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Oklahoma Summary
Overview
The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program is a voluntary program that helps landownersdevelop and improve wildlife habitat on private lands. Interested landowners seek natural resource planning assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Serviceand other federal, state, and private organizations to develop conservation plans thatimprove wildlife habitat on land that is compatible for livestock use. Wildlife HabitatIncentives Program dollars help implement the actions identified in the plan. Thecompatibility of agriculture and wildlife programs benefits all.
Accomplishments
Wildlife is one of Oklahoma’s natural resource treasures; the interest of landowners inthe Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and cooperation by technical experts toimplement the program are testimony to that fact. In 2001, the Natural ResourcesConservation Service (NRCS) in Oklahoma continued technical assistance to over 360participants in the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and serviced over 300applications for cost-share through the program. In 1998, the Wildlife Habitat IncentivesProgram provided just under $1 million for habitat improvement. In 1999, the programprovided over $300,000 for financial assistance to landowners. While the program wasnot funded in fiscal year 2000, the $775,000 provided in 2001 through the AgricultureRisk Protection Act funded over 130 applications for improving wildlife habitat on over42,000 new acres. Oklahoma still has over 160 applications on file needing additionalfunding.
Program Benefits
With financial assistance through the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and technicalassistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and its partners, privatelandowners are restoring, enhancing and creating habitat for prairie chicken, bobwhitequail, white tail deer, wild turkey, bald eagles, and dozens of migratory grassland birdspecies. The restoration and protection of riparian areas are improving aquatic habitatsfor rare prairie fish, as well as game fish like largemouth bass, bluegill, and channelcatfish. Threatened and endangered fish and wildlife species are benefiting throughhabitat improvement. People participating in the program value quality fish and wildlifehabitat, and are especially supportive of native grassland and riparian area restoration.In 2001, a portion of the available financial assistance was targeted for applicationsbenefiting habitat restoration for the lesser prairie chicken. The lesser prairie chicken iscurrently a candidate specie for listing as a Threatened and Endangered Species. Inaddition, funding was available to address critical habitat concerns associated with theArkansas River shiner. With the cost share assistance available through the WildlifeHabitat Incentives Program, private landowners can voluntarily provide for wildlifehabitat restoration and improvement.
State Contact
Kevin D. Norton, Assistant State Conservationist, Programs, 405-742-1236,Kevin.Norton @ok..usda.gov.
United States Department of Agriculture
December 2001
 
Customer Focus
“I want to take this opportunity to tellyou how much I appreciate what youand all the other good folks at NRCShave done for me. Also, I would likefor you to let everyone involved in theWHIP program know that they havehelped us build a good solidfoundation.”Rusty Minick, FounderKids, We Care, Inc., Guthrie“Without the Wildlife HabitatIncentives Program, it would have takenme 20 years to install all these practices.A good program and good assistance”Barney HawkinsCherokee CountyBarney has 110 acres of land with a fullcanopy of trees with invading easternred cedar. Barney had some ideasabout what he wanted to do with theland for wildlife habitat, but did nothave the means by which to accomplishthem.With technical assistance from NRCS,Barney developed a wildlife habitatmanagement plan integrating his goalsand objectives with the habitat needs of the deer, quail and turkey. Keypractices in his conservation plan werefirebreaks, prescribed burning, brushmanagement, and pond construction.Today, the trees have been thinned andthe forest floor is once again productivewith a mix of native grasses and forbs.The problematic eastern redcedar isbeing held in check by the prescribedburning. “Until I saw the results, Inever knew fire was such a beneficialtool,” Barney commented as he lookedover the success of his conservationplan.
2001 Wildlife Habitat IncentivesProram
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