Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation announces Outdoor Hall of Fame Inductees (original) (raw)
The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation recently announced an eclectic list of inductees for the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation is a private, not-for-profit lobbying and branding auxiliary for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The Game and Fish Foundation is also the custodian for the Arkansas Outdoors Hall of Fame, which honors the most prominent figures in Arkansas hunting, fishing and natural resources conservation.
The induction banquet, which will be held Aug. 29 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rck, is one of its primary fundraising events.
The 2026 inductees are Mike Sullivan, the late Pat Fitts and Mark Hedrick. The Arkansas Waterfowl Association will receive the AGFF's Steve Smith Spirit of Giving Award.
As the former state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Arkansas, Sullivan secured hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to promote conservation on private lands. He led large-scale water quality and groundwater protection projects and was instrumental in creating the AGFC's WRICE Program, which provides financial incentives to rice farmers for wildlife-friendly practices. The WRICE program also provides much welcomed public hunting access to high-quality waterfowl habitat.
A 32-year veteran with the Game and Fish Commission, Fitts began his career as a hatchery technician and advanced to become the agency's 18th Director. His tenure as director was 2018-21.
Fitts was also a highly decorated law enforcement officer who was named "Wildlife Officer of the Year" for both Arkansas and the Southeastern U.S. His legacy includes overseeing the completion of the Ozark Highlands Nature Center and developing the Get It for Game Wardens program.
I met Hedrick in 2014 when we co-hosted "Ray Tucker's Arkansas Outdoors" weekly radio program on KABZ-FM in Little Rock. For years, he has co-hosted "The Wild Side" with Trey Reid on the same station.
A prominent voice for the outdoors in Central Arkansas, Hedrick disseminates a professional conservation message to everyday sportsmen. As the founder of the Commissioners' Cup Youth Bass Fishing Tournament, he is dedicated to passing on Arkansas' fishing heritage not only to youth but to parents, empowering them to teach their children how to enjoy the state's lakes and streams.
Since its inception, the Arkansas Waterfowl Association has been a cornerstone of Arkansas's outdoor identity. Known for its premier Youth Summer Camp Program and the 160-acre Bennett Family AWA Outdoor Recreation Center, the AWA balances hunter advocacy with rigorous habitat restoration and education to ensure the next generation understands the science of waterfowl management.
For information about purchasing tickets and tables, text "Fish" to 44834 or visit: https://onecau.se/fish. For general information, contact Deke Whitbeck at deke@agff.org.
Bird sound expert
Internationally acclaimed bird sounds expert Alison Kondler will lead a field trip to Hot Springs' Northwoods lakes as part of the inaugural Birding Festival of the South on Oct. 8-10.
An Audubon Master Birder, Kondler created the social media platform @birding_by_ear. Through bird sound mimicry, creative mnemonics and storytelling, she teaches people how to identify birds by ear using techniques that connect with different learning styles. Her talks make bird sounds approachable, memorable and fun.
Kondler will give one of the festival's keynote talks Oct. 10 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Attendance is included as part of the festival pass, which costs $35. On Oct. 9, Kondler will lead a field trip to the city's Northwoods lakes region around lakes Dillon and Bethel. Participation in that field trip will require a separate registration.
Oaklawn Hot Springs will sponsor the Birding Festival of the South, The event will coincide with the annual fall migration for birds that are not native to Hot Springs.
For more information, call Alexis Hampo at 501-321-2027.
Bryan Hendricks has been the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette outdoors editor since 2005. He covers hunting, fishing, camping, and all other outdoor activities in The Natural State, as well as the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Bryan has won 30-plus awards for his work, including the Arkansas Press Association Freedom of Information Award, Service to Freedom of Information Award (Associated Press Managing Editors), Reporting on Freedom of Information Issues Award (Society of Professional Journalists), the John Robert Starr Award for Excellence in Journalism, and the Arkansas Wildlife Federation Conservation Communicator of the Year Award.