Oklahoma Wildlife & Prairie Heritage Alliance Success Page

Oklahoma Wildlife & Prairie Heritage Alliance

Success Story #1

Hi Folks,
About 5 years ago, I was driving across a portion of our ranch near Arnett, Oklahoma with my family, when a lesser prairie chicken flushed in front of my truck. I asked my dad if he thought it was the last one left. I was serious about the question. I hadn’t seen a chicken for about a year until that time and I drive over 75 miles a day checking cattle. Forty years ago it was not uncommon to see several hundred prairie chickens while making that same drive.

With the combined help and shared ideas spurred by a “Ranch Conversation” about lesser prairie chickens in Buffalo, Oklahoma, sponsored by the High Plains RC&D and the Western Governor’s Association, several of my friends, neighbors, biologists, conservationists, at the state and federal levels came up with a plan to enhance prairie chickens. Through projects done on our ranch, I am pleased to say that I have seen a modest increase in lesser prairie chickens, approximately 45 chickens this past year.

We let several species decline and I think it is not too late to make a difference and help out native wildlife to increase to a sustainable number, and coexist with our farming and ranching operations for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.

I hope you will get involved and encourage your support and involvement in the OWPHA.

Kenny Knowles, OWPHA Chair

Success Story #2

I am very proud to be a part of the heritage of NW Oklahoma. In recent years the struggles for rural America have been significant. Declining population, difficult economic hurdles, an aging population, a crumbling infrastructure and changing demographics have all culminated to makeup what seems to be an insurmountable obstacle for success in the future. Against impossible odds, groups of people who believe in the future of rural Oklahoma have risen up to meet the challenge. With a faith born of deeds and a dedication to the preservation of their way of life the groups began to reevaluate their assets. It is interesting that the natural resources that sustained our forefathers became the topics of many of the community conversations. Wildlife, land, clean air, quiet prairies, beautiful sunsets, plentiful clean water and starry nights are things that we in NW Oklahoma take for granted. Although we may think about our resources in passing we often don't realize that a prairie sunset is something more than spectacular for people who think sunset is when the sun goes behind the high rise on the other side of the street. What we take for granted every day may inevitably be the saving grace for our way of life.

The Oklahoma Wildlife and Prairie Heritage Alliance has been one of the positive responses to the need for economic development and natural resource preservation. The organization, formed by grass roots stakeholders with strong ties to western Oklahoma, is forging a new road map for success in our communities. Already the impact of the alliance can be seen in towns like Cherokee, Freedom and Woodward. The group has spawned eco-tourism business, preservation projects, and has brought a significant amount of grant monies to the area. With the addition of Oklahoma's first wildlife trail added to its portfolio, the OWPHA is on the verge of a one billion dollar a year financial impact for western Oklahoma. The alliance is the future of our natural resources and thus is the key to our future as well.

I am proud to be one of the founding members of the OWPHA. The alliance is a way that we can show hope in our future through deeds and not just idle chatter. The alliance is a tangible way to insure that future generations can enjoy the fruits of the land that our ancestors depended on. We as stakeholders in this great land must be committed to the future with a belief that we will succeed. The OWPHA has given us a platform to catapult our area into the 21st century and beyond.