News Room 

January 11, 2021 General Conservation Partners open New Year with signed agreement with Chickasaw Nation Conservation Partners open New Year with signed agreement with Chickasaw Nation to promote conservation practices The Chickasaw Nation, the Oka’ Institute, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and the Natural Resources Conservation Service begin 2021 with a signed Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to work together to provide quality resources, education, and research toward the continuous development and improvement to the local...Read More

November 24, 2020 General OCC Mourns the passing of Hal Clark: A Pillar Among Conservationists The Panhandle’s Hal Clark was indeed “A pillar among conservationists.” The Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC) deeply mourns the passing of Clark, who passed away on November 23, 2020, at the age of 88. For more than half a century, Clark managed the Clark Ranch in far northwestern Cimarron County with conservation as a priority. His pasture and rangeland management included rotational grazing, establishing permanent...Read More

May 20, 2020 General Oklahoma's State Leaders Show Support of Upstream Flood Control Dams in Multiple Ways Tragic flooding in Michigan is a reminder of why operation and maintenance and well as rehabilitation of Oklahoma’s nation-leading 2,107 upstream flood control dams is so critical. The Oklahoma legislature continues to be proactive in recognizing the importance of these dams in terms of human safety and protection of property/infrastructure. These are “when, not if situations” and the Oklahoma Legislature and Governor J....Read More

April 28, 2020 General Senate Committee Confirms the Appointment of Gary Crawley to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission Today, the Oklahoma Senate Agriculture and Wildlife Committee approved the appointment of Gary Crawley of Pittsburg County and the community of Savanna to serve as a member of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to serve a 5-year term ending June 30, 2025.  It will now go to the Senate Floor and then to Governor J. Kevin Stitt, who nominated Crawley, for signature. Crawley will begin serving as the Area V Commissioner at the July...Read More

February 20, 2020 General Governor Stitt Nominates Gary Crawley to Serve On the Oklahoma Conservation Commission Governor J. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday nominated Gary Crawley of Pittsburg County and the community of Savanna to serve on the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. A Senate confirmation hearing will be forthcoming for Crawley as  the Area V Commissioner. His nomination would then go before the full Senate, and he would join the Commission at the July meeting. If confirmed by the Senate, he would serve a 5-year term expiring June 30,...Read More

February 6, 2020 AML U.S. Department of the Interior Announces $2.8 Million in Grant Funding for Oklahoma AML Program U.S. Department of the Interior Announces More Than $170 Million in Conservation Funding for States and Tribes to Reclaim and Repurpose Abandoned Coal Mines, including $2.8 million for Oklahoma, AML funds protect lives, repair scarred land and improve the environment  WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt today announced the availability of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation grants...Read More

January 29, 2020 OACD "Revitalizing Agriculture Systems" workshop to be held at the OACD State Meeting Read the words of Dr. Jill Clapperton. After doing so, close your eyes for a second and absorb them. Think about your farm or ranch and the potential beneath your feet. Here’s what Dr. Clapperton, a world-renowned soil health expert, once said, “When we are standing on the ground, we are really standing on the roof of another world. Living in the soil are plant roots, viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, mites,...Read More

January 29, 2020 OACD "Conservation @Home: Building Community Resiliency" workshop to be held at the OACD State Meeting Too often we think one word can only be linked to one subject. Take for example, conservation. There are those who immediately view it as a rural-only topic, focusing on medium to large farming and ranching operations. “Conservation is for everyone,” said Sarah Blaney, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD). That is precisely why “Conservation @Home: Building Community...Read More

January 22, 2020 OACD Mike Thralls Memorial Scholarship Applications Sought Share and nurture. Mike Thralls didn’t just cast seeds of knowledge out and then turn and walk away. He made sure the information he shared about conservation/agriculture set deep roots that would be sustainable. He nurtured what he sowed. February will mark five years since his passing. This April will mark five years of recognition of the Mike Thralls Memorial Scholarship winners. Two $500 scholarships are awarded on an annual...Read More