Meet the Ohio Wildlife Council

See upcoming Wildlife Council events and meetings

The Ohio Wildlife Council is an eight-member board that approves all ODNR Division of Wildlife proposed rules and regulations. Appointed by the Governor, no more than four members may be of the same political party and two of the council members must represent agriculture. Each term of office is four years.

Charles E. Franks (Newark) is so dedicated to community service that Governor George Voinovich awarded him the "Volunteer of the Year" award for the state of Ohio in 1994. "I enjoy sharing ideas and learning from the Division of Wildlife staff. I have worked with troubled youth for 25 years and have found that by teaching hunting and fishing to these kids, they learn invaluable lessons about the out-of-doors, themselves, and life. It’s all about passing along passion and respect for the wildlife resources."
Horace W. Karr (Pomeroy) is serving his seventh term on the Wildlife Council. With a farming background, he has “a love for the land and everything that grows and lives on it.” “I am proud to have this honor and to be a part of the Ohio Division of Wildlife as many people over the U.S. feel that we have the best wildlife division in the country. We are recognized as a leader in wildlife management and a pattern for other wildlife agencies to follow.”
George R. Klein (Akron) is the owner and operating partner of the Hill‘n Dale Club, a 470-member fishing, hunting and shooting club near Medina, which he has led for more than 20 years. Concurrently, he served as president and owner of several news distribution companies. He earned advanced degrees from Colorado College, Denver University and Harvard University. Land conservation is one of Klein’s priorities. As a board member of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, he serves on the Natural Areas Committee, which aids in overseeing 38 preserves in northeast Ohio. He is also a board member of the Trust for Public Land and was integral in converting the former Richfield Coliseum to a meadow that was gifted to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. As the chairman of the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy, Klein encourages research projects and internship partnerships with colleges and universities. He has also been active with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association, the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center and the Cuyahoga Countryside Conservancy. In addition to his service on numerous conservation-minded committees, Klein is an avid steelhead trout fisherman and enjoys duck and woodcock hunting in Ohio and abroad.
Paul P. Mechling, II, (Pierpont) is a doctor of veterinary medicine from Ashtabula County, where he is co-owner in two practices providing large and small animal care and surgery.  He is a graduate of The Ohio State University.  Mechling and his wife, Joanne, operate the 236-acre Snowy Oak Tree Farm where they have planted more than 100,000 trees, created wetlands, and provided food plots for wildlife.  He operates Mechling’s Maple Farm, producer of pure Ohio maple syrup, and is also involved with management of the 325-acre family farm near Thornville that produces grain and timber. Mechling has been involved with the National Wild Turkey Federation, serving as state president, chairman, and as a member of the board of directors.  He received the Outstanding Sportsman’s Award in 1994 and was the National Hunting Heritage Award winner for private lands conservation in 2008.  He is on the Board of Supervisors for the Ashtabula Soil and Water Conservation District where he currently serves as chairman.  He is also a member of both the Ohio Tree Farm Committee and the Ashtabula Scenic River Advisory Council.  The Mechlings have two children and three grandchildren.
Larry B. Mixon Sr., Ph.D., (Columbus) is a former superintendent for Columbus Public Schools. He is an avid outdoorsman and marksman, enjoying rabbit and wild turkey hunting, bowhunting for white-tailed deer, fishing for bass, walleye and Chinook salmon, and benchrest shooting. “The spirit of nature and wildlife conservation have always been an important part of my life; and as a member of the Ohio Wildlife Council, I am committed to conserving these priceless resources for future generations to enjoy.”
Tim Ratliff (Winchester) is a Brown County farmer raising beef cattle, swine, grain crops, tobacco, sunflowers, hay and freshwater shrimp. He is a member of the Brown County Farm Bureau and has served on the boards of the Brown County Fair, Brown County Pork Producers and the National Wild Turkey Federations’ Ohio River Longbeards Chapter. He served on the Farm Services Agency State Committee for eight years. Ratliff and his wife Betty Jo have four children and one grandson. Tim and his family enjoy camping along with deer and turkey hunting.
Stephen M. Seliskar (Lake County) is a senior partner at Ernst & Young LLP in Cleveland. He has more than 30 years experience in forensic accounting, including litigation, investigations, dispute resolution, auditing, and advisory services. His family farm operations include livestock, grain, and timber. An avid outdoorsman, Seliskar enjoys hunting upland game, white-tailed deer, wild turkey and migratory birds, fishing Lake Erie and local ponds, and fly fishing. He is a past officer and director of several sportsmen’s clubs dedicated to wildlife habitat and management.
Karen Stewart-Linkhart (Xenia) is a graduate of Wright State University with a degree in English, and is a teacher with the Xenia School system.  She is a member of the Ohio Farm Bureau, the Ohio State Trappers Association, and, with her husband, Dave, is a director of the National and International Affairs for the National Trappers Association.  As a 4-H advisor for more than 25 years, Stewart-Linkhart was a key leader in the creation of conservation projects. Stewart-Linkhart and her husband operate a 700-acre grain and livestock farm in Greene County, raising cattle and a few bison.  They have also restored a wetland and reverted a pasture back to natural grass prairie on the family farm.  The Linkharts have two grown daughters.  Besides hunting, trapping, and fishing, Stewart-Linkhart enjoys backpacking, canoeing, and camping.