Oklahoma Habitat Initiative: Improving Fisheries with Community Involvement
The Oklahoma Habitat Initiative is an effort to improve fisheries habitat statewide with community involvement. Habitat is essential for a healthy fishery. Unfortunately, habitat enhancement can be costly for conservation agencies and often requires more manpower than an agency can provide. Community involvement in Oklahoma has helped to fill some of the monetary and manpower gaps. In 2023, a local community stepped up to provide funding for habitat enhancement on Eufaula Lake, Oklahoma’s largest reservoir at 105,500 surface acres. With funding pledged for a minimum of five years Eufaula Lake could see more than $200,000 worth of habitat improvements. In 2024 the Oklahoma Habitat Enhancement Partnership program was initiated, a pilot program offering a 50/50 cost share for habitat enhancement projects on three reservoirs around the state. This program is designed to provide heavy involvement from constituents on a reservoir of their choosing. As part of the Oklahoma Habitat Initiative, we have also partnered with a community career tech to build artificial habitat structures as part of their skill development curriculum.