Oklahoma State Forester Resigns Amid Wildfire Response Criticism; Firefighters Defend His Leadership
Oklahoma’s State Forester is resigning, and Gov. Kevin Stitt says it’s because he did a poor job responding to wildfires earlier this month. Many Oklahoma firefighters are unhappy with the criticism.
Mark Goeller has been with the Oklahoma Forestry Services for nearly four decades, and he’s led the department since 2018.
Goeller is resigning, but Stitt made it clear the departure has to do with his feelings on the Oklahoma Forestry Services’ wildfire response.
“He’s the head of the forestry department and we had a horrible, horrible wildfire in the State of Oklahoma, and I didn’t think they did a really good job," Stitt said in a news conference.
Many current and former firefighters say the governor is wrong to blame Goeller for the damages, which include a home owned by Stitt in Luther.
"Mark has kind of always been for the state of Oklahoma, he's been our guy, been our expert, and to lose that inside the State of Oklahoma, I think it's really going to hurt us," said Tulsa Fire Department Captain Shawn Clark.
The Governor’s office has not announced a new State Forester.
Goeller’s last day is Monday.
Oklahoma Legislature Reaches Session Midpoint With 780 Bills
Another legislative deadline has come and gone. And with it, around 780 bills passed their chamber of origin as of Thursday.
That number breaks down to about 450 measures in the House and 330 in the Senate.
The bills passed regulate everything from Insulin prices to invasive plants, to immigration and criminal justice.
More than 200 other measures passed through committee meetings but were never considered on the floor.
Moving forward, each chamber will consider the other's bills in relevant committees and vote on whether to hear them together again in about a month.
In the meantime, bills could be amended, completely rewritten to something unrelated or simply passed - or dropped - untouched.
The legislative session is scheduled to end in May.
Proposed Legislation Would Allow Mountain Lion Hunting
Proposed legislation would allow select people to hunt mountain lions in Oklahoma.
The bill would give permits through a lottery system.
Senate Bill 1073 filed by Oklahoma Senator Casey Murdock is now headed to the state House after passing through the state Senate.
Murdock’s bill allows the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission to give out five special permits for mountain lion hunting through a lottery system.
The author of the bill told KOCO TV this gives Oklahoma tourism opportunities. But wildlife advocacy groups are speaking out.
Wildcare Oklahoma took to social media saying mountain lions are not a threat to livestock and people and there is no need to control the population.
The advocacy group said mountain lion hunting has been illegal in Oklahoma since 1957.
Four Books By Oklahoma Authors To Check Out
If you're looking for something to read, several new books are out with Oklahoma ties and authors:
- Sooner Doughboys Write Home is a collection of letters from OU students and faculty who had served in World War I to the then-university president.
- Reinventing the Heartland takes author Nicholas Lalla’s experience running Tulsa Innovation Labs and lays out a plan to reinvent the heartland.
- Twenty years after the Oklahoma City bombing, a couple is messaged by a Facebook account claiming to be a woman they thought was lost in the Federal Building. Find out what happened in In Low April Sun by Constance E. Squires.
- Young adult book When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain follows a 17-year-old who can hear the bones of the dead sing. With the power, she can reunite family members with their missing loved ones.
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