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.

Nature Conservancy Designs Bison-Themed License Plate for Oklahoma

Oklahoma City-based Mekusukey Oil Company owner and manager Duke Ligon possesses over four decades of experience in the oil and energy industry. Duke Ligon also serves on the board of directors for the Nature Conservancy’s Oklahoma branch, which is pursuing an endeavor to introduce a bison-themed state specialty license plate.

The bison holds a special place in the hearts of Oklahoma residents as the state’s official animal, a designation it received in 1972 due to its resilience, power, and majesty. The state opened the first national preserve for bison in 1907 near Cache, which later became the site of the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Reserve. Additionally, the Nature Conservancy led the state in introducing the animal to the tall-grass prairie at the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.

Pres. Barak Obama also signed the National Bison Legacy Act in 2016 and thereby officially named the bison as the United States’ national mammal. The Nature Conservancy’s introduction of a bison-themed license plate honors the animal and celebrates its new designation. Members of the public will vote for the plate’s final design, which will require approval from the state tax commission before it can become available for pre-sale. The plate will go into production for state-wide release if 500 plates are sold within the first 180 days of pre-sale release. A portion of the proceeds will go toward the Nature Conservancy for state conservation efforts.