The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation honored those who have worked to expand the use of the state’s outdoor resources at its Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet on Aug. 24 at Little Rock’s Statehouse Convention Center.
Inducted into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame this year were Ret. U.S. Army Col. Shawn Daniel, executive director of Darby’s Warrior Support; and Steve Lochmann, professor of Fisheries Management and Ecology at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Darby’s Warrior Support is a nonprofit organization that provides all-inclusive hunting and fishing opportunities to 9/11-generation combat veterans, particularly those who served in special operations.
UAPB’s Fisheries Management and Ecology offers a bachelor of science degree in aquaculture and fisheries sciences, with research-backed programs geared toward supporting the state’s recreational fishing industry.
The Steve Smith Spirit of Giving Award went to the Mayfly Project, founded by Jess and Laura Westbrook in Arkansas in 2015 and now active in multiple states. The Mayfly Project introduces children in foster care to fly fishing and offers them education about their local water ecosystems.
The Foundation bestowed its Legacy Award on the late Andy Simmons, who donated 237 acres of land on the Jefferson/Lincoln county line, formerly a hunting property, for the education and promotion of waterfowl conservation and outdoor recreational activities. That land is now the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Simmons Outdoor Skills Farm.
— Story and photos by Kimberly Dishongh
