Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
Abbreviation	ODWC
Patch of the Oklahoma State Game Wardens
Agency overview
Formed	July 3, 1956
Employees	325 unclassified
Annual budget	$40 million
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction*	State of Oklahoma, USA
Map of Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's jurisdiction.
Size	69,898 square miles (181,030 km2)
Population	3,642,361 (2008 est.)[1]
General nature	Law enforcement Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	1801 N. Lincoln Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Elected officer responsible	Gary Sherrer, Secretary of the Environment
Agency executive	Richard Hatcher, Director
Parent agency	Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission
Website
Department of Wildlife Conservation
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is an agency of the state of Oklahoma responsible for managing and protecting Oklahoma's wildlife population and their habitats. The Department is under the control of the Wildlife Conservation Commission, an 8-member board appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate. All members serve eight year terms. The Commission, in turn, appoints a Director to serve as the chief administrative officer of the Department.

The current Director of the Department of Wildlife Conservation is Richard Hatcher.

The Department was created in 1956 during the term of Governor Raymond D. Gary by an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution.

History

The Department was created in 1956 when the voters of Oklahoma approved State Question 374, which amended the Oklahoma Constitution by adding Article 26. The State Question was brought before the voters of the state through an initiative petition process.

Leadership

The Department is overseen by the Secretary of the Environment. Under Governor Mary Fallin, Gary Sherrer is serving as the Secretary.

Organization

• Wildlife Conservation Commission
  • Director
    • Assistant Director - Administration
      • Administration Division
        • Fiscal Services Section
        • Employee Services Section
        • Human Resources Section
    • Assistant Director - Operations
      • Fisheries Division
      • Wildlife Division
      • Information and Education Division
      • Law Enforcement Division
      • Federal Aid and Response Management Division

Staffing

The Wildlife Conservation Department, with an annual budget of over $40 million, is one of the larger employers of the State. For fiscal year 2010, the Department was authorized 339 full time employees.^[2]

Division	Number of Employees
Administration Division	30
Wildlife Services Division	89
Fisheries Services Division	82
Law Enforcement Division	118
Information and Education Office	20
Total	339

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, 2 officers have died in the line of duty.^[3]

Officer	Date of Death	Details
Game Warden Charles W. Estes	Sunday, February 26, 1911	Gunfire
Ranger Melvin Lewis Garrison Jr.	Monday, December 27, 1971	Drowned

See also

	Oklahoma portal
	Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

• List of law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma

References

1. ^ "State Fact Sheets: Oklahoma". Economic Research Service. United States Department of Agriculture. 2008-07-02. http://www.ers.usda.gov/statefacts/ok.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
2. ^ FY 2011 State Budget, Oklahoma Office of State Finance
3. ^ The Officer Down Memorial Page