Arkansas wildlife backer Smith dies

Steve G. Smith, the former president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, died Wednesday in Little Rock. He was 70.

Jeff Crow, director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, confirmed Smith’s death but said the cause is unknown.

Smith, a prolific fundraiser, was named president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation in 1989. He described the position as “chief cook and bott l e washer with advanced political skills.”

Sheffield Nelson of Little Rock served on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission from 2000-2007.

“Steve Smith was a dedicated, valuable employee who changed the image of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation around the state,” Nelson said. “He raised a lot of money for the foundation during his years there, and will always be remembered fondly.”

Founded in 1982, the Game and Fish Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization that was originally formed to advocate politically for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Since the 1996 passage of Amendment 75 — which established a statewide, 0.125 percent sales tax to provide additional funding for the Game and Fish Commission, Department of Parks and Tourism, Natural Heritage Commission and Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission — the Game and Fish Foundation has supported Game and Fish Commission programs and activities.

“Our role in passing Amendment 75 is the one thing I’m proudest of,” Smith said in February 2014. “That has provided about $250 million that improved hunting and fishing in Arkansas, and it had equal benefits for state parks.”

Smith, who retired in 2014 because of chronic illness, led the foundation during its most influential years. Besides successfully lobbying for Amendment 75, the foundation under Smith’s leadership established the Potlatch Conservation Education Center at Cooks Lake near Casscoe; the 421-acre Fred Berry Conservation Education Center on Crooked Creek near Yellville; and the Robinwood Tract of the Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area.

Access to the Fred Berry Conservation Education Center used to be a low-water bridge that spanned Crooked Creek. It was dangerous if any water flowed over the slab, and its sharp angles frequently stranded school buses carrying children on field trips to the area. Smith was responsible for building the new high bridge that allows safe access in all weather.

To promote the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program, Smith led the effort to establish a state- of- the- art shotgun sports facility in Jacksonville.

Smith was inducted into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2003.

Smith