Page 46 - Outdoor Oklahoma - May/June 2021 Issue

OWCF SPOTLIGHT

Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation

Foundation Update

OKLAHOMA CONSERVATION HALL OF FAME: The Foundation proudly announces the creation of the
Oklahoma Conservation Hall of Fame. OWCF is preparing for the inaugural Conservation Hall of Fame
induction event, which is scheduled for Friday, Oct 29, at the brand-new Omni Oklahoma City Hotel.
The Conservation Hall of Fame induction ceremony and banquet will be held annually by the
Foundation to recognize conservation achievements in Oklahoma.

The Conservation Hall of Fame’s first inductee will be John D. Groendyke, who stepped down in
2019 after serving 44 years to the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commissioner. He continues
his involvement with the Wildlife Department as a board member of the OWCF.
Last October, ODWC employees, colleagues, state officials, friends, and family members
gathered to witness the official naming of the Department’s renovated headquarters building in
Oklahoma City as the John D. Groendyke Wildlife Conservation Building in Oklahoma City.

Any patron who is interested in sponsoring the Conservation Hall of Fame, purchasing a banquet John D. Groendyke
table, or supporting wildlife conservation projects in Oklahoma is invited to visit the OWCF
website at www.Okwildlifefoundation.org or the OWCF Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OKwildlifefoundation.

HACKBERRY FLAT WMA PIPELINE PROJECT: The Foundation has launched its cornerstone fundraising campaign to help
renovate a water pipeline from Tom Steed Reservoir to Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area. The pipeline was designed to
help maintain the wetland habitat during times of low rainfall and has become unusable after more than a decade of use.
Donations for the pipeline project will benefit one of the premiere wildfowl viewing areas in this region of the country. Please
consider supporting the Foundation in this worthy project that will help a tremendous number of species of insects, birds,
mammals and crustaceans that rely on the habitat of Hackberry Flat.

Blake Shelton, OWCF Board of Directors

Most everyone in America (and especially in Oklahoma) should know the
name Blake Shelton. They likely know he’s a country music superstar. They
might also know he’s an actual country boy at heart. And in Oklahoma, that
means hunting, fishing and everything Outdoor Oklahoma.
“I grew up completely addicted to fishing,” Shelton said. “Any fish, anywhere,
anytime.”
Viewers of the Wildlife Department’s Outdoor Oklahoma TV show might
even remember that Shelton’s love of fishing was the subject of two Outdoor
Oklahoma episodes: paddlefishing near Pryor and striper fishing on Lake
Texoma, which provided the photo that graced the state’s fishing regulations
in 2010.
He was a special guest at one of the Department’s early Wildlife Expos.
Shelton’s love of fishing and a strong outdoor culture within his extended
family led him to the woods, too.
“When I was 14, my cousins took me deer hunting for the weekend out
around Calvin. And when I saw my first whitetail up close in the woods on that
trip, it changed my life. I was hooked,” he said. “I hunted deer for two more
years after that before I got my first one on my uncle’s land in Sasakwa. Deer
have been my passion ever since.”
But it’s not just hunting and fishing that interests the superstar. General
conservation, habitat and population restoration (especially Texas horned liz-
ards and quail) are frequent topics of interest and inquiry.
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