Throughout the state, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has four conservation education centers, and one is located in the Twin Lakes Area. The Fred Berry Conservation Education Center is a 421-acre property in a 2 3/4-mile bend of Crooked Creek, just above Kelley’s Access near Yellville.
The former dairy farm is the site of a joint conservation education project between the commission and the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation. The project was set in motion in 1999 following a donation by retired Yellville-Summit School District teacher and counselor Fred Berry. In addition, other donations helped provide the land, education building, pavilion and other improvements. The center was opened and dedicated in June 2005.
The education building, pavilion, trails, creek and acres of Ozark habitat normally provide plenty of indoor and outdoor learning areas. The education building and pavilion are currently closed, and the gate to the property is locked due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on a recent episode of the Talk of the Town on KTLO-FM, Center Director Marilyn Doran said the trails are still accessible.
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Doran says there are other activities available at the center, including a 3D archery range.
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The Fred Berry Conservation Education Center is also a designated Arkansas Watchable Wildlife site. Over 100 species of birds and several common Ozark mammals have been recorded.
For more information on the center, call 870-449-3484. Further details can be found online at fredberrycec.com, updates are posted at facebook.com/FredBerryConservationEducationCenter.
This month, Our Community Cares, sponsored by Farmers and Merchants Bank, Pizza Hut, Carl Wayne’s Nurseries and KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot, highlights the work of the Fred Berry Conservation Education Center. Learn more at ktlo.com/ourcommunitycares.
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