The WOG : employee newsletter of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, 03/2012

              W I L D L I F E • O • G R A M
Continued on next page.
Employee Newsletter of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
March 2012
The
Department’s 2011
Annual Report is
coming out in the
May edition of
Outdoor Oklahoma
magazine. Using
the 2011 budget,
we’ve put together
an article that
illustrates how
and where the
Department
spends its money
by tracking a dollar as it winds its way
through the ODWC. Let’s follow this
fictional dollar of license revenue to see
where it goes.
For starters, about 28 cents goes to
fund the Wildlife Division. This division
covers all of the wildlife management
areas in the state, the biologists and
technicians who improve habitat on
those areas, research biologists that
focus on species like upland game and
big game and also biologists that study
non-game animals.
With the diversity of animal species
in Oklahoma as well as the sheer
amount of land owned or managed
by the Department (over 1.6 million
acres), Wildlife Division has a big job
on its plate. Each WMA is different
and requires specific management
practices, sometimes at opposite ends
of the spectrum.
For example, each spring in
Cleveland County, Lexington WMA
biologist Rex Umber trains his crew
and prepares his land for prescribed
burns. These burns are important to
clear out unwanted plant species on the
public lands and
promote better
forage for native
animals and
birds. However,
at Hackberry
Flat WMA in
Tillman County,
biologist Kelvin
Schoonover
uses a different
element for
management –
water. A series of
canals and gates
can raise or lower the water level on
portions of land, flooding them at the
right times to create wetland habitat
for migratory birds.
In addition to public lands
management, Wildlife Division
personnel perform tasks such as
riding in planes to count populations of
migrating birds, advising landowners
on how to improve their lands
for species like quail and turkey,
coordinating bat watch programs for
the public, creating computer-based
maps, scoring deer racks and a host
of other tasks.
The next division to get part of
our dollar is Fish Division, which
receives 27 cents. Fish Division
includes all four state fish hatcheries
and their staff, regional fish biologists
and technicians who manage 15
Department-owned lakes along
with other public lakes, a research
laboratory, the paddlefish research
and processing center, special-emphasis
biologists who focus
on streams management and
aquatic nuisance species and a lake
maintenance crew that works on heavy
equipment projects around the state.
Essentially, Fish Division is
responsible for every fish in Oklahoma
waters, which is a huge task. Fish
Division personnel spend hours out
on the water, netting fish for samples
and recording scientific data about the
fish. The hatcheries’ staff work year-round
prepping fish ponds, breeding
and raising fish, and stocking about 16
million fish around the state. Other fish
employees conduct research projects
on species like the paddlefish and
monitor water quality issues.
The entire life cycle of a fish is
covered by this division. Employees
CONTENTS
Carol Lee to Retire..........................3
Commission Summary ��������������������4
Update on Bird Prints ���������������������6
Lark Wilson Award �7
Reelin’ In the Years ������������������������8
Ben Davis
Information
Specialist
Journey of a Dollar
Wildlife 28%
Fisheries 27%
Law Enforcement 24%
Administration 9%
Information & Education 6%
Capital Expenditures 6%
Wildlife 28%
Fisheries 27%
Law Enforcement 24%
Administration 9%
Information & Education 6%
Capital Expenditures 6%
This graph shows fiscal year 2011 budget projections.