AGFC to break down barriers with federal grant

Thanks to a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investment of $2 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will be able to tear down five stream barriers on the Robinson Fork of Little River, restoring stream connectivity to more than 150 miles of aquatic habitat in south Arkansas.

The work will replace five low-water road crossings on property owned by Weyerhaeuser and Polk County with railcar bridges to open up year-round access for fish to move freely throughout the stream. Robinson Fork connects with the Rolling Fork, which enters De Queen Lake and eventually winds its way to the Little River.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investment of just over $70 million will address these outdated and obsolete barriers in 43 projects across 29 states. These funds build on the Service’s 2022 and 2023 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law National Fish Passage Program investments of nearly $73 million for 79 projects across the U.S. The newly announced project list represents the third and fourth years of funding of a five-year, $200 million commitment to restore free-flowing waters, allowing for fish migration and protecting communities from flooding.