Agricultural News
2015 Conservation Partner Award winners announced
Thu, 03 Mar 2016 06:15:12 CST
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Oklahoma is proud to announce the 2015 Conservation Partner Award winners. Winners were recognized at the Reed Center on Feb. 29, 2016 during the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts annual meeting. Each winner received a personal letter from Oklahoma NRCS State Conservationist Gary O'Neill.
The annual awards recognize Oklahomans who are committed to natural resources conservation and who are vital to the NRCS mission of assisting private landowners in implementing voluntary conservation practices. The 2015 award winners are:
Outstanding Conservation District Employee: Anita Kaufman, Payne County Conservation District
Excerpt from letter: "The challenge of getting conservation on the ground is a task too great for any one person or entity, and it is exceptional employees such as yourself who make the work possible- People recognize your work ethic as a matter of fact, something anyone in the conservation partnership for any length of time has heard about."
Outstanding Conservation District Director: Dale Jenkins, Hughes County Conservation District
Excerpt from letter: "Your involvement in the creation of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation Natural Resources Conservation District has been described as the "spark that started it all." The level of partnership and coordination I know this effort required is remarkable. By bringing the cooperation of a Tribal government into our conservation partnership, your vision has exceeded that of the founders, and you have made your own mark on the history of conservation in this state."
Outstanding Conservation Partner:
Oklahoma Conservation Commission Watershed Technicians
Dennis Boney, Southeast Region
George Moore, West Region
Johnny Pelley, Northeast-Southcentral Region
Conservation District Watershed Aides:
Chuck Pyka, Murray County Conservation District
Greg Lyons, Garvin Conservation District (Garvin County)
Rusty Adams, Okfuskee County Conservation District
Tony Harrison, Kiowa County Conservation District
Trent Drennan, Grady County Conservation District
Excerpt from letter: "It is a demanding, sometimes dangerous task to which you set out upon each day, and for the important, though often unnoticed duties you perform throughout the year, Oklahoma owes you its gratitude- extraordinary task of conducting emergency inspections on over 600 flood control dams, often under severe weather conditions on rugged terrain, fell to you. I am proud to say you performed the task admirably."
Conservationist of the Year: John Dee Butchee, Jackson County Conservation District
Excerpt from letter: "It is my hope that other farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma will look to your commendable work as an example of how to successfully put good conservation on the ground, even during extreme weather conditions. Through your adoption of no-till and experimentation with cover crops, you're proving that it can work in every part of the state."
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