A gathering of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission leaders and the family and friends of the late Kenny Vernon put a formal stamp a few days ago on action of the agency a couple of months back the naming of the Kenny Vernon Bell slough Nature Trail.
Vernon, who lived in Conway, was with the Wildlife Management Division of AGFC about 27 years. He and Phyllis Speer, a regional education coordinator with AGFC, made a vision become a reality. That was an interpretive trail for young, old and in-between through what they realized was a nature gem Bell Slough.
AGFC Chief of Wildlife Management Doyle Shook said Vernon was a special person who took a lot of pride in educating people about the unique habitat on display at Bell Slough.
"His motivation and determination resulted in the interpretive trail that we are standing on today," Shook said.
Construction of the trail began in the winter of 1997, and it is just over two miles in length. The trail features interpretive signs, two observation sites looking over open woodlands and two more looking over a waterfowl rest area. There also is a blind for photographing ducks on the waterfowl rest area.
Here is a synopsis of the trail and Bell Slough from Keith Stephens of AGFC:
Wildlife Viewing
At least 35 resident bird species and as many as 75 species during the summer months have been seen at Bell Slough. Fall and winter are best for waterfowl viewing on Grassy Lake.
Summer is best for reptiles and amphibians, with numerous turtles, frogs and toads inhabiting the area. You'll also see white-tailed deer and other mammals such as beavers, muskrats and swamp rabbits.
Many blooming wildflowers can be seen from February until November.
Description
Just over 2,000 acres make up the Bell Slough WMA. It is a mix of moist-soil wetlands, bottomland hardwoods, prairie and upland hardwood and pine forest. The wetlands are managed as a waterfowl rest area.
Location
Faulkner County. From Interstate 40, take Exit 135 at Mayflower and turn south on Arkansas Highway 365. Go three miles to Grassy Lake Road, turn east and continue over the bridge to the WMA parking lot.
Information
Bell Slough Wildlife Management Area (501) 470-1690 or (877) 470-3650.
Stephens said, "Many years ago, Bell Slough was just the swamp across the road from the Camp Robinson Wildlife Demonstration Area and was known as a problem for those Arkansas Game and Fish Commission employees who tried to manage it. One employee saw beauty in its murky water."
Vernon died in January, a few months after his retirement in 2007.
Bell Slough WMA is one of more than 115 WMAs in Arkansas. It is among 59 AGFC-owned WMAs across the state encompassing more than 350,000 acres. Shook said that each one of the WMAs carries the character and vision of AGFC employees. "It's the people of the Commission who make it such a great organization and make the WMAs such wonderful places to enjoy," Shook said.
