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.
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