Francis National Forest. Both offer superb hiking, camping, and hunting opportunities in addition to their river recreation possibilities. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is the agency charged with managing the state's wildlife resources. It has established a fine network of hatcheries, public fishing lakes, and wildlife management areas. The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism manages the state park system, produces the Arkansas Vacation Kit, and houses the Arkansas Trails Council.
Rivers are special.
The truth is, though, that the future of our rivers is anything but guaranteed. The only sure bet is that those we still have will become even more precious as time goes by. The major threat to the streams of Arkansas are projects projects for water supplies, flood control, hydro-power, dredging, and channelization. While the heyday of these developments seems to have peaked, several more major impoundments and stream re-alignments are already on the drawing boards. Even in cases where some public use is served, these projects each remove another free-floating stream from a steadily shrinking list.