Page 47 - September/October Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine

OKLAHOMA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION SPOTLIGHT

Heroic Game Warden Gives

Award to Foundation

Oklahoma Game Warden Riley Willman
was recently honored with the Proud to
Serve Award, sponsored by Quail Creek WILDLIFEDEPARTMENT.COM
Bank and KFOR-4 in Oklahoma City.
The award honors first responders
who go above and beyond in the per-
formance of their duty. Willman select-
ed the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation
Foundation as the recipient of a $500
donation from the bank on behalf of
Willman’s outstanding service.
Willman’s coincidental visit to a pop-
ular swimming area in Delaware County
on May 11, 2022, allowed him to be in the
right place at the right time to save a man
who was in a life-or-death situation.
Willman told KFOR, “On a whim or so I
thought, well, I’ll pull in here to Flint Creek and
see if anybody’s fishing,” Willman said. “And I
wasn’t down there less than 30 seconds, and Gathered for a KFOR “Proud to Serve” donation are Erin Batey of award sponsor Quail Creek
Bank, Game Warden Riley Willman, and OWCF Director Rick Grundman.
I heard people start screaming, yelling, ‘Help,
police, call 911.’ Someone said, ‘He’s drown- bystander could grab him by his collar and ets of everything that he does. He’s one
ing,’ and pointed at the low-water dam. start swimming him back to the bank.” of the greatest of the great,” he said.
“And I looked out and I could see an arm Willman’s training, CPR skills, and time- Erin Batey, chief communications
come up and then go down. And at that ly arrival likely saved the Arkansas man and innovations officer with Quail
point, I entered the creek and made my way from drowning. Creek Bank, told KFOR, “To hear
to where they were pointing and swam out to “Just one in a million. Right place, right somebody drowning and just to have
the edge of where I could see he was being time. I cannot explain that.” that instinct to just jump in and save
sucked under,” he said. “Luckily, the way Lt. Col. Wade Farrar, ODWC’s Assistant them is well worth recognizing. I’m so
the water swirled, it pushed him up at just Chief of Law Enforcement, said, “Warden glad we have this opportunity to rec-
the right moment to where me and another Willman is just an impeccable officer in all fac- ognize Riley and what he’s done.”

THE OKLAHOMA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION (OWCF) is the nonprofit organization formed to work
exclusively alongside and provide added financial support to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
and its activities in managing the state’s fish and wildlife resources and habitats. The Wildlife Department receives
no general state tax appropriations; ODWC operates primarily with license sales and federal matching
grants. OWCF provides supporters an outlet to show their passion for the outdoors by investing their
time and money in projects that will make a difference for generations to come.
All donations are tax-deductible. For more information, scan the code or go to
www.OKwildlifefoundation.org or www.facebook.com/OKWildlifeFoundation.

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation is now set up as a charitable
organization through AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a program that donates 0.5
percent of your eligible purchases on Amazon to a charity of your choice. All you need
to do is start your shopping at smile.amazon.com. The donation will be made at no extra cost to you, and you can
choose from nearly a million public charitable organizations.

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