A. There is hereby established, to serve as an agency of the state and to perform the functions conferred upon it in the Conservation District Act, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, which commission shall succeed to all the powers, duties and property of the State Soil Conservation Board. The Commission shall consist of five (5) members whose qualifications and manner of appointment shall be hereinafter designated. The State of Oklahoma is hereby divided into five state areas for the purpose of selecting the members of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. Each of the state areas shall be composed of the following counties:

State Area No. 1 comprising fifteen counties:

CimarronWoodwardBlaine

TexasDeweyAlfalfa

BeaverCanadianGrant

HarperWoodsGarfield

EllisMajorKingfisher

State Area No. 2 comprising fifteen counties:

KayOklahomaLove

NobleClevelandSeminole

LoganMcClainGarvin

PayneLincolnMurray

PawneePottawatomieCarter

State Area No. 3 comprising sixteen counties:

OsageRogersCherokee

CreekWagonerSequoyah

WashingtonMuskogeeAdair

TulsaCraigDelaware

OkmulgeeMayesOttawa

Nowata

State Area No. 4 comprising fifteen counties:

Roger MillsCusterComanche

BeckhamWashita Cotton

GreerKiowaGrady

HarmonTillman Stephens

JacksonCaddoJefferson

State Area No. 5 comprising sixteen counties:

OkfuskeeAtokaLatimer

HughesBryanPushmataha

PontotocPittsburgChoctaw

JohnstonMcIntoshLe Flore

MarshallHaskellMcCurtain

Coal

B. The entire territory of this state shall be included within conservation districts.

C. The Governor shall appoint one member from each of the five state areas as herein created, and each such member so appointed shall be, at the time of his appointment a Conservation District Director. Each member of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission shall be a Conservation District Director during the entire term as a Commission member. No fewer than three members of said Board shall be actively engaged in the practice of farming and/or ranching or shall derive at least a majority of their income from farming and/or ranching. As a condition to their appointment, such members shall be residents of the state area from which they are appointed. Such appointments shall be made by the Governor and shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate and such appointments shall be made by the Governor within thirty (30) days after the expiration of the terms of office of said members. Each member shall serve for a period of five (5) years, and shall be removed only for cause. In the event of a vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made and by the same appointing authority.

D. The Commission shall keep a record of its official actions, shall adopt a seal, which seal shall be judicially noticed, and may perform such acts, hold such public hearings and promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary for the execution of its functions under the Conservation District Act.

Added by Laws 1971, c. 346, § 15-201, operative July 1, 1971. Amended by Laws 1993, c. 145, § 207, eff. July 1, 1993. Renumbered from Title 82, § 1501-201 by Laws 1993, c. 145, § 359, eff. July 1, 1993.