Andrew and Benjamin Parker fishing and making memories at MacArthur Park Pond in downtown Little Rock

The great outdoors is definitely a comfort zone for latest Arkansas Game and Fish commission appointee Andrew Parker. He says his favorite activities as a child included “spending hours in the native creek behind our house with my friends. We’d created a cave in the clay wall of the creek. I feel sorry for the countless tadpoles we captured or accidentally trampled with our bare feet as we ran through the creek bottom. As I got older—camping, fishing and hiking with family and friends. Oh, and snipe hunting. Always a favorite.”

“We also hiked a lot all over Arkansas. Sometimes we’d just start walking through a wooded area and one memory in particular was having a herd of deer—there had to be 50 of them —sprinting through the forest not 50 yards ahead of us,” Andrew says. “Through a LOT of pushing and support from both of my parents, my brother and I both obtained our Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts of America. You can’t put a value on it. Our appreciation for outdoor programs started when we were little and in YMCA’s Y-Indian Guides program.” Some of Andrew’s favorite outside activities now are waterfowl hunting and he’s “developed the itch for deer and turkey hunting.”

As an AGFC Commissioner and father to 8-year-old Benjamin, he shares his passion for nature and conservation with his son as well as many others with whom he comes into contact.

“My son absolutely loves Cub Scouts, camping and being outside, so we are camping around Arkansas with increasing frequency,” he shares.

“A few years ago, Nancy Ledbetter (AGFC Communications Chief) brought the writer Richard Louv to Arkansas after he’d written “Last Child in the Woods.” It highlighted the fact that too many kids have never spent any time outdoors and the issues this alienation from nature creates for children and families. I was a brand new parent at the time and it hit home with me. And I’ve seen it first hand, too. Way too many kids have not ever picked up a fishing pole, hiking stick or been taught about firearms and hunting. They don’t understand how food comes from the fields or winds up on the table. We have to help change this and I hope to focus my efforts on education first and foremost.”

When asked what inspires him in his work with AGFC Andrew explains that it’s, “Benjamin and making sure he has natural places to explore and natural resources to enjoy. My parents [inspire me] too. My mom and dad are both huge advocates for the outdoors and would still rather be hiking some unfamiliar place than be indoors anywhere. They’ve planted that in me and I’m so appreciative and better for it. I try to see things through the lens of a young parent and making sure the opportunity for them to help their kids enjoy the outdoors remains as special and accessible to them as it was and has been for me.”

(Also see: Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Celebrates 100 Years of Conservation and Outdoor Family Fun)