A grand opening ceremony was held at Alabama’s newest community archery park in Opelika on Wednesday, November 9, 2022. The Opelika Community Archery Park is open to the public year-round during daylight hours for recreational shooting, competitive tournaments and outdoor educational programming. The archery park is located at Spring Villa Park, 1474 Lee Road 148, in Opelika, Alabama.
The archery park includes a covered shooting shelter with targets from 15 to 60 yards for adults and 5 to 20 yards for youth. The range also has a raised platform that provides bowhunters an opportunity to simulate treestand hunting conditions.
“My son participated in the Archery in the Schools Program,” said Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), during the opening ceremony. “It was a great opportunity for him to get to know the other kids and participate in a team sport. It was an important part of his high school education and I know it’s going to be good for everyone in this area to have a facility like this for practice. I would like to thank our staff for their vision to build facilities like this throughout the state, and I’m excited for Opelika to have the newest one.”
Use of the archery park is free for those under 16 years of age or over 65. Alabamians ages 16 to 64 must have a hunting license, fishing license, Wildlife Management Area (WMA) license, or Wildlife Heritage license to use the range. For non-residents, an annual WMA license or non-resident hunting license is required. Licenses are available from various local retailers or online at www.outdooralabama.com.
“There are a lot of things that make Opelika unique and special and this is going to be one of those things,” said Gary Fuller, Mayor of Opelika. “This is a great example of partnerships and folks working together to better the community. Working together we can get more done than individually. We’re glad to have everyone here today and we hope you enjoy this new facility.”
The Opelika Community Archery Park was made possible through a partnership between the City of Opelika, Opelika Parks and Recreation, the Archery Trade Association and ADCNR’s Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries with funding for the project provided through license sales and federally matched Pittman-Robertson Act funding.
Opelika joins 19 other community archery parks currently in operation throughout the state. These facilities are one component of ADCNR’s effort to increase awareness of and participation in the life skill of archery. For more information about the state’s newest community archery park, visit www.outdooralabama.com/archery-parks/opelika-community-archery-park.
For information about Spring Villa Park, visit www.opelika-al.gov/623/Spring-Villa-Park.
ADCNR promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through four divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. Learn more at www.outdooralabama.com.
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