visions
Fall 2022 • Volume 36, Issue 3
NAI REGION 6 - SOUTH CENTRAL In this issue:
Susie Ruby Retires (Again) Page 2
NAI Region 6 Member Highlight Page 3
There’s an App for THAT? Page 3
Trying to Grasp the Nature of Eels Page 4
The Mind of an Interpreter Page 5
State Reports
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VIsions
Newsletter for NAI REGION 6 - SOUTH CENTRAL Fall 2022 • Volume 36, Issue 3
In this issue
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Table of Contents
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Susie Ruby Retires (Again)
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Book Review: Trying to Grasp the Nature of Eels
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NAI Region 6 Board Member Highlight - Jeanne Spencer There’s an App for THAT? - Wyoming 511
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Cruisin’ the Caribbean - The “Mind of an Interpreter”
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Oops!
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State Reports • • • • • •
Arkansas, Page 7 Louisiana, Page 8 Kansas, Page 10 Missouri, Page 11 Oklahoma, Page 12 Texas, Page 14
Some photos from Dreamstime.com Fall 2022
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Volume 36, Issue 3
Susie Ruby Retires (Again) by Donna Horton, Oklahoma
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t the 1992 regional NAI conference at the Ozark Folk Center, Susie Ruby asked Bob Jennings, who at the time was the director of Oxley Nature Center, “How does a person get hired to work full time at Oxley Nature Center?” Apparently that’s a good way to begin.
was a Harness Driving Workshop, recruiting wranglers/instructors, a pair of draft horses, and a wagon from the Pawnee Bill Museum to teach the class. She was the only other person in the building when she and I were startled by Oxley’s first earthquake, swaying our chairs back and forth in December 2007. Susie Ruby was the first person in Oklahoma to achieve Certified Heritage Interpreter.
Susie started out as a seasonal naturalist at Oxley Nature Center in 1989. She served with three memorable summer crews before she went full-time when a position opened up in 1992. She brought curriculum programs to the nature center, organizing workshops for teachers and interpreters in Project WILD, Project Learning Tree, Project
W.E.T., and the Leopold Education Project. She was one of the first instructors for Oklahoma’s Becoming an Outdoors Woman program, and helped organize and teach Oxley’s first B.O.W. workshop. She was part of the crew that organized the 2008 Region 6 conference, and Oxley’s portion of the first SENSE-sational science teacher workshop. One of the most fun events she facilitated
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After her first retirement in 2009, Susie taught more B.O.W. classes and led workshops at the University of Tulsa’s Lifelong Learning program through their Continuing Education Network. When the Mary K. Oxley Nature Center Association (“Friends of Oxley”) upgraded its Nature Store to a computerized cash register and inventory system, the MKONCA board hired Susie Ruby to organize that transition and to manage the Nature Store. Eventually the City of Tulsa was persuaded to start replacing some of the lost staff positions, and Susie worked a total of 10 years managing the gift shop. Her last day at Oxley Nature Center (unless she hires on again) was Sept. 2nd. I’m looking forward to Susie’s next adventures!
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Note: after Eddie Reese’s last day on Aug. 30, and Gift shop manager Susie Ruby’s last day on Sept. 2, the City of Tulsa will begin the slow process of hiring new people to fill those positions. The City of Tulsa’s Parks Department is accepting applications for a new Nature Center Director. The official title
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of the position has been changed from Interpretive Naturalist III to Nature Programs Manager. Send an inquiry and C.V. to Tulsa Parks Department Director Anna America at annaamerica@cityoftulsa.org and to Friends of Oxley Board President Tom Clark, thclark@swbell.net . The board of the Mary K. Oxley Nature Center Association (“Friends of Oxley”) is investigating the possibility of a public-private partnership with the City of Tulsa. Depending on how long it takes the Human Resources department to vet the credentials of applicants and set up interviews, the MKONCA board may be more involved than usual in the hiring of Oxley’s next director. A description of the requirements may be found at www.cityoftulsa. org .
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Volume 36, Issue 3
NAI Region 6 Board Member Highlight Jeanne Spencer
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’d like to introduce myself as your Membership Chair. I’m Jeanne (pronounced “genie”) and taking on this role has given me pause to consider just what my NAI membership means.
One of the tangible benefits of membership is the many forms of communication we use to stay in touch with one another. Facebook groups, VIsion newsletters, NAI webinars, meetings, and workshops, and gathering annually for conferences are just a few roads open to us in continuing our interpretive journey. However, like all roads, there can be roadblocks and the largest of these is an incorrect e-mail address!
I joined in 2011 as a new Certified Interpretive Guide halfway on her journey to understanding and learning the skills and nuances of the interpretive world and an older graduate student with a passion for history and education.
Have you moved recently? Changed jobs? Decided on a more clever email address? Then NAI would like to know.
I was fortunate to be selected as a scholarship recipient for the 2012 conference in Austin, launching me into the NAI family and opening up a world full of brilliant, creative, and caring individuals who found multiple avenues to channel their interpretive skills.
You may be pondering, “But how do I get around this roadblock?” Do not fret, this will be easier than using your GPS in the middle of Texas!
Fire up your handy computer, tablet, or trusty device and log into the NAI member area found at interpnet. com. Navigate to your profile and update all personal information that has changed, such as e-mail address or phone number. It’s best to
Since then, I have been fortunate to attend several conferences and each time I grow my family of friends and mentors. What a blessing Region 6 has been!
share your personal e-mail or phone rather than work e-mail, as you may decide to take a new employment journey someday. I hope you’ll want to stay connected to your NAI family and will update soon. Save me calling your previous employer, sending a message on social media, or sending a message to the universe seeking guidance in connecting with you. Do you want to sever connections with NAI? (oh, we hope not!) In the NAI member area find your profile, navigate to Communications, and select your preferred methods or decline all.
Wishing you a happy fall season (my favorite time of the year) and an abundance of inspiration, memorable moments, and perfectly made s’mores!
There’s an App for THAT? - Wyoming 511 by Neil Garrison, Oklahoma
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n the state of Wyoming, the Department of Transportation has a “5-1-1” app for your smartphone that allows you to ask for permission to pick up road kill and take it home with you. Dead bison, moose, wild turkey, pronghorn, elk, or deer are fair game… so to speak. Motorists must be granted permission before they actually harvest the road-killed animals. That said, dead animals cannot be gathered off of
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roadways in national parks or off of interstate highways. Yet one more stipulation is that the dead animals may not be field-dressed right there on the highway right-of-way – but – instead – the whole carcass must be removed from the roadway and transported to the person’s home – which – of course – could be somewhat problematic for those people that happen to be driving the family Prius when they come upon a dead
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1,000-pound bison or moose. It has been estimated that something like 6,000 big animals are hit on Wyoming’s highways every year.
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Volume 36, Issue 3
Trying to Grasp the Nature of Eels
a book review by Ken Forman, Arkansas
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hat do Aristotle, Sigmund Freud, and Rachel Carson have in common? I’ll leave you to ponder that question while I get on with the book review.
teen, Svensson did many of the things a child might do growing up in suburbia in the 1970’s and ‘80’s. He also spent many nights fishing for A. anguilla in a nearby stream with his father. The care and attention Svensson describes his father giving touches the heart. It’s quite clear (and truly driven home in the final chapter) that Svensson’s father loved him deeply. The fact that I read the last sentence of the book with
Anguilla anguilla, also known as the Common European Eel, is anything but common. This animal is definitely a fish, although quite unlike almost any other fish found in the world. There are other species of freshwater eels, of course. The American Eel (Anguilla rostrate) and the Japanese Eel (Anguilla japonica) are so similar to A. anguilla that it would be difficult for anyone but the most accomplished ichthyologist to differentiate between the three species1 . The primary difference between them is where they spend their adult lives. ____________________________
Later in the same fields He stood at night when eels Moved through the grass like hatched fears --Seamus Heaney
tears in my eyes does not detract from the reality that I learned an incredible amount about the natural history of one of the living world’s most elusive creatures.
1 There are actually 15 species of freshwater eels, but the three listed here are most widespread.
____________________________ That eels are fish is something about which there is little debate, although that wasn’t always the case. Aristotle studied eels and included a description in his Historia Animalium:
A nineteen-year-old Sigmund Freud (yes, that Sigmund Freud) spent a year in Trieste, Italy studying A. anguilla, specifically searching for the creature’s reproductive tissue.
[The eel] eat grass and roots and
sometimes even mud… it has no scales… lives for five or six days on land and even longer if the wind blows from the north. [I]t is in fact a small maggot-like creature, a kind of earthworm that is spontaneously and without the involvement of any other living thing generated from mud.
Right from the onset, Patrik Svensson gives us the meat and potatoes of the mystery that surrounded (and still surrounds) the eel. He wrote The Book of Eels as a combination natural history of this catadromous fish interspersed with a person memoir of his life growing up in Sweden. As a boy growing into a
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He wrote to a friend “My hands are stained by the white and red blood of the sea creatures, all I see when I close my eyes is the shimmering dead tissue, which haunts my dreams, and all I can think about are the big questions, the ones that go hand in hand with testicles and ovaries – the universal, pivotal questions.” This may not be the reason Freud switched his studies from natural history to psychology, but the kernel of his particular view of the human mind may be seen in this description of eels.
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Rachel Carson’s writing career began twenty years before her seminal work Silent Spring was published in 1962. Her first book, published in 1941, was Under the Sea-Wind – a gripping account of the interactions of a sea bird, a fish, and an eel. How interesting is it that she saw a difference between “a fish, and an eel”?
Svensson gives us useful information on the conservation status of the eel. Currently they are listed as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) although the reasons for the listing are wide and varying depending on the particular species in question. This book is well worth the read, if for no other reason than to explore the mystery of this slippery fish. A quote from the book jacket cover was enough to pique my interest, and I hope it does the same for you. Remarkably little is known about the eel. So little, in fact, that scientists and philosophers have for centuries been obsessed with what has become known as the “eel question”: Where do eels come from? Are they fish or some other kind of creature altogether? Even today, in an age of advanced science, no one has ever seen eels mating or giving birth, and we still don’t understand what drives them, after living for decades in freshwater, to swim great distances to the ocean at the end of their lives. They remain a mystery.
from New York Times
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Volume 36, Issue 3
Cruisin’ the Caribbean
The “Mind of an Interpreter”
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ecently I had the opportunity to take a cruise to the southern Caribbean. This was the second cruise this year due to cancellations in 2020.
sion about it.
She said that different beaches, different water, calm, clear water and different types of sand and setting is the draw. I guess I grew up with brown Texas (Galveston) coastal waters, getting sand “everywhere”, and changing in the back of a 1964 Dodge Dart when you are 4-5 years old thinking that everyone driving by can see you and all your glory. I really do like the beach once I get over apprehension.
I was looking forward to this. Heading to the tropics, closer to the equator, anything to get beyond the oppressive heat in Texas this summer. I saw on Facebook that several you had your own summer excursions. Due to a being busy and summer camp season, I let my wife make most of the plans. She did get my input and as a naturalist, I told her I wanted to do something related to the natural world. I knew the beaches would be on the agenda (her favorite – mine not so much).
Okay, back to the “Mind of an Interpreter.” Where did I come up with that term? It was not because I though about EVERYTHING in an
When traveling, I always keep an interpretive mind open for most activities – so I guess I put interpretative thoughts to the activities we did and the excursions we attended. (Not that that’s a bad thing.)
First, my mind went to the pools on the ship (again her thing, not mine) and the beaches on these islands. The first stop was to a private island or area owned/managed by the cruise line. We did get a “tour” and insights into history of the area, people who founded the overall island (Labadee, Dominican Republic – Christopher Columbus), and a mention of the local culture.
interpretive sense.
On the ship they have various nightly entertainment. Jugglers, comedians, Broadway type musical shows, headliner shows, and even ice capades type shows. (Yes – ice skating in the middle of the Caribbean.) It was during one of these headliners shows a performer, Darryl J. Williams, performed a show entitled, “Mind of a Tenor.” However, this wasn’t your Pavarotti-style operatic show.
From a true interpretative approach, I give a 5-6 out of 10. We both thought we could have done a selfguided tour, however a bit of culture that we wouldn’t have learned on our own was afforded. Then it was off to the beach. Generally I like the beach, building sand castles, finding shells, finding various saltwater creatures, and watching shorebirds. However, sometimes I just don’t get the fascination of spending the whole cruise, traveling thousands of miles, and spending the whole time at the beach. We even had a short discus-
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by Jerrel Geisler, Texas
This was a pop music show, featuring songs from Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, some R&B, and others.
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Williams stated during the show, that he was taking our imagination on a journey into how his music and singing moved him through life, using what I felt was a very “interpretive” style.
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Williams used an example an interaction he had with a mentor. He was trying to perform songs by some of entertainment’s greatest singers. He felt intimidated trying to sing songs made famous by these people. the mentor told him, “you shouldn’t be intimidated by (these) people. Use them and their songs to inspire you.” - my interpretation. As soon as I heard that statement, I was no longer on the cruise ship, I was transported back to my first CIG class, my first NAI Conference session, and my first attempt presenting at an NAI conference. “How could I do this, or even be on the same the level of these people?” I was, initially, very much intimidated by those (of you) who had been in the interpretation field for so long and are (in my mind) ahead in the field.
I have since figured out that I can use those people, [YOU PEOPLE], and what you have taught me, to inspire myself to be better in this field. This is why Williams’ word hit a big nerve for me and encouraged me to keep striving for inspiration. Maybe that’s why I was awarded the NAI Master Interpreter Award last year. To those of you NEW interpreters,
it’s okay to be nervous doing this and sometimes to feel intimidated.
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Volume 36, Issue 3
State reports Arkansas - Chris Pistole Louisiana - Rusty Scarborough Kansas - Open Missouri - Michelle Soenksen Oklahoma - Amanda Markey Texas - Erin Holley
Oops!
In the Summer 2202 edition of VIsions, we miscredited an article.
“StoryWalks Make Their Mark” was written by Jesze Doley, rather than Michelle Soenksen as originally credited.
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We always try to be as accurate as possible, and regret any errors. This is your newsletter. If there are any additional issues or comments regarding any issues of VIsions, please contact your editors.
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It is a pleasure to bring this information to you each season and welcome any input, articles, or comments that make this newsletter and NAI Region 6 better for everyone.
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Volume 36, Issue 3
Arkansas Report
What do you call a person from Arkansas? This question was posed to our Natural State members and the result was overwhelmingly in favor of Arkansan. Second place was Arkansawyer, with Arkansian receiving no votes at all. All are considered acceptable names. Kayla Gomance, Field Interpreter, Arkansas State Parks: Kayla has taken a new position as the Field Interpreter for Arkansas State Parks and is based at the headquarters in Little Rock. She fills big shoes left by Robin Gabe, who has moved back to Toltec Mounds as a Park Interpreter.
In August we met at Mt. Magazine State Park, the highest point in Arkansas, where we were finally able to have an in-person interpreter workshop with a mixture of front-line interpreters, assistant superintendents, curators, and other staff getting together for the first time in three years. We focused on internalizing our agency’s newly adopted Core Values, explored communication across different personality types, received agency updates, discovered ways to communicate Leave No Trace, and engaged in some long-awaited networking!
Victoria Rossiter, Seasonal Park Interpreter, Parkin Archeological State Park: My main news is that I’m getting married on the 10th! We also have a prehistoric pottery workshop coming up on the 16-18th. The workshop is partnering with ASU Beebe at Parkin Archeological State Park. We will be gathering clay from the river, tempering it with mussel shell fragments, and then firing those pieces in a fire pit. Lynne Hehr, Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalists: A new Citizen Science project has come to Northwest Arkansas. The Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalists have joined forces with NASA’s GLOBE program to collect regional weather data because atmospheric conditions play a major role in soil formation which, in turn, influences the types of plants and wildlife that can survive in a particular area.
GLOBE encourages citizen scientists through use of designated projects and the GLOBE Observer app to collect, enter, and analyze data from local and regional areas around the globe. The NWAMN membership is a perfect group to do exactly this, especially with aberrant weather at the forefront of daily news regarding climate changes. With the large regional NWA extent of its membership, the NWAMN GLOBE OBSERVERS: Atmosphere project is being set with all this in mind. Measuring AR Report continued atmospheric conditions is important for scientists studying weather, climate, Page 8
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land cover, phenology, ecology, biology, hydrology, and soil. To make sure this data is comparable from site to site, GLOBE students, citizen scientists, and research scientists use GLOBE approved instruments and follow certain protocols. This project entails positioning Davis weather stations in Alma, West Fork, Fayetteville, Rogers and Bella Vista, five geographic areas of the northwest Arkansas region. The stations will be set and data maintained/submitted to GLOBE for one year on a regular basis. With the help of Lynne and John Hehr, data collected from the five sites will be monitored for accuracy and contrast/comparison and regional data will be analyzed and submitted to the GLOBE program as a Citizen Scientist project. Lynne Hehr, a GLOBE Mentor Trainer, and Dr. John Hehr, a GLOBE Atmospheric Trainer, both with 27 years of experience in the GLOBE program and members of the NWAMN, will instruct and/or facilitate all education and technology portions of the project.
Chris Pistole, Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area: After a very wet May, we had almost no rain at all during June and July. This meant spending considerable time on the part of staff and volunteers watering our Ozark chinquapin trees. For those that don’t know about this species, this relative of the American chestnut was once a common tree in the Ozarks and was extremely valuable as a food source for wildlife and people, and the rot-resistant wood was very valuable as well. In the 1950’s the chestnut blight, a fungal infection, reached this area and wiped out nearly all the trees. A few survived due to a natural resistance and those survivors have been cross-pollinated by the Ozark Chinquapin Foundation to produce blight resistant trees. We have a plot of the trees to produce more blight-resistant seeds to disseminate through the Foundation, and to use to replant trees here at Hobbs. Those “outplantings” were started 2 years ago with more added this past spring. This past spring a group of Arkansas State Parks began planting more chinquapin seeds. To learn more about this tree and to get involved if you are in the native range of this species, contact the Ozark Chinquapin Foundation. On October 22nd we are very excited to bring back our special event, The Living Forest! Volunteers from the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of Master Naturalists will portray various forest creatures in full costume along our .25-mile ADA accessible trail at the Visitor Center. After visiting craft stations and meeting Mother Nature, guides will lead small groups along the trail to meet the creatures and hear stories from them as they learn what humans can do to help them. Afterwards they’ll enjoy s’mores and apple cider around the campfire.
louisiana Report
Irvin Louque of Whooping Crane Outreach Coordinator-Louisiana Reports:
The International Crane Foundation is supporting the reintroduction of a non-migratory population of Whooping Cranes to Louisiana. The reintroduced population faces higher rates of shooting mortalities than other Whooping Crane populations, so in March 2021 we started an outreach program to reduce the incidence of shootings through a public awareness and education campaign. In LA Report continued Page 9 the past year, we have reached a total of 2,057 people across south Louisiana with
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our message of protecting Whooping Cranes. That number includes 1500 K-12 students, 324 mixed adults and kids, 18 university students, 49 birders, 55 hunters, and 111 other adult audiences reached through a combination of 6 presentations and 9 tabling events at conventions, festivals, classroom visits, and local organization meetings. We credit our reach to the many organizations who invited us to speak and attend their events, especially the Audubon Zoo, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana One Health in Action, Ducks Unlimited, and BREC. We are expanding our reach this fall by hiring an additional staff member based in Louisiana. Aaron Gates,CIG, Interpretive Ranger, Louisiana Office of State Parks - Mansfield State Historic Site Reports:
Summer has been fairly eventful here at Mansfield State Historic Site. In addition to lots of visitors from all across the country and even overseas, the site had great programs in both May and June. In May, Interpretive Ranger Aaron Gates gave a special guided tour of the battlefield, guiding visitors around the frontline, and informing them of some of the battle’s highlights. In June, guest re-enactor John “Red” Turner from Dallas, Texas came over to the site to give a living history tour, where he walked visitors through the steps of what soldiers experienced during the Battle of Mansfield on Apr. 8, 1864. He also had on display some of the many items that a Civil War soldier had to carry while on long marches across wilderness, as well as giving a musket firing demo. The last few months have been really exciting and the staff are looking forward to events coming up in the fall, especially our annual “Ghosts of the Past” night time battlefield tours in October. Here at Walter B. Jacobs Memorial Nature Park the excitement of construction plans and exhibit plans continue. We have contracted with Taylor Studios Inc. of Illinois to do our 4000 square feet of exhibit space. Taylor has us on an “install” time of June of 2024. They will be visiting us on the week of October 10-14, 2022. Also we just finished up a jam packed summer of programs and events. Highlighted by a wonderfully successful Wild Child Summer Camp series of 6 weeks (3 each of) Survival Skills, Art of Nature and Outdoor Skills.
Stacy Gray, Caddo Parish Education Program Coordinator and Summer Camp Lead Counselor Anne Lutz truly had an exceptional schedule of events and we have received SO many positive notes of feedback!
We are looking forward to our annual Art in the Park event on November 5! We have more artists than ever before and it too looks to be another huge event!
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Mark E. Brink Jr., MA, CIG-- Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism Office of State Parks – Poverty Point World Heritage Site: This past week, Poverty Point World Heritage Site has officially added about 68 acres of land under management. Over the next few years, the plan is to develop this land to enhance the visitor experience without disturbing the archaeological site itself. We have also been working on an app for visitors to connect to Poverty Point while on site or off site. We expect to provide more information on this in the coming months. This fall will be busy with field trips from schools, but also with visitors from Viking River Cruises during shore excursions. Send those reports in if you want to see it in the newsletter.
kansas Report
No report for this month. See you next Season!
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missouri Report
Save the date for Show Me Interpretation in the Heart of Missouri. Join us in Columbia MO for NAI R6 Feb. 19th-23rd, 2023. We look forward to seeing you in person. Keep a look out for updated information on the website.
Show Me Interpretation
Nathan and Olive Boone Homestead State Historic Site will be hosting Historical Haunts on Saturday, October 29th from 5 to 7 p.m. Take part in our first ever virtual dog costume contest, then head out to the homestead for some competitive scarecrow building and kids can learn safe Halloween tips from the Park Ranger! The event will also feature storytellers: Mike and Nancee Micham are EznDil! They have been entertaining thru song and stories, humor and education for over 25 years in the Ozarks region.
CO MO
NAI Region 6
2023
Nathan and Olive Boone Homestead State Historic Site will host the annual Ozark Christmas Tradition on Saturday, December 10th, 2022 . This year will highlight Christmas traditions through the decades of 1840’s to 1940’s.
Assistant Superintendent, Melissa Blank, will also be presenting at this year’s AMI conference, with research on the Boone family and a session on how to interpret sensitive topics.
Elise Ratcliff, site superintendent at Big Oak Tree State Park, reports on their upcoming hydrology project. Still no dates on construction, but it will consist of a low berm around most of the park which will allow it to retain water for longer. This will benefit the swamp ecosystem by returning hydrology to what it would have been predevelopment. The grant will allow us to put in new interpretive signage along the boardwalk trail as well as putting in kayak trails and bird watching blinds along the borrow ditch.
Whitney Tucker, assistant superintendent at the Felix Valle House State Historic Site, is working with the community and other interested parties to increase the understanding of the use and history of the historic site in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. One of the ways they are working to expand interpretation is by crafting a Descendant Community. This group is comprised of those connected to, interested in, or identifying with the enslaved Africans and Natives associated with the site and the Felix and Odile Valle family, from the initial point in 1818 throughout the earliest part of the 20th century. While anyone with interest in the history or educational goals of the group are encouraged to participate, it is currently composed of re-enactors, interpreters, genealogists, and academic historians. This group is a volunteer community that aids in guiding research, interpretation, and programming related to the topics of Native and African culture, experience, and community both under slavery and during freedom. If anyone is interested MO Report continued in becoming a contributing member of the volunteer-based community, please Page 12 reach out to staff directly at the Felix Valle House State Historic Site in person at
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198 Merchant Street, via phone at 573.883.7102, or by email at whitney.tucker@dnr.mo.gov.
John Miller (Branson) congratulates Volunteer Allan Keller who has contributed 500 hours of volunteer service at the Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center. To commemorate Allan’s efforts, he received a signed photo by MDC’s award winning photographer, Noppadol Paothong. Allan is a dedicated volunteer who makes invaluable connections when working on trails, special events, or in the busy Conservation Center in Branson. Allan is photographed with Tiger-Lily, the 2-headed Western (Black) Rat Snake (in the cage to his left).
oklahoma Report
Happy Fall Y’all from Oklahoma! We have several reports from Oklahoma that cover as much diversity in topics as the diversity of our ecosystems within the state! So let’s get right to it and start off our Oklahoma report with one of those moments that keep us all coming back for more in the interpretation world!
Larry Toll, who works for the National Park Service in Oklahoma City at the National Memorial, tells of a moment that has since changed the way he presents his program on the symbolisms of the eight Memorial elements. One slow day, Larry was taking in the views while standing near the Field of Empty Chairs and looking across the reflecting pool towards the Survivor Tree. The spot he was standing in was not only near where the entrance of where the Murrah Building had once been, but also near where the truck bomb detonated. In that quiet moment Larry realized that he was standing in the lowest point of the grounds where each life lost is represented by an empty chair looking upwards toward the highest point on the grounds, the Survivor Tree which symbolizes hope. A simple statement came to him, “from the depths of tragedy we always look up to hope”, in which he now incorporates into his conversations with visitors in his regular programs. It was an ordinary thought that has transformed his programs and given him lots of interpretive opportunities. Thanks to Neil Garrison’s diligent submissions for our Oklahoma report I learned that the U.S. Forest Service purchased a 6,000-acre Oklahoma rice farm and that
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farm is now called the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area! This unique Southeastern Oklahoma WMA also plays host to a breeding population of alligators…Yes! An Oklahoma rice farm and alligators! This year the Southwestern Oklahoma State University initiated a 2-year research study to delve into many questions including how healthy and how robust is the alligator population in McCurtain County?
This summer the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural Science hosted “The Bearded Lady Project”, which is the brainchild of paleobotanist Ellen Currano and filmmaker Lexi Jamieson Marsh. This project is aimed at challenging gender biases in the sciences, specifically paleontology, and how Ellen had wondered whether her colleagues would appreciate her opinion if she had the right amount of facial hair. The filming and photography work of the project started in 2014 and to date the project consists of two parts, a 52 minute documentary and the burlybearded photography that pokes a bit of fun at the male dominated stereotype of field-going scientists. Oklahoma City’s Martin Park Nature Center was recently acknowledged by the Department of Agriculture for having the largest specimen of the Big Tree Plum in the state! Isn’t that treemendous?
The Cherokee Nation officially formalized an Executive Order to designate one thousand acres of tribal land in Oklahoma’s Adair County so that it might be used as a “Medicine Keepers Preserve.” This preserve will be used for educational programs that will educate generations to come the importance of native plants in tribal ceremonies. - Wado Chief Hoskin’s.
The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum hosted Actor Kurt Russell so that he could be inducted into the museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers for his role as Wyatt Earp in “Tombstone”. Leann Bunn with Tenkiller State Park and her team with the National Wild Turkey Federation is putting the final touches on their 22nd Annual Tenkiller Women in the Outdoors event! Last year’s event hosted over 100 ladies and every year the event grows in attendance and the event’s class offerings. The attendees will have 30 classes to choose from during the event, including two days of mentored archery Deer hunts! October 18th is the final day for registration and Leann encourages you to reach out to her for more information at Leann.Bunn@TravelOK.com Donna Horton reports that at the August board meeting of the Mary K. Oxley Nature Center Association, aka “Friends of Oxley Nature Center,” the board members agreed to sign a contract with a consultant to lay out a plan to move Oxley Nature Center from a public facility chronically underfunded by the City of Tulsa’s revenues from sales taxes to a public-private partnership. In the new arrangement, a private foundation, perhaps the “Friends” group, would operate the nature center with a less volatile revenue stream while the property and facilities would still belong to the City of Tulsa. In recent years, various City-owned facilities have moved to various similar kinds of public-private partnerships: the Gilcrease Museum, both municipal golf courses, and the Tulsa Zoo. All are thriving in the new arrangements. The consultant says the process should be ready to implement by December 2022. And finally:
Oxley Nature Center is now starting each season of volunteer training with a CIH workshop, or two if needed. The September class registration is nearly full. There will be another CIH workshop in October: https://www.interpnet.com/NAI/nai/_certification/registration/cihregistration.aspx?EventKey=HI102222 Additionally a CIG workshop is scheduled for December:
https://www.interpnet.com/NAI/nai/_certification/registration/cigregistration.aspx?EventKey=GI120522
Fall 2022
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Volume 36, Issue 3
texas Report
Katie Wilson, Preservation Archaeologist & Outreach Coordinator for the Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center in Comstock, Texas wants to let everyone know about the unique site in the lower Pecos region of Texas and an adventurous way to explore it.
She writes, “Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center offers daylong Treks to promote engagement and public education in support of our mission to preserve the ancient rock art of the Lower Pecos region of Texas. We share our latest research and show how modern science is helping us to understand the complex world view and fantastically rich culture of the people who created these masterworks. Our Trek guide is an archaeologist and a Certified Interpretive Guide.”
“Each Shumla Trek costs $160 or $80 per person, depending on the length of the Trek. Fees fund the Shumla Treks program (expert guide, entrance fees, etc.) and a portion contributes to preservation efforts. Pack a sack lunch, a water bottle (or 3) and your sense of wonder. You won’t believe what we’ll show you”, Wilson promises.
“Space is limited to 25 participants per day. See below for Trek dates, detailed itineraries, and guidelines. Due to the strenuous nature of the hikes, Shumla Treks are generally not suitable for children under age 8. Minors ages 8 and up are welcome on Treks provided they are supervised by a parent or guardian. For more information and full itineraries, please visit our website: https://shumla.org/shumlatreks/.”
Cruisin’ the Caribbean - from page 5 But, use that intimidation as a strength and learn all you can from these great people. It is in their strength, their openness, and their willingness to teach, that I have learned to be a better interpreter.
We were lucky enough to run into Darryl Williams during the lunch buffet. He obliged us to visit with him. I asked him if I could use his insight and message. I told him about NAI, and he was extremely pleased what I would be using his words to inspire. He is not only a singer he is also a motivational speaker. He has shared messages around the world. This was the highlight of my cruise this time (at least on the ship). The other excursions were great. In Curacao and Aruba, I got to see and photograph bats. (My off-ship
Fall 2022
highlight.) Even the beaches on the other islands and ports were nice. Overall, we had a great time. I also remembered another statement Williams made towards the end of his show. I began thinking about this in the context of dealing with people we work with, associate with, or meet along the way. (I think I got this right!)
He mentioned that you can be an Egg, an Apple, or a Tennis Ball.
As an Egg, if you get banged around
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and mistreated, you simply crack and break, and are no good to anyone.
If you are an Apple, people “knock you around” you get bruised and move on. However, placing a slightly bruised apple with other apples will eventually bruise or tarnish all the other apples it is placed with. Eventually none are any good. (Contrary to the Osmond’s’ song from the 70’s.)
Whereas, being a Tennis Ball, the harder you are knocked down, the higher you bounce back – each time.
Let’s all strive to be Tennis Balls. And keep thinking with the Minds of Interpreters!
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Volume 36, Issue 3
NAI Region 6 VIsions
Publication Information VIsions Newsletter is the newsletter for Region 6 of the National Association for Interpretation (NAI). Region 6 includes states of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. For Region 6 information go to www.nairegion6.wordpress.com. The national office for NAI is located in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Their website is www.interpnet. com. Director Amber Myers Milford Nature Center Junction City, KS 620-960-2862 amber.myers@ks.gov Publication Editors Ken Forman, CIG Jerrel Geisler, CIG Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Yellville, AR Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve - HCP3, Houston, TX 870-449-3484 281-467-2259 kforman@att.net jerrelgeisler@sbcglobal.net Officers Deputy Director Secretary Neil Garrison (Retired) Mystina Swaim, CIT, CIGT, CHI, CIG 405-590-0483 Arkansas State Parks, West Fork AR atlatlgarrison@hotmail.com 479-761-3325 mystina.swaim@arkansas.gov Treasurer Digital Communications Kayla Gomance Erin Holley DeGray Lake Resort State Park, Bismark, AR LCRA Parks, Austin, TX 501-865-5814 512-730-8013 kayla.gomance@arkansas.gov erin.holley@lcra.org Committee Chairs Scholarship & Professional Development Awards Larry Jo Edwards Lauren Marshall Nueces Delta Preserve, Corpus Christi, TX Will Stephens Jr. Central AR Nature Center, Little Rock, AR 361-336-0314 501-907-0636 x104 ljedwards@cbbep.org lauren.marshall@agfc.ar.gov Membership Elections Jeanne Spencer Robin Gabe historyiscool645@gmail.com Arkansas State Parks, Little Rock, AR 501-682-2187 robin.gabe@arkansas.gov NAI National Office P.O. Box 2246 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970-484-8283 888-900-8283 State Coordinators ARKANSAS: Chris Pistole, Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area, Rogers, AR, 479-789-5007, chris.pistole@arkansas.gov KANSAS: OPEN LOUISIANA: Rusty Scarborough, Walter Jacobs Memorial Nature Park, Shreveport, LA, 318-929-2806, rscarborough@caddo.org MISSOURI: Michelle Soenksen, CIT, CIG, Sam A. Baker State Park, Patterson, MO, 573-856-4514, michelle.soenksen@dnr.mo.gov OKLAHOMA: Amanda Markey, CIG, Grand Lake State Park - Bernice Area & Nature Center, Afton, OK, 918-257-8330, amanda.markey@travelok.com TEXAS: Erin Holley, LCRA Parks, Austin, TX, 512-730-8013, erin.holley@lcra.org
Spring: March 20
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DEADLINES FOR VISIONS ARE: Summer: June 20 • Fall: September 20
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Winter: December 20
