The Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC) announced its recent achievement of being selected as one of the recipients of the 2023 America the Beautiful Challenge (ATBC) grants, facilitated by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF).
This significant grant, part of a broader initiative awarding $141.3 million in grants this year. The awarded grant will bolster the OCC’s innovative project focused on training and supporting leaders from low-income communities and nine federally recognized tribal nations.
The initiative aims to develop comprehensive, landscape-level proposals for to restore woodland and tallgrass prairie ecosystems within northeast Oklahoma’s Neosho River Watershed.
This grant comes under the ATBC, a joint effort by the NFWF, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Defense, and Native Americans in Philanthropy. The ATBC goal is to promote collaborative conservation efforts, addressing the most pressing environmental challenges across the nation.
The Oklahoma Conservation Commission said the grant not only enables the OCC to advance its conservation efforts but also serves as a catalyst for community engagement and environmental education.