Commission recognizes outstanding employees with 2025 Campbell Awards 

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission took time at its regularly scheduled October meeting today to praise the hard work and dedication of three of its employees with the announcement of the agency’s 2025 Campbell Award winners.

AGFC Director Austin Booth announced Allison Asher, Steven Burgess and Michelle Furr as this year’s recipients of the award, named after former Commissioner John C. Campbell Jr. and his father J.C. Campbell, an avid outdoorsman. The award recognizes three AGFC employees for their leadership, spirit and community service.

“I’ve said many times that conservation is only as good as its people, and these individuals exemplify what it takes to move the needle in conservation and habitat management,” Booth said.

Allison Asher is a fisheries management biologist in the AGFC’s Jonesboro Regional Office. In addition to being a dedicated biologist, Asher is an avid outdoorswoman and uses that connection with the outdoors on a daily basis, whether through her work managing many of the lakes and streams in her region or working with people in her district to improve fisheries and the relationship between the AGFC and the people of northeast Arkansas.

“As I’ve gotten to know Dr. Asher over the last three years, what really has left a mark on me is that she is so thoughtful,” Booth said. “The esteem that our Fisheries Division holds her in isn’t just for her care of the natural resources, isn’t just for her intellect, it’s every bit as much as how much she cares about people. About people she works over, under and alongside; and we need more of an example like that within the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.”

The second recipient of today’s Campbell Award announcement was AGFC habitat biologist Steven Burgess. Burgess works at the AGFC’s Russellville Regional Office, although he’s rarely found indoors. As a habitat biologist, he works to guide management of forests in the western portion of the state to maximize wildlife habitat through the use of forest management such as prescribed fire, thinnings and various forestry practices to produce abundant hard mast for deer, turkeys and other wildlife while maintaining year-round food sources at ground level, such as annual grasses and plants.

“His efforts are often overlooked because of his humility, his laid-back attitude and because he never seeks recognition for a job well done,” Booth said. “You’ll never hear him say, ‘That’s not my job,’ and you’ll frequently hear him ask, “How can I help?’”

Burgess is heavily involved in coordinating forest management practices with the USDA Forest Service and other partners to ensure healthy wildlife populations while maintaining access for hunters and other outdoors enthusiasts on many cooperatively managed wildlife management areas.

“He is a true leader, not only in conservation but in character, and anyone who has had the opportunity to work with Steven Burgess will agree that his work ethic, his knowledge, make him an absolute joy to work with and an absolute treasure for this agency,” Booth concluded.

Michelle Furr, statewide program coordinator for the agency’s Private Lands Habitat Division, was the third and final Campbell Award winner announced at today’s meeting. Furr oversees many of the contracts and aspects of the agency’s successful Conservation Incentive Program, which has allocated $3.5 million in set-aside funds from the Arkansas General Assembly to reward private landowners for various approved conservation activities on their properties.

“It has been an absolute honor to watch Michelle take something like the Conservation Incentive Program with little to no guidance, to understand the importance of elevating private landowners and the work of conservation in Arkansas, to own this challenge and to make it everything that it can and should be,” Booth said. “If we had more people like Michelle Furr in the field, both in the agency and in the public, this wonderful state would be much, much, much better off.”

AGFC Deputy Director Brad Carner also presented AGFC habitat biologist Lorne Greene with the David Henley Memorial Wildlife Manager of the Year Award from the Arkansas state chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Henley was a dedicated biologist with the AGFC until his untimely death in 2021, and the award named for him honors a single wildlife management professional who works to enhance turkey habitat in Arkansas as well as to educate the public about the critical conservation work needed to benefit the state’s turkey population.

“Over half of the landbase in Arkansas is forested, and unmanaged forests are very poor turkey habitat,” Carner said. “Lorne has spent his 30-year career managing forests, both on private and public lands.”

In addition to his work in northern Arkansas, Green was instrumental in pursuing and maintaining the agency’s sustainable forestry initiative certification, a third-party standard requiring measures to conserve water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk of decline and healthy forests.

In his monthly report to the Commission, AGFC Director Booth recognized the recent accomplishments of AGFC staff and members of the AGFC Advisory Council in coordinating cleanup activities to clear boat lanes and access points on some of the agency’s more popular waterfowl-focused WMAs. These cleanups have been conducted on Dave Donaldson Black River WMA and George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMA, and another is planned for Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA.

“If we are judging the success of conservation in Arkansas with the diversity of people we have with their hand to the plow of conservation, whether it’s our legislators, our staff or the public, we are in great shape,” Booth said.

In other business, the Commission:

• Recognized 10 employees with a combined 215 years of service to the natural resources of Arkansas.

• Heard an update about the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation from AGFF President Deke Whitbeck, highlighting the organization’s accomplishments in fundraising on behalf of the Commission and outreach to engage youth and communities in the outdoors.

• Heard an update from AGFC Habitat Program Coordinator Rob Willey on the agency’s continued habitat management projects to improve forest health conditions on and around greentree reservoirs at George H. Dunklin Bayou Meto Jr. and Henry Gray Hurricane Lake wildlife management areas.

• Heard an update from AGFC Deer Program Coordinator Ralph Meeker on the health and characteristics of Arkansas’s deer herd and last year’s hunter harvest.

• Authorized a budget increase of $115,840 for repairs at the AGFC’s Fiocchi Shooting Sports Complex in Mayflower.

• Authorized the removal of $16,095 worth of stolen or missing inventory.

• Authorized Director Booth to enter into an easement with the Arkansas Department of Transportation to replace a bridge on Arkansas Highway 88 crossing Little Bayou Meto to improve access to Bayou Meto WMA.

• Authorized Director Booth to terminate an existing public access easement to the Bowen Bridge Access on the Little Missouri River that has been affected by extensive erosion and closure of bridges leading to the access.

• Approved the relocation of an easement with Entergy on the west side of the White River in Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA to move and bury an existing overhead power line.

A complete video of the meeting is available on the AGFC’s YouTube Channel.

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CUTLINES:

AWARDS
The recipients of this year’s Campbell Awards were Michelle Furr (left), Steven Burgess (center) and Allison Asher (right). AGFC photo. 

AT DESK
AGFC Director Austin Booth offered his appreciation for the work of the many dedicated staff of the AGFC and the habitat work that has occurred in the last three years. AGFC photo.

CROWD
The AGFC celebrated its dedicated employees at today’s meeting. AGFC photo.