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Take a nature break
Several nature activities will be offered at Arkansas Game and Fish Commission nature centers during spring break, including Hunt Family Nature Center in Springdale and Janet Huckabee Nature Center in Fort Smith. Visit bit.ly/4sBM4Nm for information and registration.
Hike in Siloam Springs
Hill ‘N Dale Hiking Club will hike 4 miles Wednesday in Siloam Springs at Gentry City Lake and Wango Tango trail. Interested hikers may email hillndalehike@gmail.com for details. Club information is available at bvhikingclub.com.
Be a safe boater
A free, six-hour Arkansas Game and Fish Commission boater education course will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Ponca Nature Center in downtown Ponca. Students must be 12 or older. Anyone born after Jan. 1, 1986 is required to have taken a state-approved course to operate any kind of watercraft propelled by motor or sail. Call the center at (501) 710-6347 for details.
Burns set at Buffalo
A large portion of the Lower Buffalo Wilderness will be closed to horse and foot traffic through Monday for public safety while the National Park Service conducts a prescribed burn. The river corridor will remain open for floating. Camping on gravel bars will be allowed.
The burn will take place on 11,284 acres of public land within the Lower Buffalo Wilderness. Actual ignition dates depend on favorable weather conditions. The closure will be lifted as soon as the burn is complete and the area is determined to be safe.
Friday fishing
New and experienced anglers are invited to join Arkansas Game and Fish Commission educators in Springdale for Fishing Fridays scheduled through May. Fishing takes place 9 a.m. to noon March 27 at Murphy Park pond in Springdale and 9 a.m. to noon April 3 at Lake Springdale.
Northsong open house
Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation will host a silent auction and open house noon to 4 p.m. March 29 at the rehab center, 17887 Wheeler Road in Fayetteville. Northsong provides free medical treatment for injured songbirds and raptors with a goal of releasing them back into nature. Call the center at (479) 334-5797 for details.
Spruce up Lost Valley
Buffalo National River Partners will host a volunteer trail maintenance work day 9 a.m. to noon April 11 at Lost Valley Trail near the Buffalo National River. The goal is to prepare one of the national river’s most popular trails for the hiking season. Some hand tools will be provided but volunteers may bring their own, along with water, snacks and gloves. Visit bnrpartners.org/sign-ups to volunteer.
Learn about CWD
A free lecture hosted by Buffalo National River Partners will be at 6 p.m. April 24 on the effects of prescribed fire to control chronic wasting disease, which is fatal to deer and elk. Dr. Ellery Lassiter with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and A.J. Riggs, wildlife biologist, will present the lecture.
It will be at the University of Arkansas Northark South campus in Harrison, first floor lecture hall, 1515 Pioneer Drive.
See fly fishing flicks
International Fly Fishing Film Festival will showcase 12 short fly fishing films April 11 at the Jones Center in Springdale. Live and silent auctions are part of the festivities. The event is a fundraiser for Reel Recovery, which provides fly fishing retreats for male cancer survivors. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Films start at 6:30 p.m. Visit flyfilmfest.com/bentonvillear to buy tickets.
Volunteer online
The new Ozark Natural Science Center online volunteer orientation is now live. A wide range of volunteer opportunities are available, from trail work and campus projects to program support and special events. Volunteers complete the online orientation, fill out the volunteer agreement form and list where your passions and skills shine. Visit www.onsc.us/volunteer to begin.
Fill required hours
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has volunteer opportunities for students in grades 9-12 to meet community service hours required for graduation. School districts statewide may apply for youth opportunities to be held in their area by visiting agfc.com/education/volunteer to register.
Game and Fish will organize and execute large-scale volunteer events based on need, with preference to districts that have registered. Game and Fish staff will be on site at volunteer projects to sign off on volunteer hours.
Help needed at Hobbs
Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area seeks volunteers to help conduct kindergarten through sixth grade field trips this spring at the park visitor center. All training, materials and support are provided. Volunteers choose the topics they’d like to teach, including wildlife and nature education, leading short nature hikes or reading to students.
Volunteers commit to four hours per session anytime Tuesday through Friday mornings. March field trips are covered, but help is needed during April and May. Contact Carla Berg, Hobbs volunteer coordinator, (479) 789-5009, carla.berg@arkansas.gov for details or to volunteer.
Live, work at lake
Army Corps of Engineers, Beaver Lake office, seeks motivated and friendly campground park attendants and campsite cleaners for the 2026 visitor season. Multiple positions are available at 11 campgrounds at the lake, including three campsite cleaner positions at Prairie Creek and Horseshoe Bend parks.
Volunteers reside in the park and are provided a full hook-up campsite while they serve. Volunteers are the primary point of contact for park visitors. Volunteers greet visitors, provide park information to guests, direct visitors to fee collection kiosks and to the recreation.gov campsite reservation system.
Contact the Beaver Lake office, (479) 636-1210, extension 1704 or email kieran.d.bowe@usace.army.mil for information.
Hawksbill reroute set
Ozark National Forest seeks volunteers to work on a reroute of the trail that leads to Hawksbill Crag, also called Whitaker Point, near the Buffalo National River. Work will take place May 17-23. It’s the busiest trail in the Ozark National Forest attracting some 45,000 hikers each year.
The 1.8-mile trail requires roughly 0.3 miles of reroute along with 0.4 miles of decommissioning of the existing trail. These improvements are necessary to address erosion, reduce trail short cutting and relocate the trail farther from a nearby private property boundary to prevent public incursions.
In addition, 800 feet of user-created shortcuts will need to be naturalized. Sections of the designated trail tread will be hardened to discourage switchback short-cutting. Ongoing drainage issues throughout the trail corridor will also be addressed through the installation of side ditches and the cleaning and maintenance of existing drainage features.
The group will spend the week car camping in a designated campground.
Visit bit.ly/4rZGa8j for information or to apply.
Check out rods, reels
Bentonville Public Library offers rods and reels for check out as a participant in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s tackle loaner program. Several closed-face spin cast rods and reels are available for check out.