Oklahoma conservation conversation, 02-03/2012, v.58 no. 2/3

              In This Issue
OACD State Meeting 2012
— Branding Conservation
South Caddo No-Till
	
Drill Dedication
Oklahoma Named in
International Carbon
Markets Report
Mike Rooker reappointed to
Conservation Commission
Our vision:
Responsible care for Oklahoma’s
natural resources.
Our mission:
To conserve, protect and restore Okla-homa’s
natural resources, working in
collaboration with the conservation dis-tricts
and other partners, on behalf of the
citizens of Oklahoma.
www.conservation.ok.gov
Information for and about Oklahoma’s Conservation Districts Volume 58, Issue No. 2/3 February/March 2012
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OACD State Meeting 2012 —
Branding Conservation The Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts
(OACD) held its 74th Annual State Meeting at the Reed
Conference Center in Midwest City Feb. 26–28, 2012.
The meeting was cosponsored by the Oklahoma Conser-vation
Commission (OCC).
Sharon Glidden kicked off the Monday morning open-ing
general session with a talk and presentation entitled
“Don’t Fear Change.” Glidden is the owner and operator
of Tiger Mountain Ranch Resort located in Henryetta.
Recently she founded a treatment and rehabilitation cen-ter
for substance addictions.
State Sen. Ron Justice, Rep. Phil Richardson and J.D. Strong, executive director of
the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, spoke in a session explaining how the recently-completed
Oklahoma Water Plan came about and the role played by members of the
state’s conservation community in providing input. Other sessions included topics
on water quality monitoring and flood control dam safety. The theme of the meeting,
Branding Conservation, focused attention on methods conservation districts can use to
raise awareness of the roles they play in local natural resources management.
South Caddo No-Till Drill Dedication The South Caddo Conservation District
held a dedication ceremony on March 9 to
announce a new piece of agricultural equip-ment
available for use in the area. The conser-vation
district hosted the event at its office at
1001 Petree Road, Suite A, in Anadarko.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
(USFWS) Partners for Wildlife Program has
provided a 10-foot John Deere seed drill
to the South Caddo Conservation District
through a $30,000 grant to help landowners
plant native grasses to help restore native wildlife habitat. USFWS provided the drill to
the conservation district for the purpose of planting 2,000 to 5,000 acres of native grass
in Caddo County and surrounding counties. The conservation district will rent the drill
to area producers to plant native grasses, wheat, rye or other crops.
The John Deere model 1590 drill is equipped with one large and one small seed box.
It is completely hydraulic and the operator can raise and lower the front and back sets of
planters independently of each other. The large seed box has a 35-bushel capacity.
“We greatly appreciate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service helping the South Caddo
Conservation District to make this equipment available,” said Ron Walzer, district board
vice chair. “This will be a useful tool for farmers, producers and landowners in the area.”
State Rep. Phil Richardson and Sen. Ron Justice spoke at the dedication as did Mike
Thralls, Oklahoma Conservation Commission; Terry Dupree, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service; and Clay Pope, Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts.
“We are pleased that the natural resource South Caddo No-Till Drill, continued on page three
Branding Conservation, continued on page two