A Living Learning Laboratory in the Ozark's

View of a forest with tall trees, green foliage, and rocky ground.

Along Crooked Creek in the Ozark Mountains, a 600+ acre private ranch is becoming part of a larger vision for conservation, education and responsible stewardship of the land.

A rural landscape with green grass, a few trees, and a weathered barn with a rusted metal roof, under a cloudy sky.
A peaceful river scene with a calm water body reflecting the green trees on the shore and a clear, slightly cloudy sky above.

Adjacent to the property, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission already operates a 400-acre educational and conservation resource, including facilities and student programs ranging from k-12 through university level, and private lands biology, focused on land management and conservation.

Entrance sign for Arkansas Game and Fish Commission with a green metal roof, two brick columns, and a wooded background.
A peaceful outdoor scene of a small pond with trees and grassy areas around it, under a clear blue sky. There are signs indicating an archery range and trap and skeet shooting areas.
Two yurts with beige fabric walls and white domed roofs on wooden platforms, set in a grassy area surrounded by green trees and hills in the background, under a partly cloudy sky.

Arkansas Tech University is developing additional educational and research opportunities, while other universities, agencies and community partners are being invited to participate.

Group of people building a wooden platform in a forest.
A group of children walking in a garden or park guided by an adult woman who is pointing ahead. The children are wearing backpacks and casual clothing, and the scene is lush and green.
Group of people in safety gear, including helmets and gloves, gathered around a tree stump in a forest, with logs and tools for tree cutting.

The Ranch offers an opportunity to extend that established educational model into a larger and remarkably diverse landscape.

Three men standing outdoors near a wooded area, engaged in conversation, with trees and a building visible in the background.

Rather than creating another program from the ground up, the vision is to connect existing expertise, facilities, educators, students and resources into a collaborative learning and research environment.

A forest scene with prescribed burn visible in the background.
Two men in conversation in a forested area, prescribed burn visible in the background.

AGFC official Ted Z. discusses proscribed burn status with Tom Dumas