The Ohio Division of Wildlife, the oldest state agency with its own corps of law enforcement officers in the state, marked its 150th anniversary in 2023, and the agency has no plans to slow down.
The division is a direct descendant of the Ohio Fish Commission created by the General Assembly in 1873. In 1949, the evolving commission was joined with other state conservation agencies under the mantle of the newly created Department of Natural Resources, which last year celebrated its own diamond anniversary.
The division currently manages or cooperates in managing over 750,000 acres of diverse wildlife lands throughout the state, plus more than 2 1/4 million acres of water. Nearly 95% of the Division of Wildlife’s funding is provided by Ohio sportsmen and women, not from tax revenues that sustain most other state-run agencies.
So, what does the sale of hunting and fishing licenses do for Ohio’s citizens? Is it only used to promote those species that have seasons or that can be clipped on a stringer?
Each year during late winter, the Division of Wildlife puts together a summary of the prior year’s wildlife work and the initiatives they plan to pursue during the months ahead.
“Looking back on the Division of Wildlife’s work in 2024, it’s incredible how much was accomplished. We’ve honored species triumphs, increased recreation opportunities, restored habitats and invested in improving experiences at our wildlife areas,” said Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker.
Year of achievements
Headlining some of these achievements is difficult — not that the work doesn’t exist — it’s just hard to pick highlights from such a long list of accomplishments. Let’s try to explore just a fraction of the far-reaching success stories performed by this relatively small state agency.
Since 1984, the Division of Wildlife has trained an average of 1,000 educators annually in the award-winning curriculum of Project WILD. The program helps students and educators learn about wildlife and their habitat through hands-on interactive activities appropriate for pre-K through 12th grade in science, English language arts, math and across the curriculum.
Twelve new wildlife officer cadets completed basic peace officer training, a specialized wildlife officer school and a six-month field training program. The cadets graduated on March 15, 2024.
Also, on the law enforcement front, the division initiated and completed its first mentorship program to support cadets attending the basic peace officer’s academy, established a Search, Rescue and Tracking Team and introduced an aerial drone program with the purchase of three drones. Moreover, the Women Officers of Wildlife Group incorporated non-commissioned staff into group meetings to share ideas related to equipment and safety.
The division provided support to the Division of Parks and Watercraft for the construction of public archery ranges at West Branch, Findley, Buckeye Lake, Lake Loramie, Rocky Fork, Stonelick, Caesar Creek and Burr Oak state parks. It increased acres for wildlife recreation access and conservation with the acquisition of 1,568 acres at Funk Bottoms, Brush Creek, Moxley and Simco wildlife areas and enrolled 11,080 new acres in the Ohio Landowner-Hunter Access Partnership, bringing accessibility to 31,100 acres in 49 counties.
Trumpeter swans — once extirpated from the state — were removed from Ohio’s threatened species list. The de-listing culminates a 28-year effort by the Division of Wildlife to restore a population that was in decline. Ohio’s trumpeter swan population stands at nearly 900, now, with trumpeters sounding off at established nesting sites in 26 counties.
Ohio’s six state fish hatcheries produced and stocked more than 40 million sport fish of 11 different species in public waters, providing opportunities to catch anglers that would not otherwise exist.
The division collaborated with the Ohio State University Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology Laboratory on the multi-state mid-Atlantic wild turkey research project. OSU graduate students have been tracking hen turkey survival, nest fates and wild turkey poult recruitment at Appalachian Hills, Waterloo and Mosquito Creek wildlife areas. More than 50 hens per site have been fitted with radio telemetry gear to enable tracking.
The division completed several H2Ohio projects to improve water quality and wildlife habitat in cooperation with conservation partners, including reconnecting to Killbuck Creek with Holmes County Park District, the Hocking River Riparian Restoration with Hocking River Commission, the Dry Fork Streambank Stabilization with the Metroparks of Butler County, and the Chippewa Lake Wetland Restoration and Little Killbuck Creek Wetland Restoration with Medina County Park District.
Add to that list the Mill Creek Wetland Restoration with Mill Creek Alliance, the Moxley Reconnection Project with Erie Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Navarre Marsh Reconnection Project with Ducks Unlimited, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Little Portage Renovation and O’Donnell Wetland Restoration with Ducks Unlimited.
The division stocked steelhead trout for the first time in the Cuyahoga River during the spring of 2024. This addition increased the number of Lake Erie tributaries stocked each spring to seven and involved the redistribution of the annual stocking allocation of 450,000 fish among tributaries.
These accomplishments barely touch the surface of the projects that the Division of Wildlife dedicated its time to completing last year. Of course, when plotting the course for the future, goals and plans are set to continue the work. A few of these initiatives include a new fisheries research vessel, The Walleye, which will replace the research vessel Explorer at the Sandusky Fisheries Research Station. It’s scheduled to be completed and delivered prior to the end of the 2025 navigation season. The 55-foot boat will be used to conduct fisheries surveys in Lake Erie’s western basin.
The division also used three Wild Ohio Harvest mobile kitchen trailers at events to showcase fish and game as a sustainable food source. A pop-up version will also be used at smaller venues such as farmers’ markets.
The division produced and stocked more than 40 million sport fish of 11 different species in public waters; fish are now stocked for better catch rates and an improved fishing experience.
The division conducted surveys to better understand the motivations, preferences, trip-related expenditures and demographics of bass anglers to improve insights of participants in one of Ohio’s most popular fisheries. A population genetics approach will be used to survey largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass for the presence of invasive Alabama bass or Florida bass genes. This study will help protect the native Ohio bass population and may expand options for future management.
The division has continued working with the University of Dayton to determine the survival and reproductive rates of female black bears colonizing Ohio. It also added the Cuyahoga and Sandusky Rivers to the state lake sturgeon restoration program in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and University of Toledo. This will result in stocking three of the four Ohio Lake Erie tributaries where sturgeon were historically sustained through natural reproduction.
The sale of hunting and fishing licenses and associated permits provide opportunities for recreational activities and wildlife viewing for all of Ohio’s citizens. The Division of Wildlife employs about 400 people statewide and, for most, the work is truly a labor of love. Many of these successes are made possible through their partnerships developed with conservationists and conservation organizations found in each of the state’s counties.
“It’s a privilege to work with so many talented staff and passionate conservationists. We advance into this year prepared to meet whatever challenges arise, and confident that we can build on past success and lead the way in wildlife conservation,” said Chief Wecker.
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.”
— Andrew Carnegie
