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species of greatest conservation need
that has fueled the state’s nongame
conservation work for the past two WILDLIFEDEPARTMENT.COM
decades. And it will depend on the
extensive network of conservation
partners that has been instrumental in
the funding program’s first 20 years,
Kuklinski said.
“Something like 75 percent of our
projects are coordinated with out-
side partners. Research partners
have come from major universities
like Oklahoma State University or
the University of Oklahoma, but the
expertise needed for some projects
has also been found at smaller region-
al universities.
“The depth of our partnerships — at least 17 grant partners over the course
of 20 years — tells me the Wildlife Department is open to ideas coming from a
variety of sources.”
Howery said, “The State Wildlife Grant Program and our many partner-
ships have really helped the Wildlife Department expand nongame conser-
vation in the state. We know there’s a lot of work left to do. Still, we know
considerably more about our species of greatest conservation need than we
did 20 years ago.”
JENA DONNELL/ODWC
MAY/JUNE 2023 35
