Anyone here that knows me knows that I am passionate about a few things. God (but I try not to get involved in those conversations here) and my outdoor activities such as gardening, fishing and hunting. One of the main things I love about my part of Oklahoma is the access we enjoy to public hunting and fishing opportunities. My property borders a 16,000+ acre WMA which has been my playground since I was in the 5th grade.
The WMA is made up of land that was condemned when a flood control lake was built in the 1940’s. It is overseen (owned?) by the US Army Corps of Engineers and leased to the Oklahoma Wildlife Department (OWD). Last October the Corps of Engineers announced that they were going to close at least 10 roads to vehicle access and held a meeting to inform the hunters. No reason was given at that time other that “because we want to and we can.”
As soon as that announcement was made some folks formed the Southeast Oklahoma Sportsmen Association. They were mostly old men who were retired and very dependent on vehicular access to the WMA to continue to hunt. While they have done what they can, I decided to try to up the game a bit. I called or emailed every government official who is supposed to represent us, whether on the state or national level. I have contacted the OWD and have had extensive conversations with them about the closures. Initially I suspected the OWD was in cahoots with the Corps on this issue but am now convinced that they are not. The main thing I wanted to get to the bottom of was “Why?” Why the sudden need to declare roads that have been accessible for over a century as “illegal trails” and close them down by erecting barricades.
The answer I have come up with based on conversations with several state biologists and wildlife officials is that there are Native American artifacts down there. That seems to be what they were told. Specifically, arrowheads. This is such a feeble excuse for what is being done. And based upon the new signs that have been put up at the entrances to the WMA I think it is the only reason.
Anyway, I am embarking on something that I have never really done before. I’m helping these guys get their message out. I created a Facebook page and linked an online petition which has garnered over 1100 signatures in less than 3 days. That’s not bad when you consider that our community here has less than 200 people. I am attaching every representative and senators phone # and email, every wildlife official that oversees our region phone # and email and every US Corps of Engineers official who has anything to do with SE Oklahoma’s phone # and email. I will include a letter for members to cut and paste voicing displeasure at the closing of the roads to vehicle access.
I am going to attack the issue from the Disabilities act angle and from the Native American elders angle. I have no lawyer friends but do have a former student who is a district judge. I am hoping he can point me to a lawyer who would do some things for us pro bono. I am contacting television networks letting them know what we are fighting. We may never get anything done to reverse the Corps actions but fortunately this is the United States of America and we can squawk about that with which we disagree.
Too bad I don’t know President Trump. This is the sort of thing he’d probably make a big deal about.
The WMA is made up of land that was condemned when a flood control lake was built in the 1940’s. It is overseen (owned?) by the US Army Corps of Engineers and leased to the Oklahoma Wildlife Department (OWD). Last October the Corps of Engineers announced that they were going to close at least 10 roads to vehicle access and held a meeting to inform the hunters. No reason was given at that time other that “because we want to and we can.”
As soon as that announcement was made some folks formed the Southeast Oklahoma Sportsmen Association. They were mostly old men who were retired and very dependent on vehicular access to the WMA to continue to hunt. While they have done what they can, I decided to try to up the game a bit. I called or emailed every government official who is supposed to represent us, whether on the state or national level. I have contacted the OWD and have had extensive conversations with them about the closures. Initially I suspected the OWD was in cahoots with the Corps on this issue but am now convinced that they are not. The main thing I wanted to get to the bottom of was “Why?” Why the sudden need to declare roads that have been accessible for over a century as “illegal trails” and close them down by erecting barricades.
The answer I have come up with based on conversations with several state biologists and wildlife officials is that there are Native American artifacts down there. That seems to be what they were told. Specifically, arrowheads. This is such a feeble excuse for what is being done. And based upon the new signs that have been put up at the entrances to the WMA I think it is the only reason.
Anyway, I am embarking on something that I have never really done before. I’m helping these guys get their message out. I created a Facebook page and linked an online petition which has garnered over 1100 signatures in less than 3 days. That’s not bad when you consider that our community here has less than 200 people. I am attaching every representative and senators phone # and email, every wildlife official that oversees our region phone # and email and every US Corps of Engineers official who has anything to do with SE Oklahoma’s phone # and email. I will include a letter for members to cut and paste voicing displeasure at the closing of the roads to vehicle access.
I am going to attack the issue from the Disabilities act angle and from the Native American elders angle. I have no lawyer friends but do have a former student who is a district judge. I am hoping he can point me to a lawyer who would do some things for us pro bono. I am contacting television networks letting them know what we are fighting. We may never get anything done to reverse the Corps actions but fortunately this is the United States of America and we can squawk about that with which we disagree.
Too bad I don’t know President Trump. This is the sort of thing he’d probably make a big deal about.
