JIm Stone

Jim has been a member of the Friends of the Wichitas (FOW) for over fifteen years, serving as president for ten of those years.  While supporting the mission of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the FOW works to ensure that the two million annual visitors to the Wichita Mountains NWR have an enjoyable, informative, and safe experience with minimum impact on the environment.  Jim also serves on the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates (CORFA) as they work to foster a network of Friends groups and grassroots community organizations that support other Friends groups, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, and the National Wildlife Refuge System.  CORFA is also very active in advocating for the protection of individual refuges and the entire Refuge System. 

Throughout his life, Jim has enjoyed spending a considerable amount of time in the great outdoors engaging in such activities as hiking, camping, backpacking, rock climbing, and fly fishing.  His devotion to preserving and protecting wildlife and wild places has only increased over the years.  Today, as an advocate for the natural environment, Jim is deeply concerned about the detrimental effects climate change is having on the world around us. The repurposing of public lands for short-term economic gain at the expense of the natural environment is also a major concern.

Jim is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a degree in English and is a supporter and alumnus of the National Outdoor Leadership School.  Now retired after forty years of service in the Food & Beverage industry, he and his wife, Donna, are enjoying all that Nature has to offer from their home in Norman, Oklahoma.