Hunting hatchlings

Ray Moody, a natural resource scientist with the 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Directorate, center, gives Matt Fullerton and Jena Donnell, with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, a tour of the base’s Urban Greenway. Mr. Fullerton and Ms. Donnell are relatively new to their positions within the department’s Wildlife Diversity and Private Lands Program and visited Tinker Air Force Base on Aug. 20 to learn about the various partnerships and projects involving nongame wildlife across the state to include the base’s Texas horned lizard conservation program. Pending administrative approval, Mr. Moody learned recently that he will be serving on the ODWC’s nongame technical committee for the purposes of reviewing a petition the department received to add the Texas horned lizard to Oklahoma’s list of state-threatened and endangered species. Mr. Fullerton said the department has a process they must follow once petitions are received. The Texas horned lizard nongame technical committee is a panel of species experts that will evaluate the petition and determine whether it provides sufficient evidence to list the species. Looking on is Chris White, a natural resources specialist with the Air Force’s Civil Engineer Center. (Air Force photo by Darren D. Heusel/Released)