Service Award: Wes Shockley, 20 Years

Wes Shockley, OCC Water Quality monitoring specialist, was recognized at the December 2012 meeting of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission for 20 years of service to OCC an the state of Oklahoma.

Wes hails from rural Creek County where hew grew up helping with a small cow-calf operation, enjoying fishing and hunting and organized sports. Wes completed a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah where he played baseball for the university. 

While in college Wes began his career as an intern for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Upon graduation Wes began employment with a private laboratory that ran tests for many of the parameters of interest in nonpoint source pollution water quality management. Wes started his career with OCC in the Delaware County Conservation District in 1992 where he was hired to work on OCC’s first Clean Water Act Section 319 project on Battle Creek. Wes also assisted with the monitoring on the Lake Eucha/Spavinaw Watershed as a precursor to the current implementation project. Wes moved on to the Cherokee County Conservation District for a one-year stint before moving back to his home county in 1995. Wes plays a vital role in the monitoring field for OCC. He fulfills the role of a crew leader and also trains new employees. Wes also offers valuable insight into the activities of all aspects of the OCC 319 program.

Wes and his wife Kim live in Creek County with two sons, Matt and Nathan. Wes’s oldest son, Robert attends college in Bartlesville where he also plays baseball for Oklahoma Wesleyan University.