Page 13 - Jan/Feb 2022 Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine
P. 13

Often when people think about the work of Oklahoma’s legislators, they
               may think about education, tax, or health care legislation. However, legisla-
               tors also spend time on wildlife legislation. In fact, each year the Oklahoma
               Legislature typically considers a handful of bills that directly impact either
               the management of the state’s fish and wildlife, the Oklahoma Department
               of  Wildlife  Conservation  that  oversees  that  management  (ODWC),  or  the
               Department’s constituents (often hunters and anglers).
                 Bills are proposed for a variety of reasons, sometimes by ODWC and some-
               times by legislators or their constituents who ask them to propose legislation.
                 Regardless of who asks for a bill, all bills first filter through subject-specific
               committees before being considered by the full chambers. These commit-
               tees help divide the work of reviewing what could amount to thousands of
               pieces of legislation.
                 Although the subject-specific committees are often composed of peo-  By Corey Jager
               ple with a background or an interest in the committee subject, that is not   ODWC Legislative Liaison
               always the case. Of the 149 Oklahoma legislators, there are many who can
               provide expert-level knowledge on many topics such as education, health
               care, etc. However, there are often a small minority, if any, who are experts
               on wildlife management.
                 Many of the appointees who fill the wildlife committees have experience
               as ODWC constituents, spending their time hunting and fishing. And often
               many have experience with habitat management on their personal proper-
               ties. Few, though, have in-depth knowledge of the critical and unique funding
               model of the Wildlife Department, landscape-level wildlife management, and
               management of populations vs. individual animals.
                 While  non-experts  offer  helpful  perspec-
               tive and dialogue, it’s also important to pro-
               vide  legislators  with  context  for  legislation                                                  COREY JAGER/ODWC
               they propose or vote on, and an understand-
               ing of ODWC’s operations for determining the
               impact of proposed legislation.
                 The  Wildlife  Department  takes  this  task
               to  heart  by  inviting  legislators  into  the  field
               to  directly  experience  the  work  that  the
               Department does. These activities vary, from
               participating  in  long-term  research  projects
               to  experiencing  wildlife  resources  —  just  as
                                                          ODWC’s Directors, Chiefs and employees and state Wildlife Conservation
               ODWC’s constituents — by hunting or fishing.   Commissioners host a fish fry at the State Capitol to meet and greet
                                                          state legislators.
                 Often, these opportunities provide legisla-
               tors with an opportunity to see ODWC work taking place in their legislative
               districts, meet local staff, and learn about local issues. Most importantly, it
               provides the opportunity for ODWC staff to share more about the mission of
               the Department away from the distractions of the State Capitol.
                 During  2021,  the  Wildlife  Department  hosted  several  legislators  for
               educational experiences.



               JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022                                                                            11




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