and long-term resource sustainability. While some pumping stations have been established as part of the project, the current focus is on clearing and improving water flow in Little Bayou Meto, which runs through the George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
“Holding water for waterfowl habitat and hunting opportunity has been a central goal for decades,” Luker said. “But over time, we’ve seen that removing water during the growing season is equally critical for the health of the trees that ducks rely on during migration.”
The resolution highlights the AGFC’s intent to collaborate with landowners and drainage districts downstream to ensure effective water flow from the WMA to the pump station in Reydell. These improvements aim to benefit both wildlife habitats and agricultural stakeholders in the area.
In other business, the commission received an update on the state’s alligator harvest and ongoing research in partnership with Clemson University. According to AGFC herpetologist Amanda Bryant, 197 out of 212 available alligator tags were filled during the 2026 hunting season. Public land hunters maintained a 64% harvest rate, collecting 28 alligators and leaving 16 tags unfilled. Meanwhile, private land hunters slightly exceeded their quota, harvesting 169 alligators.
Bryant noted a decline in nuisance alligator calls as harvest numbers have risen. She also discussed a second-year tagging and recapture study conducted with Clemson University researchers, who tagged and gathered data on 76 alligators with AGFC staff assistance before the hunting season.
“The study enhances our spotlight survey data and helps track growth trends in the alligator population,” Bryant said. “It also provided valuable hands-on training for staff across all fisheries divisions.”