Meeting highlights bass plan
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will host a public meeting from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday to gather public input on a statewide Reservoir Black Bass Management Plan the agency is finalizing. The meeting is at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center, 3400 N. 40th St. in Springdale.
The event is an open house format so people can drop in at any time during the session. There is no formal presentation.
Blanchard caverns reopen
Ozark-St. Francis National Forest officials are pleased to announce that Blanchard Springs Caverns will reopen on Thursday after a two-year closure.
Blanchard Springs Caverns, near Mountain View, is considered a premier guided “living” cave system open for tours. Multiple factors contributed to the lengthy closure of the caverns, including ongoing facility repairs and safety mitigation measures related to the pandemic.
Amy Burt, Ozark-St. Francis National Forest recreation staff officer, said tickets must be prepurchased through the www.recreation.gov system. Advanced ticketing for tours will allow the cavern to adequately staff guided tours on the Dripstone Trail and provide a more enhanced visitor experience. Tours will be available Thursdays-Mondays and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The more arduous Discovery and wild cave tours will not be offered at this time due to staffing limitations.
Libraries show Buffalo film
The 53-minute documentary film “First River: How Arkansas Saved a National Treasure” about the Buffalo National River will be shown at 6 p.m. today at the Rogers Public Library and at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Fayetteville Public library. Discussion will follow each showing. The Ozark Society produced the film.
Hone dove hunting skills
A free program, dove hunting for beginners, will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center, 3400 N. 40th St. in Springdale.
Registration is not required. Topics include basic equipment needed, how to hunt doves, regulations and safety out in the field. Arkansas’ dove season opens Sept. 3.
Walk explores Fayetteville
The Ozark Hill Hikers, affiliated with the American Volkssport Association, invite all interested walkers to join a walk Aug. 24 in Fayetteville.
Registration is from 8:30 to 9 a.m. at Walgreens, 4007 N. Shiloh Drive, in Fayetteville. There is a short drive to the start point at Lake Fayetteville where walkers may choose a 5-kilometer or 10-kilometer route.
Membership dues for the Ozark Hill Hikers are $12 a year prorated $1 for each month remaining in the calendar year. For more information email bvvohh@gmail.com or call 479-381-9366.
Learn Buffalo cedar cutting
Buffalo National River Partners and the Newton County Public Library will host a free program, “Cedar Money: The Adventures of Cedar Cutting Along the Buffalo” from 5 to 6 p.m. on Aug. 25 at the library on Stone Street in Jasper.
Visit www.newtoncountylibrary.org for a virtual option.
Cleanup targets Lee Creek
The annual Lee Creek Cleanup hosted by Devil’s Den State Park will be from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 10. Volunteers should meet at the horse camp pavilion on Arkansas 220 on the west end of the park.
Cleanup area is from the park to the Arkansas 220 bridge. Lunch will be provided from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the horse camp pavilion. Prize drawings will be from noon to 1 p.m.
Contact Terry Anderson, park interpreter, 479-761-3823, terry.anderson@arkansas.gov for more information.
Go fishing in Centerton
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will host a fall family fishing derby from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 24 at Centerton Lake in Centerton.
Game and Fish will stock the lake with channel catfish. Fishing is open to all ages. Anglers should provide their own tackle, bait and container to take their fish home.
Clips show group’s outdoors
Peel Compton Foundation in Bentonville has launched a video series about nature and outdoor opportunities at foundation properties. Videos can be viewed on the Peel Compton Foundation You Tube channel. They feature Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, Osage Park, Compton Gardens and Arboretum and Peel Museum and Botanical Garden.
