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Chance Garrett’s ’18, ’23 Role in Protecting Arkansas’ Ecosystems

Chance Garrett ’18, ’23 grew up near Conway and has always loved the outdoors. Still, it wasn’t until a chance meeting at the �պ����ֲ� that he knew his passion was conservationism for fish species in the southeast. Now, Garrett serves as a fish ecologist in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) Fisheries Division in the Aquatic Conservation Section. He has made it his mission to educate and build connections to preserve waterways and endangered fish species in the natural state.

Growing up in Holland, Arkansas, Garrett was accustomed to being out in nature. Initially, he wanted to major in the study of mammals. After graduating from Conway High School, he traveled to Florida to study environmental science but found that the program didn’t quite fit.

“I was really interested in nature and knew a lot about nature as a child. When I graduated, I went to Florida to study mammals, specifically cats, such as bobcats and ocelots. After my sophomore year, I decided to come back home and go to UCA, which had a much more extensive environmental program since Florida’s biology program was geared more towards pre-med,” Garrett said.

The shift from mammals to fish came rather unexpectedly during his undergraduate years at UCA after he attended a club meeting and volunteered to get involved out in the field. He said, “I happened to go to a Fish and Wildlife Society meeting, a biology department club. It was run by graduate students in the Adams Fish Ecology Lab. I volunteered to go out into the field with them. And this changed my focus.”

Volunteering with the club and going out to assist graduate students with their fieldwork in Arkansas’ waterways opened his eyes to more than he’d noticed while out in nature growing up, and this got him hooked. “I had grown up fishing in Arkansas,” he said, “catching bass and sunfish and things like that, but I’d never seen the diversity of minnows and darters and other fish species that are so beautiful. It was incredible. It opened my eyes to many beautiful things in our state, right in my backyard where I’d grown up.”

After working on undergraduate research of his own through the Adams Fish Ecology Lab, Garrett decided to stay and complete his master’s as well. He credits his experiences with professors Ginny and Reid Adams with preparing him to move from more conservation roles as his career progressed. “I learned a lot about conservation and science from watching Ginny and Reid. They make sure they connect their students to their network so that the students are prepared when they are present at meetings. They also give students opportunities for hands-on experiences out in the field so that they know what it’s like to be a professional in that field. Those experiences and connections made me confident during undergraduate studies and my decision to pursue graduate studies.”

He continued, “I met many professionals through the Adams’ network. In graduate school, I worked on a project for the Nature Conservancy. I got to network with some of them. I still see these people at meetings and work with them. This connection and others have benefited me now that I am a professional in the field. I am working with them to conserve species within the state.”

The work is extensive. He began working with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality on Rule Two regarding state water laws. Garrett was there for three years after finishing his graduate degree at UCA. He credits his time there with providing him with more connections with the public and an understanding of how the state government works. It also broadened his knowledge of what he wants to do for Arkansas’ environment. “I expanded my knowledge and built upon skills I already had. I started to think about projects on a larger time scale. I learned that there are a lot of people who are really passionate about working hard to protect water for the public in Arkansas. That was a big takeaway for me,” he stated.

As a fish ecologist in the AGFC’s Fisheries Division in the Aquatic Conservation Section, Garrett is excited to witness his and his team’s progress in the coming years. “It’s been an exhilarating, rewarding experience,” he said of his first four months in the position. “I learn something new every day, and I can see our program’s vision, how it’s grown, and how ready we are to jump into a new era. It’s fascinating to see what we’re building right now.”

He explained that his job is to monitor some of the 230 non-game species of fish in the state to ensure that some of those at risk aren’t lost. “I’m responsible for some of the monitoring of these species. We want to ensure that we’re not losing any taxa or anything we’ve identified that is ‘at risk’ or declining. It’s my responsibility to work on conservation actions and do what can be done to help these species.”

Those actions can include designing projects, securing funding, filling knowledge gaps, working out in the field identifying fish and much more. He also works with diverse people, from landowners to watershed groups, all wanting to protect fish in the Natural State and beyond. He is excited about sharing and educating others about this work.

“I think it’s something many people don’t know about, not just fish in Arkansas, but in the southeast. As a region, we’re a global diversity hot spot for the world. The southeastern United States is one of the places where you can find the most freshwater fish. And so, not just in Arkansas, but as a region, I think preserving all of these different species is important,” Garrett said.

From using propagation projects to help declining species to AGFC’s nature centers providing education about our state’s fish, Garrett stated that the future for Arkansas’ waterways looks bright. His passion is preserving the state’s waterways so that people can experience the beauty of fish and the importance of a healthy environment right in their backyards.

He said, “I’m a public servant. My job is not only to protect the species but also to preserve that heritage for the state of Arkansas and make sure that future generations can go out there and see these fish too, and that their water is clean to drink and swim in, and that all those things are so important.”