Agricultural News
Chesapeake Energy Partners with OACD to Promote Oklahoma River Quality
Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:14:08 CDT
The ongoing work to maintain and improve the quality of water in the Oklahoma River received an additional boost today through the donation of up to $10,000 from Chesapeake Energy to the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) ECOpass program. The donation from Chesapeake will go to additional landowner education and outreach activities on the river as well as helping incentivize farmers and ranchers to maintain best management practices established on their land to help protect the watershed. According to Joe Parker, President of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, this donation will make a definite impact on the work being done to help promote water quality in the Oklahoma River.
"We are very excited to have Chesapeake as a partner in protecting the Oklahoma River," Parker said. "Through this donation we can provided additional incentives to landowners who have installed practices to protect the river but would like to extend the life of their improvement or possibly do more to improve water quality. This donation will also give us additional resources to reach out to more urban and suburban landowners closer into the metro area and work with them on strategies to protect this vital watershed. This donation is a real shot in the arm and we are very appreciative for it."
According to Parker the ECOpass program represents a unique approach to natural resource conservation in Oklahoma. The dollars sent to the program can be used to pay a landowner to "buy" an acre of conservation-paying them to undertake specific practices that protect our soil, water, air and wildlife habitats on private land. Most of the money donated by Chesapeake will go to purchase these practices to insure that good stewardship is maintained on the land and reward those landowners who practice good conservation on their agricultural land. Some donated funds will also be used for additional education and outreach to homeowners, business owners and landowners along the river in the metro Oklahoma City area to encourage additional water quality protection. These dollars will also in turn be used in partnership with programs conducted by the Oklahoma Conservation Commission through their non-point source water quality program funded by the Environmental Protection Agency under section 319 of the Clean Water Act as well as Farm Bill conservation programs administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
OACD Executive Director Clay Pope said this recent donation by Chesapeake is another example of the strong partnership the Energy Company has with the Conservation Districts of Oklahoma in supporting efforts to protect our state's natural resources.
"Chesapeake Energy has been an outstanding partner in helping protect our natural resources in Oklahoma and this latest donation builds on that strong record," Pope said. "We are excited about this opportunity to expand on the water quality work being in the Oklahoma River watershed and we are very appreciative of Chesapeake Energy's help and support in doing this good work."
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