Agricultural News
Little River Conservation District Among Those Honored at the Oklahoma Conservation Day at the State Capitol
Thu, 24 Mar 2011 7:52:15 CDT
The Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) and other sponsors presented awards to outstanding conservationists and conservation educators during Conservation Day at the Capitol on March 22. Awards were also presented to members of the press and conservation districts for outstanding efforts in spreading information about conservation. The various awards were cosponsored by Chesapeake Energy, the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.
In the awards ceremony that took place in the Governor's Blue Room, presenters included state Sec. of Agriculture Jim Reese, Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts President Joe Parker and Oklahoma Conservation Commission Executive Director Mike Thralls. In addition, representatives from Chesapeake Energy, the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma were present to help present awards. Several honorees also received Legislative Citations from their home area state senator or representative.
The OACD Conservation Awards are presented according to three categories - Outstanding Conservation District, Outstanding District Director and Outstanding Landowner/Cooperator.
Little River Conservation District received the Outstanding District Award, cosponsored by Chesapeake Energy. Lindsay McIntire, Chesapeake Energy; and Joe Parker, OACD, presented the award. The Little River Conservation District office is in Idabel.
Jimmie Purvine of Fay, Okla., on the board of directors of the Dewey County Conservation District, received the Outstanding District Director Award, cosponsored by the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Corey Moffet, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, presented the award.
Loren Liebscher of Hydro received the Outstanding Landowner/Cooperator Award, cosponsored by the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma. Liebscher is a cooperator with and was nominated by the Deer Creek Conservation District. Jay Pruett, Nature Conservancy, presented the award.
In addition, five teachers from across the state, one in each Congressional district, received Outstanding Conservation Educator Awards cosponsored by Chesapeake Energy. The recipients were Kathy Pursley, Bixby High School, Bixby; Juli Mathews, Miami High School, Miami; Justin Kliewer, Thomas Fay Custer Unified Schools, Thomas; Kay Gamble, Ada High School, Ada; and Cathy Barber, Jones Elementary School, Jones. Lindsay McIntire, Chesapeake Energy, and Joe Parker, OACD, presented the awards.
Excellence in Communication Awards were presented to two conservation districts and two newspapers for outstanding efforts to support and promote conservation. The Woodward News daily and Mooreland Leader weekly newspapers were both recognized for Outstanding Continuing Support of Conservation Communication. Grady County Conservation District was honored for a year-long series of display ads. Oklahoma County Conservation District was honored for Outstanding Newsletter.
During the day approximately 20 display booths were exhibited in the Fourth Floor Rotunda of the Capitol by a number of the state's 87 local conservation districts, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and other partner agencies and organizations. The displays featured diverse conservation activities across the state that address local natural resource needs.
Conservation Districts are local subunits of state government responsible for care of renewable natural resources. Each district is a governed by a board of five volunteer directors, and cooperates with the Natural Resources Conservation Service for technical assistance.
The Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes natural resource conservation through various activities as well as communication and cooperation with legislative bodies at the state and national levels.
Here is more information on those who were honored at Conservation Day at the State Capitol:
Outstanding Landowner/Cooperator
Sponsored by the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma and the
Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts
Loren Liebscher, nominated by the Deer Creek Conservation District
Loren Liebscher has been a cooperator with the Deer Creek Conservation District since 1991. He has moved away from an intensive cultivation row cropping system and put the land into native grasses. He has transformed a part of his land into a major agritourism attraction in western Oklahoma at P-Bar Farms. Thousands of people visit the farm each year to enjoy a variety of activities from the corn maze to the petting zoo. P-Bar Farms is also home to the no-till flour mill that produces whole wheat flour from wheat grown only by local farmers practicing no-till farming. Mr. Liebscher hosts schools and teaches Ag in the Classroom during field trips where he exposes students to agricultural processes. Other activities he has been involved with include holding a plasticulture workshop and a Farm to School program, and he has been president of the Oklahoma Agritourism Board, and a presenter at a Women in Ag Conference.
Outstanding Director
Sponsored by the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and the
Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts
Jimmie, Dewey County Conservation District
Jimmie Purvine has been a loyal director on the Dewey County Conservation District board of directors for 20 years where he now serves as board treasurer. He promotes and attends the district's legislative tours, appreciation banquets, locally-led meetings and watershed inspections. He is very enthusiastic in promoting conservation programs and demonstrating conservation stewardship management on his farm. Mr. Purvine believes in improving agriculture practices and leaving a safe and healthy environment for the future. He was born and raised in Dewey County where he operates and maintains a farm that has been in the family for three generations. The family farm includes a cow/calf and concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) where by-products are applied on crop and pasture land. A new management tool starting on the farm will be water quality testing and Mr. Purvine assists with the Conservation Commission's 319 North Canadian River Watershed Project.
Outstanding Conservation District
Sponsored by Chesapeake Energy the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts
Little River Conservation District
The Little River Conservation District is one of the five largest districts in the state, encompassing nearly one million acres. The district provides both rental equipment and custom services for its customers. It also has the largest Wetland Reserve Program area in the state and has restored over 14,000 acres of wetlands. The district provides assistance with maintenance by brushhogging the levees surrounding the WRP sites and two sites, the Red Slough and the Grassy Slough, have been nationally recognized for their habitat restoration. The district offers assistance to landowners through its conservation cost-share program and also has one of the most diverse education programs, sponsoring and providing funds for scholarships for land, forestry and speech contests held each year. The district also owns and operates a 266-acre demonstration farm used for tours, fertilizer comparisons, establishing new grasses, beaver management, pecan tree management, no-till pasture seeding and most recently, experimenting with tree trunk insecticide application.
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