Land Legacy honors Mike Thralls

The Land Legacy organization presented its Don Walker Conservation Leadership Award to Mike Thralls, OCC executive director. The award was presented at an event that Land Legacy conducts annually in the Tulsa area, called “Play and Preservation,” held on Oct. 7th.

The award is named after Land Legacy’s founding chairman and is given to the individual each year who most advances conservation efforts across Oklahoma. In the presentation, it was stated that Thralls was selected in recognition of his strong leadership, not only last year “but during your entire tenure at the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, for advancing conservation in our state.”

Land Legacy is a nonprofit land conservation organization established in 2003 in partnership with the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Its mission is to conserve and enhance rural and urban landscapes to improve the quality of life. Their work includes urban parks and trails, farm and ranch preservation, and water quality protection. The organization also works with public agencies and other conservation organizations to establish long-term conservation goals and programs. Past recipients include Jim Horne of the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture in 2010 and J.D. Strong of Oklahoma Water Resources Board in 2011.