UA Division of Agriculture Public Policy Center

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE - The Arkansas Department of Agriculture will hold a virtual stakeholder meeting on July 8 for the Arkansas Water Plan. The meeting takes place from 8:30-11 a.m.

Representatives from the Department and contractors with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will present updates on the draft gap analysis, mitigation strategies, and issues and recommendations. A draft Water Plan document will also be released for stakeholder input.

Click on the link for sign-in details:

https://agriculture.arkansas.gov/event/arkansas-water-plan-stakeholder-meeting/

Check out this event from our watershed education colleagues!

Central Arkansas residents can learn more about their local waterways at Streets to Streams: A Watershed Fair, a new event hosted by the Cooperative Extension Service and community partners.

WATERSHED INFO — The Cooperative Extension Service, along with community partners, state agencies and local nonprofits, will offer a watershed education event for central Arkansas residents on June 12.
The event will take place 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on June 12 at the Extension State Office at 2301 S. University Ave. in Little Rock. Lunch will be provided, and there is no cost to attend. Register online for the event: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/jth1GqLhDq

Local nonprofits, state agencies and community partners will teach attendees about watershed dynamics, with a focus on the urban community’s impact on local waterways. Partners include the White Oak Bayou Conservancy, the City of North Little Rock Engineering Department, Central Arkansas Water, Central Arkansas Master Naturalists, Metroplan, Friends of Fourche Creek, Lake Conway Point-Remove Watershed Alliance, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Arkansas Wild Spaces, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and more.

We had a great time today with the 2026 summer intern cohort at Get Loud Arkansas talking about election history in Arkansas and the ballot issue process.

Thank you for inviting us!

Congratulations to Kristin Higgins with the Public Policy Center for winning multiple awards this past week at the Arkansas Press Women award luncheon.

She won:
- First Place in Web and Social Media > Electronic Newsletter > Nonprofit, government, or educational for Arkansas Ballot Issue Education Newsletter
- Second Place in Graphics and Design > Graphics > Infographics for Approved Arkansas Citizen Initiatives by Decade
- Second Place in Radio and Television > Special Programming > Radio for Direct Democracy Minute. This series of public service announcements airs on DGold Music Hour on KABF-FM 88.3.

Congratulations also to our colleagues Mary Hightower and Torrie Smith on their awards.

https://www.uaex.uada.edu/media-resources/news/2026/june/06-04-2026-ark-apw-contest.aspx

Today (Tuesday June 2) is Election Day for House District 44, which represents parts of Pope and Van Buren counties.

Polls are open until 7:30 p.m.

Candidates for late Arkansas lawmaker’s seat tout tax cut support | Arkansas Advocate The four Republicans running for a vacant Arkansas River Valley seat in the House are focused on tax cuts to address constituents’ affordability concerns.

Oklahoma–Arkansas Chicken Litter Case Continues Recent events have brought renewed attention to a long-running legal battle between the state of Oklahoma and major poultry companies in Arkansas over environmental concerns and water pollution.  The case centers on allegations that poultry waste generated in northwest Arkansas was contributing to...

Public Comments being taken on this.

PROPOSED RECREATION FEE CHANGES – PUBLIC COMMENTS WELCOME

The Ouachita National Forest is seeking public comments on a proposal to increase or establish recreation fees for certain campsites at Shady Lake Recreation Area and for group picnic sites at Cedar Lake Day Use, Charlton Day Use, and Shady Lake Day Use to help fund operations, maintenance, and improvements. For a list of sites, current fees, proposed increases, and to comment, go to: https://arcg.is/1Gu8zH1.

The recreation fee program provides a critical source of funding to maintain campgrounds, picnic shelters and other developed recreation sites. 80% of fees collected remain on the Ouachita National Forest to operate and maintain developed recreation sites and complete deferred maintenance projects.

Even if the changes requested in the fee proposal are implemented, 83% of the forest recreation sites remain free to use.

🏕️The proposed fee changes are in line with comparable recreation sites in and around the Ouachita National Forest that have similar amenities and maintenance needs.

Please submit comments regarding these fee proposals by close of business on July 20, 2026, using any of the methods below:
💻To provide comments online go to: https://arcg.is/1Gu8zH1.
✉️Email comments to: [email protected] with the subject line “Fee Change.”
📬Mail written comments to: Ouachita National Forest, PO Box 1270, Hot Springs, AR 71902, Attention: Recreation Program Manager.
🏢Comment cards are available at Forest Service offices during normal business hours. Find a list of our offices here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/ouachita/offices. Please call ahead to make sure the office will be open when you plan to stop by.

After public involvement is complete, a citizen-based Resource Advisory Committee will review all feedback before a final decision is made. Committee members represent a broad array of interest groups to help ensure that the Forest Service is proposing reasonable and publicly acceptable new fees and fee changes. Any fees changes will not be implemented until summer 2027.

Although Attorney General Tim Griffin certified ballot titles for seven citizen-initiated constitutional amendments ahead of the 2026 election, only three sponsors are actively collecting voter signatures ahead of the July 3 petition deadline.

Find out more about the proposals and two June special elections in our latest Arkansas Ballot Issue Education Newsletter:

Arkansas Ballot Issues Newsletter Email from Public Policy Center What Citizen Proposals Are Circulating   Public Policy Center | uaex.uada.edu/ballot     May 2026 July Voter Signature Deadline Approaching Fast Although Attorney Gen