LITTLE ROCK – Several Arkansas wildlife management areas will be closed temporarily to daytime public access for short periods of time during February and March. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services, in cooperation with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, will be conducting aerial operations to facilitate feral hog control efforts. The flights will be dependent on the weather. Individual WMAs will only be closed to public access for one to two days each to allow for the aerial flights.

Access will not be allowed during ongoing operations to provide public safety. Varying weather and site-specific conditions will not allow for specific dates of the closures. The closure dates allow some flexibility to take advantage of resources over large contiguous tracts of habitat. In the event that access to the WMA is restricted, AGFC and partnering agency staff will be on-site to maintain road and access closures.

The WMAs that will be temporarily closed include: Cut-Off Creek WMA, Seven Devils WMA, Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita WMA, Freddie Black Choctaw Island WMA, Trusten Holder WMA, George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMA, U of A Pine Tree WMA, Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA, Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek WMA, Big Lake WMA and McIlroy Madison County WMA.

The aerial operations are the result of planning and coordination of multiple partners, condensed into several days of actual operations. The AGFC and USDA APHIS would like to thank the public in advance for their patience and understanding while these activities are underway and apologize for any inconvenience related to the operation, AGFC Feral Hog Program Coordinator Ryan Farney said. “These targeted control efforts are essential to reducing feral hog populations and protecting the long-term health and sustainability of our wildlife management areas.”

For additional information, please contact Farney at 501-382-3945, or Robert Byrd, Arkansas APHIS Director at 501-835-2318.

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SPRINGDALE – The McIlroy Madison County Wildlife Management Areas will be temporarily closed Jan. 29-30 in cooperation with the Arkansas Feral Hog Task Force to fight the spread of invasive feral swine in Arkansas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services will be conducting aerial operations aimed at reducing feral hog populations on the area. The flights will be dependent on the weather.

To provide safety for the public and comply with USDA regulations, access will not be allowed during the ongoing operations. AGFC and partnering agency staff will be on-site to maintain road and access closures.

Feral hogs threaten both wildlife and agriculture in Arkansas. They destroy habitat, prey on wildlife and can be linked to transmission of diseases such as brucellosis and pseudorabies (swine herpes virus).

The AGFC and USDA APHIS would like to thank the public in advance for their patience and understanding while these activities are underway and apologize for any inconvenience related to the operation.

For additional information, please contact Ryan Farney, the AGFC Feral Hog Coordinator, at 501-912-9541, or Arkansas APHIS Director Robert Byrd at 501-835-2318.