The Foundation was formed in 2018 to encourage private support for ODWC. The Foundation’s vision is to enable all outdoor enthusiasts to actively enjoy our state’s wildlife and wild spaces. OWCF is a nonprofit organization working exclusively alongside and supporting the Wildlife Department. It provides citizens an outlet to show their passion for the outdoors by investing their time and money in projects that will make a difference for generations to come. OWCF Executive Director Rick Grundman said the Foundation is always looking for opportunities allowing it to partner with ODWC to leverage resources because more can be done together than could ever be done alone.
Here are some of the major contributions from OWCF to date:
• $952,770 endowment started with Midway USA Foundation to support youth shooting sports programs in Oklahoma. Up to 5 percent may be spent each year.
• $75,000 match for a $300,000 planning and engineering study to bring water back to Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area.
• $200,000 planning and engineering study match for the planned Arcadia Lake Family Archery Range.
• $1 million-plus Arcadia Lake Archery Range construction funding match committed; $50,000 matching grant secured from OG+E to provide 18-1 matches to fully fund range construction set for 2024.
• $8,750 for buying duty ammunition for all ODWC Game Wardens at a time when state contracts were backlogged.
• $27,500 for 115 Mustang Auto-Inflate Personal Flotation Devices bought for all Game Wardens.
• Enforcement Model Patriot airboat bought from private donations for Game Wardens.
• $5,000 that was matched by private donors, for a total of $40,000, to fund Tiger Bass stocking in Grand Lake.
• Bought prizes to promote awareness and compliance for new Fisheries Division program to gather data through bass tournament registrations.
• Provided Lifetime License grand prize for Rack Madness event, along with door prizes.
• Worked with OG+E to expand Close to Home Fishing and Family Fishing events, and provided fishing tackle to youth attendees.
• Support of Nuisance Bear Response Team with purchase of six Pneu-Dart pneumatic dart guns and provided chemical immobilization training on best practices from Global Wildlife Resources.
• Fostering Outdoor Oklahoma Families (FOOF) fishing equipment and licenses purchased to support this foster children’s program sponsored by ODWC and Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
• Provided grant-writing assistance to ODWC resulting in applications for $7 million in grants.
• $10,000 building renaming of the Hackberry Flat Education Center as requested by the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission.
• Funding to support ODWC’s award-winning social outreach activities.
• Co-funded Close to Home Fishing dock in Oklahoma City with the Paul George Foundation.
• Bought hunting blinds, chairs, rests, and equipment for use on youth depredation doe hunts.
Also, the Foundation’s Board of Directors recently voted to fund the following projects from ODWC’s projects list:
• $10,000 for bear conflict management (completes the amount needed for improved gear and training in Wildlife and Law Enforcement Divisions).
• $15,000 for the Stars and Stripes Project providing licenses for disabled veterans and Gold Star families.
• Up to $30,000 for the Foundation to purchase guided hunts for ODWC’s Spring 2024 Outdoor Oklahoma Raffles (2 bull elk, 1 mule deer, and 1 spring turkey).
• $25,000 to leverage $75,000 in federal funds for leasing more than 13,000 acres of public hunting land through ODWC’s the Oklahoma Land Access Program.
• $25,000 to leverage $75,000 in federal funding to provide eight new schools with the complete suite of ODWC’s outdoor education programs.
• $12,500 to leverage $37,500 in federal funding to add 50 schools to ODWC’s Fishing in the Schools program.
• $3,125 to leverage $9,375 in federal funding to add one more school to our full suite of ODWC’s outdoor education programs.