Page 6 - 2018 SEPT/OCT Outdoor Oklahoma

and Senior Information and Education Specialist Damon Spring-
er provided that made the Shotgun Training Education Program a
Game Bag success. With the support of the Department of Wildlife, the Boy
Scouts and our sponsors, there was no cost to the participants
attending the event. They all had a great time handling and firing
the 20-gauge shotguns, BB guns, wrist rockets and archery.
Thank you so much for your support that helped make our
A COLLECTION OF LETTERS TO THE WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT event a success!
We’d like to hear from you! Send your letters to Outdoor Claud C. Rosendale, secretary,
Oklahoma Letters, P.O. Box 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152, Barnsdall Community Lions Club
or send e-mail to donald.brown@odwc.ok.gov.
Dear Wildlife Department,
Dear Wildlife Department, So proud of our Oklaho-
On July 4, I met Game War- ma Department of Wildlife,
den Patrick Matlock at the from teaching the public
Okmulgee Wildlife Manage- how to cook over a camp-
ment Area public shooting fire, how to fish, hunt, and
range. He was performing conservation. I love watch-
range safety checks and inter- ing Mr. Todd Craighead
acting with the “shooting every weekend. I’m just
public” — three individuals amazed at all the programs
on the pistol range and me available to the public.
on the rifle range. I want to Donna Nightshade
thank him for his dedication Everhart, via Facebook
and working on Indepen-
dence Day. Equally important, for his professionalism! In Dear Wildlife Department,
addition, he was very helpful and informative on the oppor- Over the past two years coaching kids in trap, I have had the
tunities of the Wildlife Management Area. Thank you, Game pleasure to watch kids enjoy and grow in the sport! Most impor-
Warden Matlock! tantly they are enjoying an outdoor activity, which I know for
Robert Kinne some may have never had that opportunity. I can think back
many years ago, when ODWC first thought about archery in
Dear Wildlife Department, the schools, and I thought then that would be tough to pull off.
I just finished the July/August “Outdoor Oklahoma.” What Then along came bow hunting and now trap! Wow, you guys are
a wonderful production. Thank you. way past anything I thought was first possible!
Jude Richardson, via email Currently I participate in these programs as a judge and a
coach. These programs are a lot of work, and it takes great
Dear Wildlife Department, people to keep them rolling as smooth as they do. Trying to
The Barnsdall Community Lions Club, the Barnsdall commu- keep kids and coaches moving through these tournaments is
nity and all the youngsters, as well as some of our more mature like herding cats! ODWC staff does a great job!
group, that were at the event very much appreciate the support that I just wanted to share my quick thoughts and say thanks and
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Game Wardens keep up the great work!
Paul Welch, Larry Green, Joe Alexander and Brandon Fulton, John Hendrix, Bartlesville, via email

WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT EMBARKS ON STRATEGIC PLANNING PROJECT

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has This project already has involved soliciting input from every
embarked on an ambitious, agency-wide strategic planning Wildlife Department employee, and Department staff will
exercise to ensure that it is all sighted-in and on-target to also be reaching out to many key conservation partners and
meet the needs of hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts, outdoors constituents to gather their input. A stakeholder’s
as well as the wildlife and wild places they love. meeting is planned later this fall.
Much has changed since the last planning update was The Department has enlisted the help of DJ Case and Asso-
done in 1997, and this project offers the Wildlife Depart- ciates, a company well-respected in the conservation field
ment staff an opportunity to step back and take a fresh that has worked with a number of state wildlife agencies and
look at how programs and the daily activities of agency conservation nongovernmental organizations.
employees relate to the big picture of engaging Oklahomans The project is scheduled to be complete in March 2019.
in outdoor activities. —Micah Holmes, Information Supervisor

4 Off the Beaten Path

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