08/12/2026
🐊 Please read and help us share with anyone who frequents the Crossett City Park and Lucas Pond area.🐍
We are very fortunate to have a beautiful 51-acre pond, but we need to remember that it is still a natural habitat to various wildlife. The pond being located in the center of town does not exclude it from being home to alligators, snakes, etc.
There have been a few reported alligator sightings at Lucas Pond over the last week. Though that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to enjoy our pond, we thought this would be a good time to remind everyone of a few safety tips.
It is important that we respect the wildlife and use good judgment while enjoying the area.
Here are a few important reminders specifically about alligators:
🐊 Never feed an alligator. Feeding them causes them to associate people with food and can make them lose their natural fear of humans.
🐊 Do not dispose of fish carcasses, food scraps, or other bait in the area.
🐊 Keep your distance. Never approach, touch, chase, corner, or attempt to take a close-up photo with an alligator.
🐊 Keep children close. Young children should always be supervised near the shoreline and should not play at the water’s edge.
🐊 Keep pets away from the water’s edge. Dogs and other small animals can attract the attention of alligators. Keep pets leashed and under control.
🐊 Do not swim or wade in the pond.
🐊 Be especially cautious around the shoreline. Avoid getting unnecessarily close to vegetation or areas where visibility is limited.
🐊 Never harass or attempt to move an alligator yourself. If an alligator appears aggressive, approaches people, or is in an area where it creates an immediate concern, move away and report it to the appropriate authorities(see info below).
There have been people asking will the City of Crossett or Arkansas Department of Game and Fish relocate it?
1- AGFC will only remove an alligator that is a nuisance.
2- removing it could give people a false sense of safety when in reality there is no way to know how many alligators are actually out there or a way to prevent new alligators from making the area their home. It is best to just practice safe habits around the pond and assume there could be an alligator in it at all times (as we do the rivers and other bodies of water in the area).
Alligators are a natural part of life in our area of Arkansas. The goal isn’t to be afraid of them, but to coexist with them. We are sharing their habitat. However in order to co-exist effectively, we must learn about them.
A new website created by the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is offering helpful tips to Arkansans on how to coexist with alligators safely.
https://www.gatorwise.org/gatorwise-basics/
For immediate assistance with a nuisance or dangerous alligator in South Arkansas, call the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) nuisance wildlife hotline at 833-345-0315 (available 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., with 24/7 emergency liaison coverage for urgent alligator threats). Only authorized state wildlife officers or designated personnel are permitted to handle and relocate wild alligators.
If you have any other questions regarding Lucas Pond or the Crossett City Park reach out to Val at 8704159345.
