Randi and Fred Wightman of Osage County were recently named the 2018 Landowner of the Year. The award acknowledges their effort, dedication and passion for wildlife conservation on private lands.
The Wightmans own and operate a 1,750-acre ranch in east central Osage County. The property contains 1,100 acres of high quality cross timber habitat. The remaining 650 acres is comprised of tallgrass prairie. When first purchased in 1999, the property had been very heavily grazed for many years and the habitat quality was quite low.
The Wightmans enlisted technical assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Wildlife Department to improve wildlife habitat. The Wightmans executed the plans provided by these agencies, starting with resting the rangeland, then cross fencing the property to improve grazing management. In just a few years, the rangeland fully recovered. Today the ranch has dominant stands of big bluestem and high quality native forbs. Some of the big bluestem clumps reach over seven feet in height.
A big challenge in maintaining the native plant communities on the Wightman’s Harrier Hills Ranch has been the invasive plant species sericea lespedeza. Sericea is very persistent and difficult to control once established. If it is not controlled, it can become dominant on the landscape. Sericea control with broadcast herbicide applications can result in the loss of all other forbs. Forbs provide the bulk of wildlife food, so they are vital for quality wildlife habitat. The Wightmans have controlled most of the sericea on the ranch with spot treatments instead of broadcast treatments. This requires a high amount of effort, but has retained forb diversity and controlled this pest plant.
The Wightmans increased fishing opportunity by installing flow through pipes and reworking spillways on six existing ponds. Next they constructed two very large new ponds. The new impoundments were stocked and all ponds were managed for quality fish. The end result has been a great place for family and friends to wet a line.
Deer management has been another goal of the Wightmans. They have enrolled in the Wildlife Department’s Deer Management Assistance Program and collect all spotlight count and harvest data in a precise manner. They have also followed harvest recommendations aimed at addressing their challenges of deer sex ratio and buck age. The Wightman family and friends have harvested 12 does for each adult buck to improve herd dynamics during their 18 years in the program.