MOUNTAIN VIEW — The 2025 Arkansas Conservation License Plate was unveiled at a special presentation Wednesday night at Ozark Folk Center State Park. The image, a brown trout swimming in prime Arkansas tailwater habitat, is sure to stir emotions in the souls of anglers throughout The Natural State and envy in the eyes of anglers from states lacking the famous coldwater fisheries of Arkansas.
The unveiling ceremony began with a rousing introductory video that highlighted the deep connection between brown trout and the identity of many Arkansas anglers and communities.
Trout Program Coordinator Christy Graham said one of the characteristics of brown trout that keeps anglers coming back is the variety of experiences between the different tailwaters in the state.
“You can go to the Norfork and White and catch fish that are part of that system which is stocked, or you can go to the Little Red River and fish for browns that are 100 percent wild,” Graham said. “They just end up having different characteristics, and the different environments they are in make them look totally different.”
Following the short feature, Graham joined a panel discussion alongside AGFC Art Director and Illustrator Greta James and AGFC Assistant Chief of Education J.J. Gladden to talk about the selection of the brown trout and the process for creating the license plate artwork.
James spoke about her process, working through images provided by AGFC staff and gathering input about the background and setting each conservation license plate should represent.
“Habitat management is foundational to what we do as an agency, so every element of the artwork is important,” James said. “For a few years, Department of Transportation requirements only allowed us to use a third of the plate for artwork, but now that we are allowed to open up the canvas back to the entire plate, we can really feature the plants and other aspects of the fish’s habitat.”
The license plate costs an additional $35 over regular registration. The AGFC receives $25 of that fee, which is then directed to conservation education efforts.
The Conservation License Plate Program began in 2000 and has provided more than $20 million for scholarships and conservation education efforts in Arkansas since its inception. The brown trout is the sixth aquatic species to be featured on an AGFC plate. The previous five were largemouth bass (2002), rainbow trout (2005), black crappie (2012), smallmouth bass (2015) and longear sunfish (2022).
According to Gladden, one of the larger programs the plates support is the AGFC’s Conservation Scholarship Program. This program offers tuition assistance for Arkansas students with a declared major associated with conservation.
“I didn’t even realize this until we started working on this presentation, but I was one of the first classes of students to receive scholarship money from the Conservation License Plate program,” Gladden said. “And I’m not the only person working in conservation today who was helped along their journey through these funds.”
Panel moderator and AGFC Deputy Director Ben Batten also spoke about his personal ties to the program.
“I received scholarships from these license plates when I was in graduate school in 2005, ’06 and ’07,” Batten said. “As a graduate student you rarely have enough money to make ends meet, and I can attest that the scholarship from these plates made a difference. With the hundreds of fisheries and wildlife management professionals the scholarships have helped, our license plates have made a direct contribution to conservation in Arkansas and throughout the nation.”
Visit https://www.agfc.com/en/about-agfc/conservation-license-plates to learn more about the AGFC Conservation License Plate Program and how to purchase a plate.
