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.
Article and photos by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
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
