SFNC Mission Statement:

South Fork Nature Center is committed to providing enhanced, outdoor educational opportunities on a regional basis.

Gates-Rogers Foundation:

The Gates Rogers Foundation is committed to protecting and preserving Arkansas native flora and fauna in a manner that ensures and encourages public access, esthetic appreciation, and an understanding of the importance of biodiversity preservation. The Foundation is dedicated to the development, application, and dissemination of ecologically sound land management practices that further this mission.

Program Synopsis:

In service of this mission the Foundation has or is working to complete the following objectives:

• Establish a conservancy preserve.
• Inventory the preserve’s existing flora and fauna.
• Develop affiliations with those key individuals, groups, organizations, and governmental offices whose knowledge, expertise, and contributions will be critical to long-term viability.
• Develop and deliver an on and off site potential natural history and related presentations to local and regional schools and service organizations.
• Particularly attend to the development of collaborative working research relationships with state universities and colleges.
• Assure the integration of the Foundation’s activities into local and regional economic initiatives.
• Assure the Foundation’s responsiveness to key stakeholder concerns (e.g., Corps of Engineers, adjacent land owners, county government, IRS, etc.).
• Identify and access various communication media available locally, regionally, and statewide to communicate the Foundation’s purpose and intentions.
• Initiate fund raising strategies intended to match contributions from the Foundation’s endowment (for year-one administrative/operating expenses).
• Develop a five-year strategic plan including annual budget predictions and strategies for accessing multiple potential funding streams.