Oklahoma’s Resources for Land & Animals

By Danesa Wilson

Oklahoma FactsOklahoma has an estimated 3.7 million people, covers 68,667 sq miles of land, and 1,231 sq miles of water in its 77 counties. It has small mountain ranges, prairie, and eastern forests and is very abundant in wildlife. Oklahoma is ranked 20th in the US for total area. Black Mesa is the highest point in the state with Little River being the lowest.

State Symbols• State bird:

Scissortail flycatcher • State tree: Eastern Redbud • State mammal:

American Bison • State Vegetable:

Watermelon • State game bird: Wild Turkey• State fish: Sandbass • State floral emblem:

Mistletoe• State flower: Oklahoma Rose • State wildflower:

Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchellum)

• State grass: Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

• State rock: Rose rock• State insect: Honeybee • State reptile: Collared Lizard • State amphibian: Bullfrog • State butterfly:

Black Swallowtail • State song: "Oklahoma!"

Important Terms• Oklahoma Department of Wildlife

Conservation (ODWC)• Wildlife Management Area (WMA)• Migratory Bird Refuge or Waterfowl Refuge

Portion (WRP)• Conservation Education Area (CEA)• Wetland Development Unit (WDU)• National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)• Public Hunting Area (PHA) • Game Management Area (GMA)

ConservationDue to incidents of the past, we are

having to rebuild and maintain habitats and populations of the land and animals that once were self sufficient and abundant in their numbers. Oklahoma has developed 64 areas for wildlife management that cover 1.5 million acres statewide. Among those, it includes 9 wildlife refuges.

The refuges and management areas are developed primarily for hunting, but these activities include controlled grazing, agriculture leases and low-density recreation activities such as fishing, hiking, horseback riding, nature study, photography and environmental education.

Map of WMA’s

Oklahoma’s Wildlife Refuges

Headquarters locations• Optima NWR – Butler, OK• Salt Plains NWR – Jet, OK• Washita NWR – Butler, OK• Deep Fork NWR – Okmulgee, OK• Ozark Plateau NWR – Vian, OK• Sequoyah NWR – Vian, OK• Wichita Mountains NWR – Indiahoma, OK• Little River NWR – Broken Bow, OK• Tishomingo NWR – Tishomingo, OK

Map of Oklahoma NWR

Wichita MountainsNWR

• 59,020 acres• Refuge hosts a rare piece of the past - a remnant

mixed grass prairie, an island where the natural grasslands escaped destruction because the rocks underfoot defeated the plow.

• The Refuge provides habitat for large native grazing animals such as American bison, Rocky Mountain elk, and white-tailed deer. Texas longhorn cattle also share the Refuge rangelands as a cultural and historical legacy species. More than 50 mammal, 240 bird, 64 reptile and amphibian, 36 fish, and 806 plant species thrive on this important refuge.

Wildlife conservation and habitat preservation is an area that I have a sincere interest in. Hunting, fishing, and learning about wildlife were a large part of my childhood and something that I carried on into my adult life. My father was the person who got me interested in wildlife by taking me to the refuge and teaching me about the animals that we saw or sometimes didn’t see. Tishomingo NWR is located so near to us, that we would go multiple times a month to “teach and learn.” It is a place that I hold dear to my heart.

About Me

Tishomingo NWR• Tishomingo, OK• 16,464 acres including 4,500 acres

Cumberland Pool• Over 250 species of birds recorded in the

area – ducks, geese, herons, sandpipers, and gulls

• White-tailed deer, cottontail, and fox squirrel

• Several species of fish – Crappie, bass, and catfish

What can you do?• Research the animals that used to

live in your backyard. Knowledge is power!

• Find a wildlife refuge or management area near you and contact them or check them out on the internet. All of the refuges have websites full of information.

• Volunteer, and see what you can do to help.

Helpful Websites• National Wildlife Refuge Association

www.refugeassociation.org• Oklahoma Wildlife Department

www.wildlifedepartment.com• Oklahoma Wildlife Federation

www.okwildlife.org• Wildlife Management Information

www.wildlifemanagement.info

AssignmentPre-Algebra• Use the list of wildlife refuges to research the

remaining 7 refuges (excluding Wichita and Tishomingo)

• Find the acreage amounts for each – water and land• List all of your information on a spreadsheet• Take the information and graph – use a double bar

graph to compare the acreages: Bar 1 should represent the land and bar 2 the water.

• Your bonus for this assignment is to find and explain a way you could use math to help with conservation or habitat renewal.

THANKS!• Directors: Wanetta Thompson &

Georgia Dahlgreen• SOSU: Dr. Avard, Dr. Eggleton, Dr.

Patton, Dr. Ludrick, Dr. Dixon, Dr. Wood

• Dickson Schools & Sherry Howe• Cameron University• Wichita Mountain NWR & Staff• State Dept of Education