Randall Cole was selected as the 2024 Southern Region Excellence in Policy Volunteerism Award winner during a ceremony at the 2024 Ducks Unlimited (DU) National Convention earlier this month.

Cole is the past state chair, regional vice president and current policy chair of Oklahoma DU.

“Randall deserves this award for his leadership and dedication to DU policy efforts in Oklahoma,” said Ed Penny, DU’s Southern Region director of Public Policy. “Randall led the formation of a coalition of partners in Oklahoma and guided the group to support passage of Senate Bill 941 this year.”

Senate Bill 941 is a comprehensive licensing restructuring package designed to consolidate the excessive hunting/fishing license options and modernize license fees for residents and non-residents. Notably, for Ducks Unlimited, it included a significant increase in the cost for the state duck stamp for the first time in 20 years. 

“I am truly humbled to receive this award,” said Cole. “The true winners are my fellow Oklahoma outdoor enthusiasts and the ducks. We would not have gotten the bill passed without our legislative champions and the numerous organizations who banded together in the name of wildlife conservation.”

The Oklahoma DU policy team worked alongside the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) for four years to pass legislation restructuring the Oklahoma hunting license fees. This legislation will bring much-needed dollars for long-overdue habitat improvements around the state. The state duck stamp is an excellent example of using these funds. By law, state duck stamp dollars must be used for waterfowl conservation, so ODWC can invest more to restore and enhance habitat in Oklahoma and conserve critical areas of the prairie breeding grounds where many of the ducks that migrate to Oklahoma are produced.

“Sportsmen and women will always lead the way in wildlife conservation and support the programs that manage habitat and make Oklahoma’s outdoor opportunities unique,” Cole said. “It took a lot of work to get this done, but we are grateful for the leadership of Senator David Bullard (District 6 – Durant) and Representative Ty Burns (District 35 – Pawnee), along with the numerous co-authors, in passing this critical conservation legislation.”