FCRA donates $500,000 to planned expansion of River Valley Nature Center

The Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) has contributed $500,000 to a reimagined Janet Huckabee River Valley Nature Center (JHRVC). A fundraising campaign to help the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission expand the center was announced in March 2023.

Jibbie Tyler, director of development and corporate partnerships for the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, said the FCRA contribution is the latest and largest to the Reimagine the River Valley campaign devoted to updating the 14,000-square-foot facility and 170 acres surrounding it.

“This area serves as a cornerstone to enhance the quality of place for the public, current and prospective employees and their families to explore and learn about the outdoors and what Arkansas and Chaffee Crossing have to offer. We are excited about the progress made and look forward to working alongside the AGF Commission and Foundation to bring their improvement plan to fruition,” said Daniel Mann, FCRA executive director and CEO.

The Nature Center was built on 170 acres of land that was part of Fort Chaffee and opened in 2005. The center features Wells Lake, a popular fishing destination, trails, and a nature center that features game and nongame animal displays, a 1,200-gallon aquarium with native Arkansas fish, other exhibits and a classroom for educational programs.

Fort Smith-based Pradco Outdoor Brands donated $150,000 to kickoff the campaign. FCRA’s donation brings the total raised to over $1.5 million of the $3 million needed for the “reimagining,” Tyler said.

If the goal of $3 million is met, many new exhibits will be possible, including live, indoor beehive exhibits, live camera feeds of watchable wildlife exhibits, and a variety of virtual reality experiences to immerse visitors into the outdoors through modern technology, Tyler said. Bennie Westphal, who is a supporter of the project, said he is a beekeeper and is looking forward to the observatory beehive.

“That’ll be really cool, watching the queen lay the eggs and watching the worker bees come in all excited about finding a new field,” Westphal said. (Westphal is an owner of Natural State Media, which is the parent company of Talk Business & Politics.)

He said the reimagining will bring in people out of curiosity to see the new things and then give them more reasons for a return visit to the center.

Tyler said the plans are not only for indoor activities. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission also plans to improve the outdoor facilities, paddling areas, angling areas, and outdoor exhibits to offer new amenities that will appeal to all ages. Tyler said 18 years have passed since the opening of the center, and it is time to update and look at immersing people more in nature through the center’s offerings.

“We are trying to capture the attention of all ages,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful spot, so we are going to really make it a destination.”

Plans include tire repair stations on the biking and hiking trails that will also be places where families or individuals can picnic and enjoying getting closer to nature.

“Chaffee Crossing is talking about bringing all their trails and actual bike trails and really making it connect with all the trails throughout Fort Smith. There will be repair stations around Wells Lake. There will be the beehive. There will be bird watching. People will learn about things inside and then can go outside and see what they just learned about,” Tyler said.

Other major contributors to the project include the Arvest Foundation, the Boland family, First National Bank of Fort Smith, the Rumsey family, the Westphal family and the Whitt family.

“We look forward to working with the community to really make this center the crown jewel that it is,” said Deke Whitbeck, president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation. “Just as Chaffee Crossing is undergoing revitalization right where we’re standing, this nature center is going to follow suit and do the very same thing.”