Page 47 - Outdoor Oklahoma - May/June 2021 Issue

OWCF SPOTLIGHT

So, when Shelton was invited to join the
Board of Directors of the OWCF, he agreed.
Shelton has been involved in some of WADE FREE/ODWC
the Foundation’s most significant efforts
to date. His two-day benefit concert two
years ago (featuring Luke Bryan and
himself) to kick off his concert/restau-
rant venue in Tishomingo put almost
$150,000 in the Foundation’s bank
account and provided immediate nation-
al awareness for the Foundation. More
recently, Blake hosted a special fishing
day at his ranch for children in foster
care, which is used by OWCF and the
Wildlife Department to promote aware-
ness of the Foundation and the benefits OWCF Executive Director Rick Grundman, Blake Shelton, and ODWC Director J.D. Strong
admire the success of some young anglers during a fishing event hosted by Shelton for
of sharing fishing with children. youths in foster care.
Like most every-
day outdoorsmen,
Shelton thinks the J.D. sTRONG/ODWC
investment in new NELs RODEFELD/ODWC
technology (online
license and game
check system) has
been a huge step
up and hopes to see
“anything and every-
thing” in the future to
try and make it easier
for folks to continue
enjoying the great
outdoors.
“Without people
who care about hunt-
ing and fishing in the
future, none of what
we’ve done or what
exists today even
matters,” he said.
“That’s why I agreed
to serve on the
Foundation board,
because I want it to Blake Shelton, Foundation board member, Seen here after landing a paddlefish in eastern Oklahoma,
joined wildlife biologists on a recent
matter forever.” southeastern Oklahoma bear research den visit country music superstar Blake Shelton has enjoyed fishing
and is seen here holding a black bear cub. his entire life.

THE OKLAHOMA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION (OWCF) was created to support
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
www.okwildlifefoundation.org matching grants. The Foundation provides added financial support for ODWC’s mission.
All donations are tax-deductible. For more information, 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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