Nature Conservancy Plans 2017 Winter Bird Count

 


A legal professional with more than four decades of experience in the energy and oil industry, Duke Ligon serves as the founder of the Mekusukey Oil Company, and leads the company from its Oklahoma City office. Duke Ligon also holds a position on the board of directors for the Oklahoma chapter of the Nature Conservancy, which will host its Winter Bird Count in January and February 2017.

The Nature Conservancy’s annual Winter Bird Count enables participants to explore some of the beautiful natural areas in the state and encounter a wide variety of native avian species. Bird counts take place at different nature preserves and participants will receive a free lunch as part of their registration. Registered guests will join a group field trip through their selected preserve and receive maps and directions via email.

January’s winter bird count will take place at the Pontotoc Ridge Preserve, located in the cross timbers atop the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer. The event will serve as the 10th annual winter bird count at the Pontotoc Ridge Preserve. The February winter bird count will feature one of the Nature Conservancy’s newest preserves, the Oka’ Yanahli Preserve. Expanded from 490 acres to 3,600 acres, the Oka’ Yanahli Preserve is positioned along the Blue River – one of the state’s only free-flowing rivers. The 2017 trip will account for the second avian count since its acquisition by the Conservancy.

Oklahoma Hall of Fame Honors State’s 109th Birthday

Duke Ligon of Oklahoma City founded Mekusukey Oil Company, LLC, more than 45 years ago. As he continues to direct its mineral explorations and operations, he additionally serves on the boards of directors of other major oil and gas companies in the region. As a philanthropist, Duke Ligon supports a wide variety of cultural and historical organizations in and around Oklahoma City, including the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and Gaylord-Pickens Museum as a member of its board of directors.

The hall of fame and the museum celebrate the rich heritage of the state and the contributions of its many notable citizens. November 2016 marks the 109th anniversary of Oklahoma’s admission to the Union, and the museum scheduled a Statehood Day festival on November 12. In addition, leaders planned a November 17 banquet and ceremony honoring new inductees into the hall of fame. Since 1927, more than 600 Oklahomans have received this accolade. 

The word “Oklahoma” comes from the Choctaw words for “people” and “red.” Oklahoma, formerly known as Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory, officially became the 46th state on November 16, 1907. The territory names reference the tragic days when Oklahoma was the site of forced relocation of Native Americans from the east, exiled along the Trail of Tears in the first part of the 19th century.

The state, however, has made significant progress in the modern era, and has distinguished itself for its perhaps unequaled degree of integration of Native Americans into everyday civic life.

Mexican Art Exhibit Highlights Met Donor's Contributions

Based in Oklahoma City, Duke Ligon is an attorney, business owner, and board member working in the energy sector. Charitably active, Duke Ligon also serves on the boards of a number of nonprofit organizations in Oklahoma City and beyond, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

A long-running Met exhibit highlights the contributions of early 20th-century philanthropist Emily Johnston de Forest, whose collection of Mexican pottery is on view through September of 2017. Called “Collecting the Arts of Mexico,” the exhibit showcases more than 100 works of art that Ms. De Forest called “maiolica.” In assembling the collection, she endeavored to highlight the significance of Mexican art.

Emily de Forest was the daughter of John Taylor Johnston, who served as the Met’s first president. She married Robert W. de Forest, who would become its fifth president. The de Forests together became the driving force behind construction of the museum’s American Wing.

The Met continues the tradition the de Forests began by collecting artworks from throughout Mexico and Latin America. In addition to objects the couple donated, the exhibit features several paintings by the 18th-century artist Nicolás Enríquez, who created his pieces on backgrounds of copper material.

The Longhorn Foundation - Helping UT Athletes Achieve Their Dreams

Duke Ligon of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, whose career encompasses work as corporate counsel and as an advisor for the boards of directors for a number of notable energy-focused companies, is a proud graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. His extensive support for his alma mater includes service as the first-ever out-of-state president of the law school’s association. In addition, Duke Ligon has spent a decade as a member of the Longhorn Foundation, UT’s official athletics fundraising organization.

The Longhorn Foundation, established three decades ago, operates in the interests of promoting the futures of UT’s hundreds of student athletes. Founder DeLoss Dodds set up the group in order to give the school’s donors the opportunity to invest in the athletic, educational, and long-term goals of its sportsmen and sportswomen. The organization continues to strive to increase athletes’ connections to experienced coaches, and to ensure that they receive high-quality academic support. 

Donated funds additionally go toward providing for the extra nutritional needs of the student athletes, as well as for strength training, leadership development, and travel expenses.

The foundation also works with the mission of promoting values such as integrity on and off the playing field, an appreciation for diversity, and a quest for overall excellence.