The Nature Conservancy's Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

Based in Oklahoma City, Duke Ligon maintains a community presence that extends beyond his leadership in the oil and gas industry, financial services, and the law. Duke Ligon serves on the board of directors of the Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum, and he is also an active member of the board of the Oklahoma branch of the Nature Conservancy.

One of the Nature Conservancy’s central projects is the nearly 40,000-acre Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, the largest intact remnant of a tallgrass prairie ecosystem that once spanned 14 states. Over the past 30 years, the land has been restored as a fully functioning habitat that sustains 2,500 free-ranging bison and has prescribed burning as part of its management ethos. 

This “patch-burn" strategy is one that is also presented by the Conservancy to ranchers who are seeking environmentally friendly ways of grazing, while ensuring that bottom-line concerns are met. The organization also offers conservation easement arrangements to ranchers seeking to preserve their land in perpetuity.