I was proud to announce recently with Governor Hutchinson and Secretary of Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, Stacy Hurst, that Arkansas added Blue Mountain Natural Area, a 459- acre tract of land west of Rattlesnake Ridge, to its inventory of outdoor recreational sites.  We also announced an agreement that expands recreational opportunities at Camp Ouachita and Lake Sylvia Recreation Area in Perry County.

As a ninth generation Arkansan and lifelong outdoorsman living in the Natural State, I am pleased to share this exciting news about a bit about my work to expand and enhance our state’s outdoors resources for all Arkansans to enjoy.

The important work of preservation at the federal and state level is a top priority for me.  I have been a staunch supporter of recent bills including The Great American Outdoors Act, the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act, the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act, and the Natural Resources Management Act – all bipartisan public lands and conservation bills that will fund the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Education. These bills are now law.  

I am a proud and active member of the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus in the House. This Caucus serves as an educational beacon for achievable environmental goals.  House Republicans have long sought to use private-public partnerships to counter climate change and take on one of the world’s greatest emissions offenders:  China. The United States continues to reduce our carbon footprint, and I will continue to champion free market solutions that put America first.

I understand and value the vast wilderness and forest areas in Arkansas and around the nation.  In fact, I have personally trekked through many of them – most recently the Black Fork Wilderness Area.  I also regularly consult with our U.S. National Park and National Forest officials, and I appreciate my partnership with Arkansas-based conservation leaders to find ways and means to enhance our Natural State environment and preserve our wilderness and parks.

Keeping Arkansas’s natural resources flourishing for generations to come is critically important to me, and I am a proud advocate in Congress on behalf of central Arkansans.  

 
Representative French Hill