AGFC Manages 1,510-Acre Buck Island WMA Accessible Only by Boat

The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission manages Buck Island Wildlife Management Area, a 1,510-acre island in the Mississippi River located just north of Helena River Park that is accessible only by boat. The island is a three-minute boat trip from the public boat ramp in Helena Harbor, which is maintained by the city of Helena, and serves as an access point onto the Lower Mississippi River Water Trail toward Freddie Black Choctaw Island WMA, 106 river miles downstream.

Buck Island appears on AGFC georeferenced WMA maps as a conservation property associated with Phillips County and has a recent ownership history tied to regional conservation work. The American Land Conservancy purchased the island in 2005, opened it to public access through a conservation easement to the AGFC in 2011, and donated the property to the AGFC in 2012.

Logistics for visitors are specific: the island is boat-only and is described as an "excellent point for advanced paddlers to begin the journey" to Choctaw Island WMA 106 river miles to the south along the Lower Mississippi River Water Trail. George Dunklin, Jr., chairman of the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, said, "Buck Island provides an excellent and user-friendly way to enjoy the riches of the river like never before," and added, "We strive to engage more people in protecting and using our state’s natural resources, and Buck Island and the new water trail give local communities and others exciting new ways to do so. For advanced paddlers and boaters, the 106 river-mile trip from Buck Island to Choctaw Island Wildlife Management Area is now possible, and this river trail should soon gain national recognition."

Federal and regional conservation partners framed Buck Island as both a scenic and strategic link in river recreation. Ron Nassar, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coordinator for the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee, said, "Buck Island is truly a treasure hidden in plain sight, but new public access to the island lets people experience Mark Twain’s river in a whole new way." Advocacy coverage noted that public access to Buck Island "extends upstream water trails into Arkansas for the first time, linking Helena to Choctaw Island Wildlife Management Area 106 miles downstream, and to the famed White and Arkansas Rivers in between."

AGFC photo captions associated with Buck Island emphasize visual and conservation value. One caption titled "Boats on Beach" states, "Buck Island WMA in Phillips County offers a rare look at the mighty Mississippi." A separate caption titled "Bird with chicks" notes, "The interior least tern was once listed on the Federal Endangered Species List and is still a species of greatest conservation need in Arkansas," with photo credit to Kaiti Titherington of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Local economic arguments accompany recreation planning. Clark Hall (D, Marvell) said, "The Mississippi is one of Arkansas’ great natural treasures, and Buck Island gives Americans a new way to enjoy it," and added, "The water trail will allow people to experience America’s greatest river in a whole new way, and means tourism growth and jobs for Phillips County and the Delta. I am proud to have been an early and avid supporter for Buck Island and am thrilled to see it conserved for public enjoyment."

To avoid confusion with other protected places of the same name, note that Buck Island Wildlife Management Area in Phillips County, Arkansas, is distinct from Buck Island National Wildlife Refuge near St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which covers about 45 acres and whose lands were transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1969, 1981, and 2004 (including a 0.92-acre parcel with a historic iron lighthouse). It is also separate from Buck Island Reef National Monument north of St. Croix and from Buck Lake Wildlife Management Area in Florida, which consists of more than 9,000 acres adjacent to the St. Johns River.

As additional islands and river access points are added, agency leaders and conservation partners say the connected water-trail network could evolve into a nationally significant recreation complex, and Buck Island now stands as a concrete river-entry asset for Helena and Phillips County that combines conservation value with tangible tourism potential.