The Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts is proud to announce that applications are now being accepted for the first annual "Mike Thralls Memorial Scholarship." Thralls was an unwavering steward of the land who loved Oklahoma and was committed to preserving her natural resources. Thralls was a graduate of Oklahoma State University who went on to serve as Oklahoma Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. In his memory, OACD will be awarding two $500 scholarships beginning in February 2016.

Eligibility:
In order to be awarded a scholarship, the applicant must meet the following criteria:
A) Current high school senior in Oklahoma that will be pursuing a degree in agriculture or natural resources at Oklahoma State University.
B) Currently enrolled at Oklahoma State University in the College of Agriculture or Natural Resources; and be a graduate of an Oklahoma high school.

Preferred Criteria:
In the spirit of Mike Thralls, applicants that are involved in 4-H, FFA, farming and/or ranching and have expressed an interest in conservation are encouraged to apply. Applicants should exhibit outstanding character, professionalism and a commitment to serve their community.

Application Process:
Applicants should submit a 500 word essay on a conservation subject of their choice along with their full name, address, telephone number, email address and a copy of their most recent high school or college transcripts to OACD no later than February 1, 2016.

Applications can be mailed or emailed to:

OACD
PO Box 2775
Oklahoma City, OK 73101
sarahblaney@okconservation.org

The scholarship will be presented at the 78th annual OACD meeting on Monday February 29, 2016. Scholarship awardees will be invited to attend to accept their award. All funds will be paid directly to Oklahoma State University.