Outdoor News Daily

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation recently recognized Tillman County Commissioner Joe Don Dickey for his role in the construction of an access road and parking lot at the Hackberry Flat Center.

The Center is located at Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area, which is home to southwest Oklahoma’s premier wetland and a destination point for hunters, wildlife watchers and an extraordinary range of bird species and other wildlife. Wetlands in the prairie region of the Great Plains produce more life in less space than almost any other environment on the planet, and Hackberry Flat is no exception. The area includes 3,500 acres of restored wetlands, 35 wetland units, 35 miles of dikes and canals and 99 water control structures that help make the historic wetland a beneficial habitat and resting point for more than 200 species of birds.

According to Bill Dinkines, assistant chief of wildlife for the Wildlife Department, Joe Don Dickey has assisted with a number of roads and access issues over the years.

“But more recently his work with the Hackberry Flat Center is why we’re here today,” Dinkines said.

Dinkines recognized Dickey for his lead role in securing funds to offset costs for the asphalt parking lot and access road to the Center, and the Commission presented Dickey with a plaque in recognition of his efforts.

Standing as the centerpiece of a 15-year project, the Hackberry Flat Center overlooks the restored wetlands on the WMA.

Following Dickey’s recognition, the Commission heard a presentation from Melynda Hickman, wildlife diversity biologist for the Wildlife Department, and Alan Stacey, wetland development biologist for the Wildlife Department, on the significance of Hackberry Flat and the on-site Hackberry Flat Center, as well as the success and significance of wetland restoration projects statewide.

According to Hickman, the Center stands as an example of “how successful government agencies, businesses, landowners, private individuals and conservation organizations can be when they’re committed to a project.”

The Center offers visitor amenities, a meeting facility, an office location for the Friends of Hackberry Flat volunteer organization, exhibits that educate visitors, a state-of-the-art wetland classroom and a developing wetland nature trail. It also allows the Wildlife Department to inform visitors of several important messages about the Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area, including the fact that sportsmen pay for wetland habitat restoration, that wetlands and wetland management are crucial to wildlife, and that the rich history of the area shows how wildlife habitat restoration can be achieved successfully even when the challenges seem daunting.

The Hackberry Flat Center also offers an outlet for the Wildlife Department to provide services like outdoor skills workshops, hunter education courses, birding tours and wildlife identification seminars. The Center is open the second Saturday of each month, generally until 2 p.m., and for special events. To learn more about the center or to view a road map to the area, log on to the Wildlife Department’s Web site at http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hackberry_flat.htm. The site includes an online booklet full of information about the WMA as well as detailed instructions for visiting the Center or reserving the Center for special events.

According to Stacey, the wetland restoration work at Hackberry Flat has created a crucial habitat link for migratory birds, increased hunting opportunities for sportsmen, provided a premier birding area for wildlife watchers, and restored an important source of bird nesting habitat. Prior to restoration work at Hackberry Flat, some birds that now use the area for nesting had not nested in the area in 90 to 100 years.

Stacey went on to say that, since the creation of the duck stamp program in 1980, over 35 Wetland Development Units have been created throughout state, totaling about 12,000 acres. These projects provide hunting opportunities as well as important habitat for wildlife.

Since 1998, the Wildlife Department duck stamp program has shifted its focus from creating new wetland projects to renovating existing ones using updated technology and better knowledge of wetland management and engineering.

Of the seven major wetland renovations undertaken by the Wildlife Department, five have been completed, with one scheduled for completion in 2010 at Cottonwood creek and the remaining project scheduled for completion in 2011 at Waurika WDU.

Stacey credits Ducks Unlimited and its wetland engineering abilities as an important part of wetland restoration in Oklahoma.

“They have tremendous management capability, they know what they’re doing, and it’s crucial that we have had them as partners,” Stacey said of Ducks Unlimited.

In other business, the Commission presented its Wildlife Conservation Officer of the Year Award to Bud Cramer, game warden stationed in Johnston County.

The award was presented along with the Shikar-Safari Club International Wildlife Officer of the Year Award by club member Bill Brewster along with his wife, Suzie Brewster, and member Tom Montgomery.

Cramer has been nominated to receive the Game Warden of the Year Award three times in his seven-year career. He is active in many projects and programs of the Wildlife Department and has been involved in numerous public outreach events such as the Oklahoma Wildlife Expo. Cramer also has been instrumental in introducing over 800 youth to the sport of fishing.

Shikar-Safari Club International was started more than 50 years ago and is limited to 200 members worldwide. While it is a social organization, its sole purpose is hunting and conservation and issues that affect hunters and conservation, according to Brewster. The club has a foundation that puts about $1 million into wildlife and conservation every year, including more than 30 scholarships a year for children of wildlife professional majoring in wildlife fields. The scholarships, each $4,000 a year, are designed to perpetuate an interest in wildlife careers and conservation.

In a presentation, Brewster thanked the Commission for the opportunity to present the Wildlife Officer of the Year Award to Cramer.

“We congratulate Mr. Cramer for being the recipient of that award,” Brewster said.

Commission Chairman John D. Groendyke recognized Shikar-Safari Club International for its involvement in honoring Oklahoma game wardens and said the award “brings focus on the job and the efforts these people put out” to make conservation happen in Oklahoma.

The Commission also heard a presentation of the Wildlife Department’s fiscal year 2009 actuarial valuation report for its retirement plan.

Also at the meeting, the Commission met in executive session and, upon returning to open session, voted to authorize the director to pursue land acquisition in Love County.

The Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Wildlife Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

The next scheduled Commission meeting is set for 9 a.m. Jan. 4, 2010, at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters (auditorium), located at the southwest corner of 18th and North Lincoln, Oklahoma City

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