Two ODWC employees were recognized with the Wildlife Department’s first R3 Champion Award during the April 7 meeting of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Wildlife Biologist Colby Farquhar and Senior Wildlife Biologist JD Ridge received the award for their joint recruitment, retention and reactivation efforts by planning and conducting trapping workshops.

“For most ODWC folks, it (R3) is just an everyday thing we do. We did come up with this award to recognize folks that go above and beyond,” ODWC Director Wade Free said. The pair hosted four trapping workshops on wildlife management areas in 2025, with about 18 to 20 students ranging in age from 10 to 70 years old in each class.

“Trapping has been on the decline for years. The fur market dropped out, it’s a lot of work. But there was potential there to increase awareness and activity and re-engage people or even recruit new people with trapping workshops,” Free said. The workshops included an introduction to trapping, how to set a trap, how to get an animal out of a trap and more.

Both recipients said they appreciate the support of the Department and their coworkers. “I’m not going to say we didn’t do a lot of work, but we did have a lot of help. It was a team effort,” Ridge said. “We couldn’t have done this without support from the agency and our division.”

Also during the meeting, ODWC Assistant Director Nels Rodefeld said the number of bills in the Oklahoma Legislature pertaining to the Department is down to about 12.

He highlighted Senate Bill 208, which would require ODWC to establish rules and requirements for hunting guides.

“We have pledged to have an inclusive process should that bill pass,” Rodefeld said. “Our intention is to meet with the guide industry folks themselves and with others who are interested in this topic and try to get some alignment on what those rules look like.”

The Commission also recognized the winners of a creative writing competition through a longtime partnership between ODWC and the Oklahoma Station Safari Club International. The top four teenage winners will receive a guided exotic hunt or a scholarship to an outdoor camp, depending on their age range. The winners were Berklee Snow, Cooper VanOrsdol, Kayleigh Baker and Teegan Brownlee. The top 25 essay entrants receive a one-year youth membership to Safari Club International.

Education Section Supervisor Lance Meek, who solicits and reads the essays, said the program is a tool for recruitment and retention. “For most of these winners it’s the first time they’ve ever gotten to hunt an exotic game animal and at the outdoor camp they get more skills and they learn about more aspects of hunting … it’s really setting them up for a lifetime of hunting,” Meek said.

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The 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 Oklahoma Senate.

The next regular Wildlife Commission meeting is set for May 5 at the John D. Groendyke Wildlife Conservation Building, 1801 N. Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City.

A video of the April 7 meeting is available on the Outdoor Oklahoma YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@okwildlifedept.