Rare Oklahoma Fish Studied Near Tulsa
It’s uncommon for sensitive fish and wildlife to be found in
heavily urbanized areas, but that’s exactly where Josh Johnston, fisheries
biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, found a rare
fish armored with razor-sharp scales and a shovel-shaped snout. While motorists
were crossing the Arkansas River on Tulsa’s busy I-44 Bridge, Johnston and two
other biologists were nearby in dry suits, catching shovelnose sturgeon by hand.
Get the full story in this Outdoor Oklahoma excerpt
Species Spotlight: Leopard Darter
A small fish found in southeastern Oklahoma’s large rivers,
the leopard darter is one of Oklahoma’s four federally threatened fish species.
This fish is named for the dark spots on the sides of its body, and
feeds primarily on aquatic insects and small crustaceans.
Learn more in the Wildlife Department's online field guide
Surveying Oklahoma's Rivers for Endangered Least Terns
Biologists are using
an airboat to cruise two Oklahoma rivers this summer as they check in on
nesting interior least terns. The small fish-eating birds return to Oklahoma’s
sandy river systems in late spring and form nesting colonies on exposed sand
bars. The flat-bottomed boat, with it's powerful engine and propeller, allows
biologists to traverse long stretches of the shallow Arkansas and Red rivers as
they make their counts of the endangered birds.
Tag along as the Army Corp of Engineers surveys the Arkansas
River
Photo by Jim Johnston
Woodpeckers of the Wilderness Area - Summer Upkeep
The dog days of summer mean one thing for biologists at the McCurtain County Wilderness Area: red-cockaded woodpecker cavity maintenance! Installing new nesting inserts, evicting squatting red wasps and southern flying squirrels from existing inserts, and monitoring active clusters are the top priorities this month.
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