Outdoor HoF names inductees

The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation recently announced its 2022 inductees for the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame.

The Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame induction banquet and ceremony will be held Aug. 27 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.

Inductees are Duane Hada of Mountain Home, Brad Wimberly of Ozark, Bob Butler and Jeff Lawrence. The Game and Fish Foundation will honor J.D. Hastings of Little Rock with its Legacy Award.

Hada is a pre-eminent fly fishermen in a state that’s famous for legendary fly fishermen. He’s also a prominent artist whose works are on display in his own Rivertown Gallery in Mountain Home.

Hada has dedicated his life to promoting water quality and riparian integrity in our cold- and warm-water streams. He tirelessly promotes catch-and-release for trophy trout and for smallmouth bass, the latter through his smallmouth bass stream tours. He even has commemorative T-shirts, with streams and the dates presented like rock concert venues on the backs.

Hada is also well known for teaching youngsters to fish. It all adds up to a giveback spirit for which he is renowned.

Wimberly, a Louisiana native, is an unsung hero who’s made his mark on an unsung river.

In 1980, Wimberly bought the Turner Bend Store in Mulberry, a popular whitewater stream that area residents abused with incessant littering. Wimberly organized the first Mulberry River Cleanup. Enthusiasm for the cleanups led to Wimberly organizing the Mulberry River Society. For his efforts, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality in 2013 honored Wimberly with the Arkansas Environmental Stewardship Award.

Wimberly has also contributed significantly to turning the Mulberry River into a major recreational destination. His efforts include building a campground at Turner Bend Store and helping establish two popular access points upstream from the store. The campground is a major base for whitewater paddlers and hikers.

Jeff Lawrence joined Arkansas Ducks Unlimited in 1996 and lead D.U.’s fundraising and volunteer relations efforts in the state. During his tenure with Ducks Unlimited, the funds raised for conservation influenced practices on more than 300,000 acres across North America.

During his 23 years with D.U., Bob Butler, Arkansas’s senior regional director, has helped present nearly 800 events across Arkansas, raising millions for conservation efforts in the United States and Canada’s Prairie Pothole Region. For his efforts, Butler was recognized as a national D.U. Regional Director of the Year.

Lawrence’s and Butler’s institutional knowledge of D.U. in Arkansas and their vast network of contacts are their most valuable assets. They have effectively leveraged these tools to make Arkansas a major contributor to D.U. conservation efforts across the continent.

Lawrence and Butler have also been instrumental in the success of Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet through the years. D.U.’s presence is ubiquitous at the banquet, especially in live and silent auctions.

Simpson III is a former Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Board member and a current trustee of Arkansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Influenced by Simpson and other dedicated conservationists, the Nature Conservancy continues to have a profound impact on protecting wild places and environmental integrity in our state.

The Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet is the Game and Fish Foundation’s major fundraising event. The Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s fundraising auxiliary. Many of its activities encourage children and youth to engage with the outdoors and to participate in outdoor activities.

Tickets for the Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet cost $125. Tables for 10 are available for $1,250 each. Festivities will include dinner, raffles, silent auctions and the induction ceremony.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. for reception and silent auction. The dinner will begin at 7 p.m.

To purchase tickets to the event, visit the AGFF website (agff.org) or simply texting “FISH” to 243– 725. For more information, contact the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation office at (501) 223-6468 or email agff@agff.org.