The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission is working with private landowners and other public agencies to alter unusable farmland for public use.
The long-term project, started in 2008 in conjunction with Ducks Unlimited and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, aims to make the land available to Arkansas residents for recreational activities.
Waterfowl Project Coordinator Luke Naylor, who has overseen the project with Keith Weaver of the Central Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge Complex, said hunters will especially benefit from the changes, which will take place over the next few years.
"A lot of us in the wildlife management business now are very interested in recruitment and retention of hunters and passing on this important waterfowl hunting tradition to the next generation," Naylor said.
Naylor also noted that the segment of land owned by the Game & Fish Commission will be open specifically for hunting of waterfowl after the project's completion.
Organizations will continue to meet in the coming months to determine additional steps to ensure completion of the conversion.
