Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commissioners gathered at Roman Nose State Park near Watonga for a regular meeting Sept. 8. Commissioners received updates on wildlife and fisheries management activities in the northwestern region of the state, and heard a status report on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s State Wildlife Action Plan.

After the regular meeting, Commissioners visited the Lake Watonga dam repair and renovation project, which is nearly complete, for a firsthand look at the scope of the work done in the past four years.

Northwest Regional Wildlife Supervisor Weston Storer shared highlights of various activities ongoing within the region’s 17 wildlife management areas. Habitat enhancement work involves prescribed fire, mechanical clearing, and grazing/agricultural leasing in many areas, he said.

ODWC Chief of Fisheries Ken Cunningham presented an overview of the 16 Department-owned fishing lakes, one of which is Watonga Lake. Managment of these lakes focuses on the anglers, fish and aquatic habitat, but also includes maintenance of infrastructure such as boat ramps, roads and dams.

A detailed summary of the Watonga Lake dam renovation project was presented by Cole Niblett with Garver Engineering, to include dam and spillway improvements, rip rap, and water control structures.

Northwest Regional Fisheries Supervisor Chas Patterson spoke about re-establishing the Watonga Lake fishery. Wildlife Department staff have:

• Mulched and burned extensive vegetation that has grown in the dry lakebed.
• Built and placed fish habitat including rock piles and gravel beds, artificial structure, and fish attractant cubes.
• Renovated the boat ramp, installed solar-powered lights, and cleared shorelines to improve angler access.

Patterson said plans called for Watonga Lake to be refilled around this time, but a new obstacle has delayed the refilling. Roman Nose State Park announced in June that the dam of the smaller Boecher Lake just upstream from Lake Watonga began leaking and eroding. Boecher Lake, which is now mostly drained, is managed by Oklahoma State Parks.

Also during Monday’s meeting, Wildlife Research Supervisor Kurt Kuklinkski gave a status report on the revision of ODWC’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), a document required by Congress that is directly tied to wildlife grants to address the needs of rare and declining fish and wildlife species. Oklahoma receives about $850,000 through these grants each year.

Public comment on the revised SWAP closed recently, and the final revision is set to be submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This plan identifies 397 species in Oklahoma as Species of Greatest Conservation Need, and nearly half of those species are invertebrates.

In other business, Commissioners:

• Received updates from Director Wade Free on various activities within ODWC’s five divisions. He reported that Fisheries Division staff recently helped on a “fish rescue mission” when an area below Sardis Lake dam was dewatered for inspection and repair. Several thousand juvenile blue and channel catfish were moved.
• Approved adding three new members to the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation, bringing the total number of board members to 15. They are Matt Beavers, Eric Huddleston and Blu Hulsey.
• Recognized Wildlife Department employees with tenure awards: David Robertson, District 2 Chief of Law Enforcement, 35 years; Darrin Hill, Communication and Education Specialist, 20 years.

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 Oct. 6 at the John D. Groendyke Wildlife Conservation Building, 1801 N. Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City.