In a special meeting Monday, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission officially announced the hiring of Wade Free as Interim Director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Free, who has served as ODWC’s Assistant Director of Operations for 12 years, began his career as a fish hatchery assistant in 1983. Three years later, he became a Wildlife Area Biologist in the Game Division (now called Wildlife Division).
After 10 years, Free was promoted to Assistant Chief of the division, and subsequently served as Northwest Region Wildlife Supervisor.
He was promoted to Assistant Director of Operations in 2011. Free also served as a reserve Game Warden for 20 years.
Free is taking over after the Dec. 6 resignation of J.D. Strong, who served as ODWC’s Director since 2016.
At the Wildlife Conservation Commission’s regular monthly meeting Dec. 4, Commissioners received a report on the financial audit of ODWC for Fiscal Year 2023.
Dan Bledsoe of accounting firm Finley & Cook PLLC told Commissioners the annual Department audit went well and there were no findings of any significant weaknesses or inconsistencies.
Also, the Commission received the Fiscal Year 2023 Actuarial Valuation Report for the Wildlife Department’s Defined Benefit Retirement Plan from David Sawyer of Definiti LLC. The plan, which serves employees hired before July 1, 2010, is very well-funded and compares very favorably to other pension plans across the country. Sawyer advised the Commission to set a goal of having the plan 100% funded within 10 years.
Commissioners received a Director’s Report, which included the following items:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that federal excise tax collections for the first three quarters of Fiscal Year 2023 were down 19.5% for Wildlife Restoration and 15.7% for Sport Fish Restoration.
ODWC Fisheries Division stocked a total of 39,339 fish at 49 sites statewide. Species included channel catfish, hybrid sunfish, and brown and rainbow trout.
Fisheries Division began a collaborative project with Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri to compile Neosho bass age and size data this year and next year. Data will be used to publish growth and size standards to facilitate population comparisons across the Neosho bass range.
Deer harvest numbers were running lower than last year’s record harvest but with plenty of opportunities remaining for hunters to make up the difference. Also, early reports from quail hunters described fair to good conditions, and in most cases the numbers are better than those seen last year.
Commissioners also recognized Game Warden Clint Carpenter (based in Custer County) for 25 years of service, and Wildlife Biologist Matt Hensley for 20 years of service.
The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department, and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Oklahoma Senate.
The next regular Wildlife Commission meeting is set for Jan. 8, 2024, at the John D. Groendyke Wildlife Conservation Building, 1801 N. Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City.
A video of the Dec. 4 meeting is available on the Outdoor Oklahoma YouTube Channel at youtube.com/live/LU9096d3uOc?si=WzpT1cm9aOVBtnsY. A video of the Dec. 11 meeting is at youtube.com/live/vW_ucGqRNn8?si=bnEvFIeYiKvNdy92.