LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) is introducing a new organized volunteer program that allows high school students to gain conservation experience and earn volunteer hours toward graduation.

The LEARN Act states that students graduating in the 2026–2027 school year will be required to complete 75 hours of community service during high school to graduate.

Many schools rely on their communities to help them get their students the volunteer hours they need, but this new AGFC program will alleviate some of the pressure schools face when trying to provide opportunities for their students to complete their hours.

“We applaud Governor Sanders’ initiative to get more people outdoors, especially our youth,” said Austin Booth, AGFC director. “Conservation has always been driven by people volunteering their time and resources to make this world better than they found it, so this was a natural fit with her vision.”

Although volunteer hours are required for graduation, they are also valuable in assisting students in their search for scholarships and internships.

“Volunteering is not only a requirement and a resume-booster, but it is also an opportunity to become more involved in the community and meet people with similar interests,” said Leah Hughes, AGFC volunteer program coordinator. “And best of all, participating students receive recognition for their contributions.”

Hughes says these volunteer opportunities are the result of a request from a school district, which can click here and register their district for youth volunteer opportunities.

“The county must complete this form to ensure resources such as transportation can be considered,” Hughes said. “From there, we will send the request to our staff in that area to look for volunteer opportunities that can meet the agency’s needs.”

Volunteer efforts are led by AGFC officers who cover all aspects of the commission, from trail cleanup to assisting with fishing competitions, archery tournaments and other events.

“We try to offer a variety of experiences so that students can find something they enjoy and where they feel like they’ve contributed when the work is done,” Hughes said. “Having worked on many of our events myself, I can tell you that it can be so fun and fulfilling that you might have a hard time stopping at the minimum required hours.”

Districts requesting volunteers will be notified of events in their area and will be given priority in selecting their students to participate.

Nevertheless, all students have opportunities to volunteer, which they can find out more about on the AGFC web portal.

“We are already filling the portal with opportunities as the school year begins,” Hughes said. “Right now we have a conservation appreciation day and a fishing competition planned, as well as the World Champion Squirrel Cook-Off in Springdale that need volunteers,” Hughes said. “There are also opportunities to help out at the Gov. Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center. I’m sure we’ll have even more opportunities as the school year begins and requests come in from the districts. I would encourage everyone to register with our volunteer web portal and bookmark this page so they can look for some fun ways to continue to advance conservation in their communities.”

For more information, visit the AGFC volunteer page.