Conservation Hall of Fame 2009 - James Covey

James Covey Inducted Into Oklahoma Conservation Hall of Fame

(From left) OACD President Scotty Herriman presented James Covey, accompanied by his wife Yvonne, with his Friend of Conservation, Hall of Fame Award at the OACD State Meeting on Feb. 23 in Oklahoma City.

James and Yvonne Covey with Deer Creek Conservation District board members.

OKLAHOMA CITY – James E. Covey was named to the Oklahoma Conservation Hall of Fame as a “Friend of Conservation” at the recent State Meeting of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts. OACD President Scotty Herriman announced the induction on Feb. 23 during the annual convention in Oklahoma City.

Covey is a farmer and rancher from Custer City in Custer County, Okla. He recently completed serving six two-year terms for District 57 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives where he “championed conservation, agriculture and rural development issues,” Herriman said. “OACD and the Oklahoma conservation partnership had no stronger supporter over the years that this year’s inductee James Covey,” Herriman said.

“Representative Covey understood the challenges facing Oklahoma agriculture and he knew the value of soil and water conservation to our state when he went into the Legislature,” Herriman said. “He was an advocate of no-till farming and practiced what he preached on his own farm,” Herriman said. “He was a consistent supporter of funding for conservation districts,” Herriman said.

Among other leadership positions, Covey served as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. He promoted rural development and was an early leader in developing Oklahoma’s wind energy industry.