Saying “bring out your dead” makes me think of the Monty Python movie, Quest for the Holy Grail. Well the “dead” in this particular case is your Christmas tree. And the “grail” of sorts is the goal of getting that dead tree out of your home and giving it a final resting place.
It’s not a live tree anymore. But it still has some “life” in it, if you donate it through a program by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
After you bring your tree to one of the drop-off sites around the state (see list below), anglers can come get one to use for underwater cover. According to the AGFC, the small spaces and dense cover offered by fresh evergreen trees make excellent nursery habitat for small fish, as well as great places to fish.
Anglers are welcome to remove trees from drop-off locations to create their own fish attractors. Tying the trees to cinder blocks with parachute cord is a popular option to weigh down the trees down.
The small branches will deteriorate quickly, so it’s best to sink the trees in groups. The trunks of the trees will last much longer, offering some woody cover long after the attractiveness of a single tree wanes.
When you drop off your tree, it should be clean of all ornaments, lights and tinsel. Do not donate artificial Christmas trees for this AGFC program.
Donate trees until the end of January at the following locations:
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
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
- Greers Ferry Lake – Sandy Beach (Heber Springs), Devils Fork Recreation Area and Choctaw Recreation Area (Choctaw-Clinton)
- 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
East Arkansas
- Horseshoe Lake — Bonds Access
- Wynne Sports Complex Family and Community Fishing Pond
Southeast Arkansas
- Lake Chicot – Connerly Bayou Access Area
- 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
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 – City recycling center drop-offs: one behind Arby’s and one on South Jackson
- Smackover – Recycling Drop-Off Center (these will be transported to El Dorado)
Southwest Arkansas
- Bois d’Arc Lake – Kidd’s Landing or Hatfield Access
- Millwood Lake – Cottonshed, White Cliffs Recreation Areas and the Millwood State Park ramp on the point
- Dierks City Pond — Main parking area
- Dierks Lake – Jefferson Ridge South Recreation Area
- De Queen Lake – Any U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat ramp
- Gillham Lake – Any U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat ramp
- Lake Greeson – New Cowhide Cove and Self Creek Recreation areas
- South Fork Lake – South Fork Lake Access
- Terre Noire Lake – Terre Noire Lake Access
- Hope – AGFC Regional Office on U.S. Highway 67 East
- Lake Dieffenbacher – Bobby Ferguson Park Pavilion
