Ponca Nature Center

06/01/2026

🌿 WANTED: Nature Lovers, Critter Keepers, and Eco-Educators! 🐢✨

Are you passionate about conservation? Do you love connecting with people and exploring the great outdoors? The Ponca Nature Center is looking for a dynamic part-time team member to join our crew in one of the most beautiful parts of the state!

We are looking for someone to:
-Inspire the Next Generation: Lead fun, engaging activities for visiting school groups
-Be the Face of Ponca: Welcome and chat with our awesome visitors, organize our gift shop, and sell hunting/fishing licenses
-Animal Care: Roll up your sleeves and help keep our ambassador animal enclosures clean and happy (home to some very cool, non-venomous snakes, turtles, and fish!)

This is perfect for you if:
✔️ You love the outdoors
✔️ You’re enthusiastic, friendly, and great with kids
✔️ You don't mind getting your hands a little dirty for a great cause

📍 Location: Ponca Nature Center
💼 Position: Part-Time

Apply now at: https://jobs.agfc.com/postings/posting/3683/

05/29/2026

Wednesdays are WILD!
Our first Wild Wednesday is next week!
For more information and to register visit:

Wild Wednesdays will focus on various attributes and features of Arkansas.

05/29/2026

Branch Out with Ecotourism
Ecotourism isn’t just about nature—it’s about people, jobs, and communities. This hands-on workshop invites PK–12 educators to “branch out” and explore how outdoor experiences connect to Arkansas’s economy and quality of life. Returning participants will "leaf" with new resources to take back to the classroom and enjoy new site-specific adventures.

Join Economics Arkansas and the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission for an interactive learning adventure at Ponca Nature Center. We will explore ecotourism, examine real-world connections between natural resources and local economies, and engage in activities that help bring your students’ economic knowledge to new heights.

Adventure—and learning—awaits. Sign up today and turn the great outdoors into your next great lesson.

Upon successful completion, Arkansas PK-12 educators under contract for the 26-27 school year will receive:

6 hours of ADE-approved professional development credit

Ready-to-use resources

$50 eCheck stipend

Lunch will be provided

Only registered teachers may attend the workshop (no children, please)

Register at: https://trainings.economicsarkansas.org/trainings/491

05/15/2026

Bring the Great Outdoors into your Classroom! 🌿🐢

Calling all conservation minded educators! Our June Professional Development sessions are officially open for registration.

June 2 - School of Conservation Leadership Admin Day
Yellville, Arkansas
https://ar-events.s3licensing.com/eventprofile/963

June 9 - Fishing in the Natural State
Timbo, AR
https://ar-events.s3licensing.com/eventprofile/993

June 9 - Hunter Education/Boater Education Volunteer
Ponca, AR
https://ar-events.s3licensing.com/eventprofile/1008

June 9 - Project WILD
Melbourne, AR
https://ar-events.s3licensing.com/eventprofile/994

June 16 - Stream Team
Yellville, AR
https://ar-events.s3licensing.com/eventprofile/792

June 16 - Growing Up WILD
St. Joe, AR
https://ar-events.s3licensing.com/eventprofile/1010

June 23 - Stream Team
Searcy, AR
https://ar-events.s3licensing.com/eventprofile/797

More to come!

05/15/2026

Ready to get the kids outside this summer? 🎣 Our region is officially hosting three incredible Fish Camps!

Whether they’re beginners learning to cast or young pros looking to land a trophy catch, these camps are the perfect way to build skills, make friends, and enjoy the great outdoors.

🐟 Summer 2026 Fish Camp Lineup

Camp 1: Norfork Fish Camp June 17-19
Focus: Trout Fishing
https://ar-events.s3licensing.com/eventprofile/922?_gl=1*ef6krn*_gcl_au*MTA1MTcxODY3Mi4xNzc2MDg3NDA1*_ga*MTIxNTY5NDc2NC4xNjczNDc2NTgy*_ga_4C9QCEC47W*czE3Nzg4NzY3MDgkbzgxOSRnMCR0MTc3ODg3Njc3MyRqNjAkbDAkaDA.

Camp 2: Heber Springs Fish Camp June 24-26
Focus: Basics of Fly Fishing
https://ar-events.s3licensing.com/eventprofile/933?_gl=1*1mmrvmr*_gcl_au*MTA1MTcxODY3Mi4xNzc2MDg3NDA1*_ga*MTIxNTY5NDc2NC4xNjczNDc2NTgy*_ga_4C9QCEC47W*czE3Nzg4NzY3MDgkbzgxOSRnMSR0MTc3ODg3Njk1OCRqNjAkbDAkaDA.

Camp 3: Crooked Creek Nature Center Fish Camp July 8-10
Focus: Basics of Fishing
https://ar-events.s3licensing.com/eventprofile/923?_gl=1*16l0mxs*_gcl_au*MTA1MTcxODY3Mi4xNzc2MDg3NDA1*_ga*MTIxNTY5NDc2NC4xNjczNDc2NTgy*_ga_4C9QCEC47W*czE3Nzg4NzY3MDgkbzgxOSRnMSR0MTc3ODg3NzAyMSRqNjAkbDAkaDA.

05/12/2026

🐦𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗦!🐦

Explore the diverse breeding bird species of the Ozarks on a guided tour led by a wildlife professional. Enjoy an easy 2-mile hike through various habitats with great birdwatching opportunities and learn about practical conservation efforts.

📍Gene Rush WMA (Newton County) Address: 737 NC 4817 (Tatanka Timbers Road) Mount Judea, AR
📅 Saturday, May 16th
⏰8:00am - 12:00pm (actual length may vary)

✨This event is FREE and OPEN TO ALL!✨

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼:
- Due to the length of the hike, this event is probably best suited for ages 8+.
- This is an outdoor activity, and restroom facilities will not be available.
- Please remember to wear appropriate field clothes and shoes!
- It is highly recommended to bring enough water to last the entire event.
- Extra binoculars will be available to borrow!

‼️Space is limited! If you are interested in attending, please register! Register here: https://tinyurl.com/GeneRushBirds

If you have any additional questions about this event, please reach out to Josh Castle at [email protected].

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day!

05/08/2026

These Valley Springs Middle School students had an incredible "reel" world experience today as they completed some School of Conservation Leadership projects they have been working on.

Check out what these students were up to:
• Trout Release: After weeks of hard work raising them from eggs in the classroom, students officially released their rainbow trout into Dry Run Creek!
• Stream Team: They rolled up their sleeves to hunt for macroinvertebrates, using these tiny critters to determine the overall health of the ecosystem.
• Sharp Shooting: Students took aim and practiced their focus at the BB gun range.
• Hatchery Tour: A behind-the-scenes look at how the hatchery operates to keep the local waters stocked and thriving.
• Fishing: Of course, no trip to the creek is complete without casting a line!

A huge thank you to the Norfork National Fish Hatchery for hosting and providing such an amazing outdoor classroom. These Tigers definitely made some great memories today!

05/07/2026

Check out what our conservation partners have happening at our nature center this weekend!

✨𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗦✨

Please consider attending our upcoming workshop - Back to Our Roots: Honoring Women Through Paleo-Skills! This workshop will be led by National Parks Cultural Interpreter Marty Falkenstein & Quail Forever Wildlife Biologist Shelby Garriott.

📅Saturday, May 9th
⏰ 11:00am - 4:00pm
📍AGFC Ponca Nature Center - 4642 AR-43 Ponca, AR 72670

Join us for a pollinator presentation, followed by a show and tell of paleo tools and skills used by indigenous women. After presentations, we will go on a short nature walk & sustainably forage for plants to add to our provided salad lunch. After lunch, we will use stone tools to create containers from black elderberry stalks, using earth pigments to paint.

This will be a unique opportunity and experience! If you have questions about the workshop, please reach out to Shelby Garriott at [email protected] or (870) 834-9525.

FREE REGISTRATION HERE: https://tinyurl.com/2xmteffc

05/06/2026