Tribe honored for service to Tishomingo Wildlife Refuge

CONTRIBUTED BY Gene Lehmann, Media Relations.

This article appeared in the January 2017 edition of the Chickasaw Times

ADA, Okla. – The U.S. Department of Interior honored the Chickasaw Nation with its Partners in Conservation Award for assisting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during record flooding and weather-related destruction in 2015.

Rick Cantu, manager of the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, presented the commendation to the Chickasaw Nation Dec. 13.

Gov. Bill Anoatubby accepted the honor on behalf of the tribe.

In May and June 2015, flooding virtually wiped out all existing structures at the refuge east of Tishomingo, Okla. Most of the buildings were condemned. The Chickasaw Nation, Mr. Cantu, provided refuge staff needed shelter from the storm,

A house owned by the tribe located immediately north of the old Tishomingo Health Clinic was unoccupied. Chickasaw Nation workers cleaned it up, painted the interior and readied it for office space. Chickasaw workers also improved the road leading to the house.

“Without the Chickasaw Nation’s assistance, the staff would have been in real trouble,” Mr. Cantu said. “Our efforts to restore the refuge were critical and the Nation welcomed us.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe issued the citation. In part, it thanks the tribe for stepping forward to help the agency at a critical time.

“The Chickasaw Nation performed maintenance, restored water service, painted the interior and improved the road for refuge employees to use,” Mr. Ashe noted in the citation. “This was all done at no cost to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.”

Refuge staff used the house for more than a year.

“The Chickasaw Nation has a long history of providing support and contributions to the Tishomingo Wildlife Refuge. For (its) generosity and longstanding unwavering support, the Chickasaw Nation is granted the Partners in Conservation Award of the Department of the Interior,” the citation stated.

Gov. Anoatubby recalled he and Tishomingo High School teammates ran through the wildlife refuge during football conditioning drills.

“I remember how beautiful it was,” Gov. Anoatubby said. “The Chickasaw Nation has partnered with the wildlife refuge in the past and we are committed to partnering with it in the future.”

Mr. Cantu said the tribe and refuge were currently partnering on a Monarch Watch project to provide milkweed and nectar-rich plants for butterflies and pollinators. The refuge made available approximately 100 acres in several different plots to sustain monarch populations. The refuge covers 28 square miles and manages the area solely to benefit wildlife.

In 2015, Tishomingo received 82.88 inches of rain, according to the Mesonet weather site. Flooding ensued, washing out roads, inundating buildings, destroying bridges and other vital infrastructure. It is estimated several millions of dollars in damage occurred during the storms.

In comparison, Tishomingo has received 38.65 inches of rain through Dec. 13, 2016.