Turn Christmas leftovers into ‘Habitat for the Holidays’

LITTLE ROCK — When the eggnog is finished and the last of the holiday feasts are over, many live Christmas trees are destined to sit next to the road until the sanitation department picks them up. Instead of tossing your festive fir to the curb on Dec. 26, donate it to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Habitat for the Holidays program.

AGFC biologists throughout the state have designated special Christmas tree donation locations where you can deliver your tree so it can be used as fish habitat in local lakes.

The drop-off locations act just like a “take-a-penny, leave-a-penny tray” at a cashier’s station, only it’s for fish. Anyone who wants to drop off their natural Christmas tree can take it to a location and leave it. Any angler who wants to take the trees and sink them can do so throughout January. After that, AGFC staff will take the remainder of the trees and freshen up some of the existing fishing hotspots found on the AGFC interactive map.

Anglers should bring their own rope and weights to sink the trees. Paracord works well to bind trees together and attach the weight (sandbags and cinder blocks are most commonly used).

Christmas trees are relatively short-term habitat because they don’t have much thick woody material, but they can be gathered in clusters easily and sunk in large groups. The main stems will last longer than the wispy branches and continue to draw fish throughout the year. Many anglers use these Christmas trees to freshen up productive attractor sites every year, with the main trunks offering long-lasting cover and the branches of the new brush.

Artificial trees are not allowed at drop-off locations, and all ornaments, tinsel and lights should be removed before the trees are dropped off.

Trees can be left at any of the following locations until the end of January:

 

Northwest Arkansas
Beaver Lake – Highway 12 Access, AGFC Don Roufa Highway 412 Access and Monte Ne Boat Ramp Access

Lake Elmdale – Boat Ramp Access

Bob Kidd Lake – Boat Ramp Access

Crystal Lake – Boat Ramp Access

Lake Fayetteville — Boat Ramp Access

 

North Arkansas
Bull Shoals Lake – Any U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat ramp

Norfork Lake – Any U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat ramp

McCabe Park Pond – West side gravel parking lot

 

Northeast Arkansas
Jonesboro – Craighead Forest Park Lake Boat Ramp

Lake Bono – Boat Ramp Access

Lake Walcott – Crowley’s Ridge State Park Boat Ramp Access

Lake Charles – West parking lot at Highway 25 Boat Ramp Access

Lake Poinsett — Dam Access Boat Ramp

Batesville — Ramsey Slough Boat Ramp

 

Central Arkansas
Arkansas River – Riverview Park Access in North Little Rock

Lake Barnett – Reed Access

Harris Brake Lake – Chittman Hill Access

Lake Pickthorne – Holland Bottoms Access

Lake Overcup – Lake Overcup Landing

Cox Creek Lake – Cox Creek Lake Public Access

Lake Hamilton – Andrew Hulsey State Fish Hatchery Access Area

 

West Central Arkansas
Lake Atkins (Pope County)

Lake Jack Nolen

Sugar Loaf Lake

 

East Arkansas
Horseshoe Lake — Bonds Access

Wynne Sports Complex Family and Community Fishing Pond

 

Southeast Arkansas
Lake Chicot – Connerly Bayou Access Area

Lucas Pond – Crossett

Cook’s Lake – Potlatch Cook’s Lake Nature Center at 625 Cook’s Lake Road, Casscoe, or the bus lot across from Grand Avenue United Methodist Church in Stuttgart

AGFC Regional Office at Monticello – 771 Jordan Drive

 

South Arkansas
Camden – AGFC Regional Office on Ben Lane, next to the National Guard Armory

Upper White Oak Lake – Upper Jack’s Landing

Magnolia – Columbia County Road Department Yard on Highway 371

El Dorado – Union County Fairgrounds

 

Southwest Arkansas
Millwood Lake – Millwood State Park ramp on the point

Dierks City Pond – Main parking area

Rick Evans Grandview Prairie – Nature Center

Hope – AGFC Regional Office on U.S. Highway 67 East

Lake Dieffenbacher – Bobby Ferguson Park Pavilion, Texarkana

 

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CUTLINES:

DUMPING TREES
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has sites throughout the state where anyone can donate their used Christmas tree through January to be used as fish habitat. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

TREES IN BOAT
Anglers may take trees from the dropoff locations to create their own fishing hotspots. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.  

LOADING TREES
Any trees remaining at the end of January will be used to freshen up established habitat sites. Anglers can find GPS coordinates to all AGFC fish attractors at www.agfc.com.