Buzz-Worthy Achievements: ODOT earns national accolades for beautification efforts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress Release #24-018 Buzz-Worthy Achievements: ODOT earns national accolades for beautification efforts The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is abuzz with excitement! The department has devoted considerable effort towards cultivating environmental partnerships and is proud of its award-winning programs, personnel and public support for anti-litter initiatives, environmental responsibility and monarch conservation. ODOT is honored to receive national recognition for its outstanding efforts in litter reduction and pollinator-friendly plantings. ODOT was recently recognized with the state agency partnership at the annual Keep America Beautiful National Awards Ceremony. The department was one of four Oklahoma state agencies including the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry to be recognized for environmental stewardship. For 10 consecutive years, ODOT has been awarded the State Agency Partnership award from Keep America Beautiful, recognizing its collaboration to combat litter. Melody Johnson, ODOT's Beautification Coordinator, has been a driving force behind the department's environmental stewardship efforts. Johnson's dedication was recently celebrated when she was awarded the prestigious 2023 Towering Spirit "Pendleton Woods Lifetime Achievement" award from Oklahoma City Beautiful, honoring her commitment to ODOT's statewide beautification programs and projects. Despite the efforts and resources invested by ODOT, as well as the contributions of thousands of volunteers statewide, litter reduction remains a persistent challenge. ODOT spends nearly $6 million annually to clean up litter along highways. "Litter can range from being unsightly to potentially deadly," said ODOT Operations Director Shawn Davis. "We need the public to become our partners in highway safety by putting litter in trash cans." In addition to its litter reduction initiatives, ODOT has been recognized with the Aclepias adder award for the highest average milkweed stem count across southern and western U.S. transportation rights of ways in support of monarch conservation efforts. ODOT has also allotted 10,147 acres in state rights-of-way toward Monarch conservation and has implemented conservation mowing practices to enhance habitat and preserve wildflower areas, adding pollinator-friendly plant species to its seed mixes. In another notable achievement, ODOT was one of only two departments of transportation nationwide to receive the "Outside the Box" award from the Monarch Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances group. This outstanding accolade celebrates the agency's innovation and implementation of the Monarch Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances. ODOT's Natural Resources biologist, Vonceil Harmon, was also recognized with the "Wind Beneath our Wings" award for her positive communication and mentorship within the Rights of Way Habitat Working Group. Oklahomans can join in environmental efforts by reporting littering incidents to 1-888-5-LITTER, volunteering for clean-up events, beautification and exploring other resources at https://oklahoma.gov/odot.html and Keep Oklahoma Beautiful at www.keepoklahomabeautiful.com. Follow ODOT on X/Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay connected and informed. -www.odot.org- (Editors and News Directors: For questions, please call the ODOT Strategic Communications Division at 405-521-6000.)
Roadside Beauty and Butterfly Rest Stops: These vibrant milkweed plants serve as important rest stops for butterflies along their migration paths. ODOT has dedicated more than 10,000 acres in state rights-of-way toward Monarch conservation.
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