AGFC Renames Wildlife Area to Honor George Dunklin Jr.

George Dunklin Jr. 

The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission said Monday that it voted last month to rename the Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area in honor of George Dunklin Jr. of Stuttgart.

The area’s new name is the George H. Dunklin Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area. AGFC Commissioner Steve Cook made the recommendation.

“George is very deserving of this honor due to his commitment and passion for waterfowl habitat in Arkansas and all of North America … I can think of no other than George who has worked tirelessly in this area of Arkansas for the waterfowl we all enjoy today and will continue to protect and enhance our waterfowl heritage in Arkansas,” Cook said.

Dunklin served on the AGFC commission from 2005-12 and has served as a Ducks Unlimited volunteer for more than 30 years, including terms as president and chairman of the board. He helped direct money to improve the area that now bears his name.

Last year, Dunklin was part of the first class of inductees to the Arkansas Waterfowler Hall of Fame.

“I can’t think of a better, more deserving conservationist than George Dunklin to have one of the most famous and popular public hunting areas named in his honor,” DU CEO Dale Hall said in a news release.

Dunklin is also a farmer in Arkansas’ Grand Prairie region and believes conservation goes hand-in-hand with that.

“Arkansas rice farmers don’t just put food on America’s dinner tables; they are also leaders in protecting our land and water and being good stewards of the earth,” Dunklin said. “As a third-generation Arkansas rice producer, clean and ample water is my livelihood. It is the lifeblood for the rice I grow on the Arkansas Grand Prairie, the habitat that we provide for millions of wintering and migrating waterfowl and the drinking water that my family depends on to be safe and secure.

“The wetlands, bayous and rivers that recharge underground aquifers and help ensure our clean water resources must be properly cared for to provide abundant water supplies for years to come.”