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A small fish swimming with sand in the background
Leading Fish and Wildlife Law Marks Fifty Years

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was created to protect and recover imperiled species and their ecosystems.

Photo of a black and white bird in two hands with a cavity tree in the background.
Louisiana Gives Oklahoma’s Endangered Woodpecker Population a Boost

Twelve red-cockaded woodpeckers were recently relocated to Oklahoma’s shortleaf pine forest from a donor population in Louisiana.

Whooping Crane. Photo by USDA
Endangered Whooping Cranes to Move through Oklahoma

Whooping cranes to make 2,500-mile migration with stops in Oklahoma.

The underside of a pale crayfish with eggs under the tail.
Rare Oklahoma Crayfish Hatched at Texas Zoo

The Center for Conservation and Research – San Antonio Zoo has successfully hatched 47 Oklahoma cave crayfish in a lab setting.

A stocky tan and brown bird performs a mating display on the prairie.
List of Threatened and Endangered Species Gets Updates in 2023

We discuss the most recent federal listings of threatened and endangered species with the Wildlife Department’s endangered species biologist.

Biologists use fire to improve habitat for the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.
Renewal Emerges Like Phoenix After Flames

Biologists use prescribed fire to improve habitat for the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

Ozark big-eared bat
The Endangered Species Act: Protecting Species from Extinction

We share the mechanics of the Endangered Species Act, including how the law protects species, how species become listed, and how the Wildlife Department works to conserve species.

Biologist Clay Barnes with camera monitoring Red-cockaded woodpecker at the McCurtain County Wilderness Area.
Woodpeckers of the Wilderness Area: Spring Cavity Checks

Each spring, biologists monitor nest cavities of endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers at the McCurtain County Wilderness Area.

Biologist on airboat with binoculars.
Surveying Oklahoma’s Rivers for Endangered Least Terns

Biologists are using an airboat to cruise two Oklahoma rivers as they check in on nesting interior least terns.

Red-cockaded woodpecker eggs in nest.
Woodpeckers of the Wilderness Area: The Next Generation Has Hatched

Wildlife Department biologist Clay Barnes checks in on an endangered woodpeckers living on the McCurtain County Wilderness Area.