visions NAI REGION 6 - SOUTH CENTRAL
SPRING 2022 • Volume 36, Issue 1
In this issue:
Life as an Interpreter - and a Military Spouse Page 2
Sweet Success
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Inventing Nature - Book Review Page 5
State Reports Page 7
Cover Photo by Noelle Heiden (see story Page 2)
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Newsletter for NAI REGION 6 - SOUTH CENTRAL Spring 2022 • Volume 36, Issue 1
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Sweet Success
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Arkansas, Page 8 Kansas, Page 11 Louisiana, Page 12 Missouri, Page 16 Oklahoma, Page 18 Texas, Page 20
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Contribute to Legacy Magazine
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State Reports
Book Review by Chris Pistole: The Invention of Nature, Alexander Von Humboldt’s New World by Andrea Wulf
pg Some photos from Dreamstime.com
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Life as an Interpreter - and a Military Spouse
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NAI Region 6 Director’s Report NAI 2022 National Conference information
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More from Texas Master Naturalist in Space
Volume 36, Issue 1
Life as an interpreter and a military spouse
By Noelle Heiden
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s the saying goes, military kids are like dandelions they plant their seeds wherever the wind takes them. Looking at my own kids’ lives, I’d have to agree with that analogy. They’ve planted seeds in five states, all in just under 10 years.
Southwest. I trekked through arid deserts and documented archeological sites in the Mojave.
I led guided hikes in the Spring Mountains of Southern Nevada; wandered along the Front Range of Colorado and the majestic high plains of Wyoming and western Nebraska. A brief stop in Texas proved that everything there is truly bigger - especially the hail! And most recently, I trudged along the bluffs and floodplains of the mighty Missouri River and captured photographs of karst and forests and prairies of this marvelous state in the middle of fly over country. But because we move so often, being assigned to an interpretive site hasn’t always been an option. First, we have to find a site, an intimate process, and one that shares the values and needs that we are able to offer.
Military spouses like me, on the other hand - well, I’m not sure what the saying is, or if there
is one. We support our service members wherever the military needs them. One might say we change venues as often as the Missouri weather changes. Okay, maybe not quite as often, but it sure feels that way at times!
I’d say all of these changes have allowed for quite an interpretive adventure. I began my official interpreter journey by becoming a CIG in sunny southern California, soon followed by feeling the frigid Pacific waters on my toes for the first time. Then, I experienced the unforgettable feeling of awe and wonder upon initially traversing the American
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Then, we have to build foundational relationships before getting our feet in the door. By the time the door is open, we’re often already embarking on new journeys. So we adjust and adapt. We learn new landscapes and the flora Page 2
and fauna of our new habitat. We immerse ourselves in the communities and cultures of our beautifully diverse country. Essentially, we find ourselves floating around like those dandelion seeds in shifting winds, each stop leaving a little imprint on our story.
And just as the winds shift and the weather changes, our time in Missouri has come to an end and this interpreter will be off for new adventures and learning opportunities on the eastern seaboard - for me, a mostly uncharted territory. And with this move brings my interpretation journey literally from sea to shining sea, and, thankfully, just about everything in between. You can follow Noelle’s travels on Instagram: @nowhere_is_the_ dreamer
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Volume 36, Issue 1
Sweet Success
By Angel Ray - Park Ranger, St. Charles County Parks
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would have set well with Daniel Boone; after all, he made sugar and loved coffee.
his past weekend, The Historic Daniel Boone Home of St. Charles County Parks
met with sweet success. Unlike years past, we decided to move our Maple Sugar Festival to the month of March. Mind you, March can be just as unpredictable as February, yet this year the timing was just right. This wasn’t the only change we made, we decided it was time to grow a little -- adding some new old timey interpretation and a cof-
fee truck into the already established mix. I believe all of this
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About five years ago, our site tapped a Sugar Maple tree on the side of The Historic Daniel Boone Home and placed a few kettles over a fire and began telling the story of Daniel and Rebecca Boone sugaring on Nathan’s (their youngest son) property in what was then Upper Louisiana. We have record of Nathan stating, “At sugar-making time in February my father and mother went to my place and built a half-faced camp (cabins with three sides and the front open) where they made three or four hundred pounds of sugar. It took them several weeks. In the meantime, I built a cabin and cleared eight or nine acres of timberland for my first crop.” That, my friends, is a lot of sugar and a lot more work than many of us could fathom. This being the history of our site, it made sense Page 3
to continue this tradition and to share it with our visitors.
As part of the planning process, I put myself in the visitor’s shoes. What might entice me to give up a Saturday and drive out to the boonies (pun intended)? How would I engage both kids and adults? Yes, sugar, is a large part of that answer, and the many different elements that go into its making, both historically and with today’s modern methods. With that said, I needed to think on how to immerse the visitor into a five senses interpretive experience. Visually, I wanted
visitors to look down the green and see reenactors stirring the large iron kettles wafting with steam. I wanted the audible “plink” in the bucket from the Sugar Maple dripping its sweet sap. I wanted the taste of Maple syrup on pancakes. I wanted the smell of wood fires and sweet steam. Lastly, I wanted them to experience the physical strain of carrying a yoke laden with two gallon jugs of water.
See Sweet Success (Page 4)
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Volume 36, Issue 1
NAI Region 6 Directors Report - March 2022 Greetings Region 6ers! Thank you for allowing me to serve you as your new Director. I appreciate your patience and kindness as I learn my new role. We all missed the chance to get together for our workshop, and I recognize those bonds and connections we make at conferences are a large part of why we all participate in NAI. I think we all look forward to getting together again in 2023 and sharing good times and great programs. Keep on inspiring each other and our audiences throughout the year! Don’t forget you can submit tips and tricks and articles to our newsletter and on our region’s Facebook group. Thank you for taking the time to read this wonderful newsletter for our Region. Make sure and thank the editors for their hard work and dedication.
NAI Region 6 Director Amber Myers, Kansas
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who seemed pleased with the day’s offerings.
Once I added in the historical interpretation in the Carpenter Shop and Boone Home, fire starting techniques, some stumps for hand drilling, spile making from Elder, firewood hauling by sledge, and small batch modern method sugaring techniques, along with coffee and syrup sales, I had a festival I would drive to the boonies for, along with 800 other people
Years past, we had a couple hundred to 300 visitors for this event. This year, sunny skies and 70 degree temperatures tipped the scale beyond what we had anticipated. Fortunately, we had the extra, cohesive, interpretive stations as well as wide open spaces to safely accommodate
the crowds. Our site’s history came to life with sweet success. “My Father Daniel Boone; The Drapers Interviews with Nathan Boone”, ed. Neal O. Hammon, University Press of Kentucky, 1999, p113.
NAI National Conference Cleveland, Ohio November 29–December 3, 2022 Registration opens June 1, 2022
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Volume 36, Issue 1
Book Review by Chris Pistole:
The Invention of Nature, Alexander Von Humboldt’s New World by Andrea Wulf just for good measure!
Despite having so many things named for him, this man has largely been forgotten today. This may partially be due to being a German and on the opposite and losing side from the U.S. and much of the world during two world wars.
I find it so surprising that little old Humboldt, Kansas, founded in 1857 about 60 miles from where I grew up, was named for this man who died 163 years ago. The Smithsonian Magazine (March, 2020) states that, “Among his many scientific achievements, Humboldt theorized the spreading of the continental landmasses through plate tectonics, mapped the distribution of plants on three continents and charted the way air and water move to create bands of climate at different latitudes and altitudes.
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hat do numerous mountains and lakes, an ocean current off the west coast of South America, a bay in Northern California, a river in Nevada, countless city streets, squares, and parks (including one in Chicago), eight U.S. towns (including one in Kansas), three U.S. counties, schools, ships, plants and animals, including a penguin and a skunk, all have in common? They are all named for an amazing Prussian explorer, naturalist, scientist, and possibly the most admired public figure from the 1820’s through the 1850’s, Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt. The state of Nevada was almost named Humboldt. And his legacy even reaches beyond the Earth and is found in space with the Mare Humboldtianum or Sea of Humboldt on the moon, and an asteroid was named for him,
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He tracked what became known as the Humboldt Current in the Pacific Ocean and created what he called isotherms to chart mean temperatures around the globe. He observed the relationship between deforestation and changes in local climate, located the magnetic equator and found in the geological strata fossil remains of both plants and animals that he understood to be precursors to modern life forms, acknowledging extinction before many others.” And as if that Page 5
wasn’t enough of a resume, he also discovered over 300 plant and 100 animal species during his journeys through Central and South America from 17991804, and the Russian Empire in 1829.
So now it seems pretty clear why he’s the namesake for so many places and things. He was as famous in the 1800’s as any “star” in our modern era. But fame can certainly fade over the years until people have no idea why a plant, an animal, or even a place is named Humboldt. You may wonder why the author, Wulf, titled this book, The Invention of Nature? I think it is because she credits him with being the first person to propose the idea that all of nature, including humans, is connected. Something that seems so basic See Nature Invented
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Invention of Nature today was a novel idea back then.
leged background, was inspired by Jefferson and the American experiment with democracy, but he was not afraid to voice his disapproval of the enslavement of people and told Jefferson that no race was inferior to others. He wrote on numerous occasions about slavery and could be considered one of the first abolitionists. Upon returning to Europe, Humboldt had the opportunity to meet with the great liberator, Simón Bolívar and discuss the mistreatment of indigenous peoples he witnessed in South America. Wulf writes that “Nature was Humboldt’s teacher. And the
Humboldt may have “invented” this new concept of nature, but he was also the first to sound a warning about the fragility of nature and the environmental destruction our species can bring upon the planet, including changing the climate. This polymath (I had to look that one up – a person who knows a lot about different subjects) was not merely driven by a scientific quest for knowledge and exploring the unknown. He was also well versed in the arts and culture, wrote poetry, and was a close friend of the famous German poet, Goethe. He was in awe of the beauty and wonder found in nature, which inspired his public lectures and famously kept his audience completely engaged and wanting to hear more. He must have been a master of interpretation!
To his credit, Humboldt used his fame and fortune (most of which he inherited and spent by the time he died) to promote the causes he believed in, including democracy, freedom, and education. During his time spent travelling in South America, he witnessed the brutality of the Spaniards towards the native people. Later, he met with President Thomas Jefferson in Washington to discuss his discoveries, and the politics of Mexico. Humboldt, who came from a wealthy and privi-
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greatest lesson that nature offered was that of freedom. ’Nature is the domain of liberty,’ Humboldt said, because nature’s balance was created by diversity which might in turn be taken as a blueprint for political and moral truth. Everything, from Page 6
the most unassuming moss or insect to elephants or towering oak trees, had its role, and together they made the whole. Humankind was just one small part. Nature itself was a republic of freedom.” I imagine Humboldt would be pleased to see the leaders and members of NAI embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Among his 36 books, Views of Nature and Cosmos, became the most widely read. They inspired many other scientists and writers including Charles Darwin (who got to meet his idol, Humboldt, when he was a young man), Henry David Thoreau, George Perkins Marsh, Ernst Haeckel, and John Muir. Cosmos was a great inspiration to Thoreau and helped change the direction of the book he originally set out to write, which became Walden. Thoreau had wrestled with how science was usually presented in a cold vacuum. “What kind of science was this, Thoreau asked, “which enriches the understanding, but robs the imagination’? This was what Humboldt had written about in Cosmos. Nature, Humboldt explained, had to be described with scientific accuracy but without being ‘deprived thereby of the vivifying breath of imagination’. Knowledge did not ‘chill the feelings’ because the senses and the intellect were connected. See Nature Invented
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Invention of Nature More than any other, Thoreau followed Humboldt’s belief in the ‘deeply-seated bond’ that united knowledge and poetry. Humboldt allowed Thoreau to weave together science and imagination, the particular and the whole, the factual with the wonderful.” We should all strive to accomplish the same unification of knowledge and poetry with our interpretive efforts,
(from page 6)
whether personal or non-personal. How appropriate that we use the acronym POETRY (Purpose, Organized, Enjoyable, Thematic, Relevant, and You) when teaching the key ingredients in interpretive communication! The author has done an incredible job writing this sweeping, historical biography to remind people today of the contributions of this explorer, naturalist,
and scientist, Alexander von Humboldt. I learned about the origin of environmental concepts that we take for granted and found inspiration from this man who overcame various obstacles in his life mainly through his dogged persistence. I will certainly never look at the name Humboldt the same way again.
State reports
Spring 2022
Arkansas - Chris Pistole Louisiana - Rusty Scarborough Kansas - Open Missouri - Michelle Soenksen Oklahoma - Amanda Markey Texas - Erin Holley •
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Arkansas Report
Kelly Farrell, Chief of Interpretation & Program Services, Arkansas State Parks: •
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Shea Lewis is the new Director of Arkansas State Parks following the recent retirement of Grady Spann. Shea will be a strong supporter of park interpretation. He started his career as a seasonal interpreter and worked his way up through the park system. He is a Life Member of NAI, former director of NAI Region 6, has published numerous articles with NAI as well as the popular Interpretation by Design book (coauthored with Paul Caputo and Lisa Brochu), and holds several NAI certifications. Congratulations, Shea! We are excited to be hiring 20+ seasonal interpreters this year after zero in 2020 and just 5 in 2021 due to the COVID-19 disruption. The Program Services Section is coordinating the process centrally and aims to make placements in March. We recently welcomed three new trainers to our interpretation trainer team: Kayla Gomance, Chris Pistole, and Mystina Swaim. That brings our trainer team to nine and we plan to expand our current training opportunities for field staff and volunteers. Plans are well underway for a new visitor center at Pinnacle Mountain State Park (anticipated early spring 2023), including a significant interior and exterior exhibits project in partnership with Taylor Studios. This summer will kick off a newly revived Arkansas Youth Conservation Corps program, led by The Nature Conservancy, in partnership with Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Central Arkansas Water. The six-week program aims to expose high school aged youth to conservation careers and activities.
Jay Miller, President of NAI: •
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I led a CIG workshop for seven talented people representing the Game and Fish Commission, National Park Service, Jacob Wolf Historic Site, Historic Arkansas Museum, and the Sarasota, Florida County Park System. We had a good time, learned a lot about each other, and added 7 new certified interpreters to NAI’s ranks. The workshop was hosted by the Witt Stephens, Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center and Lauren Marshall was an excellent host. Congratulations to Jimmy Cunningham, Jr., CIG, and Explore Pine Bluff for taking first place in the NAI Media Awards for DIGITAL MEDIA with his production of Freedom & Blues Experience: A Delta Music & Culture Series. Jimmy completed his CIG in my class year before last and is an excellent speaker and musician. I hope we see a lot more of his work in future Region VI workshops and media. AR Report continued Page 9
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Beckie Moore at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge sent a review of 2021: • • • • • • • • • •
TCWR rescued 18 animals in total for the year during 2021, adding two new species, jaguar, and spotted hyena Rescued 13 cats from the Tiger King Park Zoo, worked with the Department of Justice: 3 lions, 7 tigers, 1 black jaguar, 1 liger, and 1 li-liger Rescued a spotted hyena from South Arkansas that was being kept as a pet Worked with the United States Humane Society to rescue/rehome a cougar that was a pet in an apartment in the Bronx- we had global news coverage with this, reports coming out of Borneo, all over Europe, etc. Rescued/rehomed 2 African servals from TX that were being kept as pets Rescued an African serval from OK, the man had over 300 animals of 81 different species on his property Our team of 5 wildlife interpreters educated 46,396 people on site at TCWR and off-site visits We educated 1,382 students virtually from 9 different states and Canada None of our animals have gotten COVID-19 thank goodness. We are still strictly enforcing the mask mandates since the big cats can get it Some big news coverage will be coming out soon. We were contacted by a large network to film here. At this time, we can’t give out details, but stay tuned for more info later on!
Leslie Patrick, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, education/outreach department:
We have a special themed enews and blog articles for February, all about iNaturalist. The ANHC has a special inventory project on iNaturalist, the ANHC Natural Areas Inventory Project, https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/arkansas-natural-heritage-commission-natural-areas-inventory. When an observation is made on one of our 77 natural areas, it is automatically added to the project. Since the project’s creation in April 2020, there have been 11,780 observations of 2,273 species submitted by 384 people! It’s like having hundreds of boots-on-the-ground, increasing our biodiversity knowledge and sometimes, identifying new locations of rare species. Perhaps most important, people have been outside, connecting with nature. On a personal note, I first learned about iNaturalist at the 2018 NAI Region 6 conference in Grapevine, TX, through a film about a bioblitz at Tandy Hills Natural Area. Does anyone else remember that film? It was definitely one of the “pearls” I took away from that conference. Chris Pistole, Park Interpreter at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area:
This winter we converted a space in our exhibit area that was not very well utilized into a new display area for our live animals with a maintenance room behind it, thanks to funding from the Friends of Hobbs. They were AR Report continued previously Page 10 housed in
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some older cages in a hallway, and with those gone we will have more wall space and will create some panels to interpret our natural resource management activities in the park, including prescribed fire/ woodland restoration, invasive species removal, wildlife monitoring, deer hunting, glade restoration, pollinator habitat restoration, and Ozark chinquapin restoration. The interpretive panels for the live animals should be done this spring, hopefully. Lauren Marshall, Central AR Nature Center: • • • • •
Spring is a time for new things! We are excited to announce that after 13 full years the nature center is getting a new HVAC system. Less exciting but also important- educator Lori Monday has moved on to a new position with the AR Electric Cooperative so we will be gaining a new educator within the near future. Spring programs are focusing on Boater Ed, tracks, migratory birds, the process of metamorphosis, spring fishing and whatever else the season throws our way! We are excited to partner with the AR Becoming an Outdoors Woman program and host a spring BOW event which will include fly tying, intro to shooting sports and a DIY charcuterie board class with an emphasis on locavore practices. Casey and Lauren Marshall are excited to announce there is a new mini-naturalist/heritage interpreter in AR. They welcomed Lily Elizabeth Marshall on Oct. 20, 2021. She is the best of both Marshalls and enjoys singing along with a variety of music and TV ads, she likes watching squirrels, birds and Nat Geo specials on the Ocean.
Hank Mallery, President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site: We’ve been thrilled to add two new Park Guides to our site and the National Park Service. Lauren Bentley and Eric Ott have joined our team from parks over on the East Coast. They work greeting our visitors, leading tours, and designing programming for the coming months. As we carry out our mission, we are grateful for each employee and their commitment to public service. Ken Forman, Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center
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We are happy to be partnering with the Arkansas Forestry Commission and the Ozark Page 10
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Chinquapin Foundation to further the efforts of restoring this native tree to the Ozarks Plateau. The Nature Center planted five trees several years ago and are excited to see them reaching for the sky. This spring another 20 saplings were planted in appropriate habitat. For more information about the Foundation’s work to restore this tree: https://ozarkchinquapinmembership.org/
Kansas
Report
Sites around Kansas are seeing a wonderful recovery in requests for field trips and programs now that the pandemic seems to be getting more familiar and groups are finding ways to adapt.
Kansas, and other states in the region are facing an outbreak of Avian Flu that has put a damper on some zoo and nature center bird programs. We’ve learned to care for each other during COVID-19 times, now it’s time to protect our feathery friends.
Many thanks to Evergy and the Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society in Pittsburg, KS for helping to build new raptor enclosures this last summer at Pittsburg State University’s Nature Reach! Delia Lister reports “I have spent much of my time during the last year of the pandemic working on improved enclosures for all of our ambassador animals. Improved enclosures means we can help make the ‘right’ behaviors easier for our birds. As a result, they have become much more participatory in their own care in a positive way. You may just see a presentation about this coming to a conference near you in 2023!”
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Louisiana Report
Hello all! Well here at Walter B. Jacobs Memorial Nature Park the process of building a bigger and better facility has begun. Caddo Parish has approved us for a 13,000 square feet new building and a budget of $9 million dollars. The upgrades for a connection to the public sewage 3 miles away has been contracted and begun. The architect has been contracted and our property has been surveyed. We meet to select an exhibit company on March 28. To me it seems like its taking forever to get underway but the big thing is that we have our budget allocated and that is usually a major hurdle. We are planning an event for former staff and patrons to come say “goodbye” to the old building and celebrate the beginning of the new but we have not set a date for that as yet. As spring arrives and COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted we are getting a lot of requests for programs and our calendars are getting pretty busy. Sure feels good to see groups back in the park.
We held our annual Owl Night on February 12 and it was another tremendous success with another huge crowd for our mostly outdoor event. The weather gave us some trials as it rained up until the event time and it was quite cold but our dedicated team of staff and volunteers pulled off and amazing event for our patrons. (Pictures at left from WBJ Owl Night)
Mark Brink from Poverty Point World Heritage Site reports:
Over the coming months, staff members at Poverty Point World Heritage Site and Louisiana State Parks will be working with TimeLooper to bring Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality experiences to the visiting public. When completed, this project will allow visitors a chance to see the site as it once was, 3,500 years ago. The end result will be a VR/AR application that can be run on personal smart phones, and it will allow for a more immersive self-guided experience for visitors. However, we have also purchased a new 46 passenger electric tram to better serve the public on ranger-guided tours of the mounds and earthworks on site. We expect to have this new tram on site by the end of the year. In these ways, we are working to enhance the public’s connection to Poverty Point as Louisiana’s most important ancient site. LA Report continued Page 13 Spring 2022
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Jessica Dixon with Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism sent in this report: Fort Jesup State Historic Site’s Bicentennial Kickoff
The Cane River National Heritage Area (CRNHA) joined the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission, Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, Louisiana State Parks and the Friends of Fort Jesup Feb. 25 in celebrating the kick-off of the Fort Jesup State Historic Site Bicentennial Celebration. Photo below: Guests sitting in near freezing temperatures to help celebrate the Fort Jesup Bicentennial kickoff. Photo below: Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser is presented with an original brick from Fort Jesup State Historic Site Fort Jesup Chapter of the Children of the American Revolution.
In addition to living history demonstrations and musket firings, preservation organizations who have worked to preserve the legacy of Fort Jesup were honored. The honorees included the Sabine Chapter of the Louisiana Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution, the Sabine Parish Police Jury, the Sabine River Authority and the City of Many. Featured in the photo at the right are drummers and dancers of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb at the Fort Jesup celebration.
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Historic cooking demonstration and talk at the Fort Jesup SHS original kitchen building. The kitchen is the only original structure on the property. Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site
Greetings from Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site! On Friday, March 18 we are hosting the Welcome Reception for the Cane River Film Festival. The Cane River Film Festival has the mission of preserving Cane River Creole heritage and sharing their stories with a worldwide audience. Saturday, March 19 we are hosting our Spring on the Cane encampment. Living historians will spend the day in the fort showcasing 18th century skills and demonstrations. Along with these events we have been focused on our educational opportunities throughout the school year. We have had around twenty school groups so far this school season. We look forward to our upcoming student education opportunities before summer break begins! -Felicia Brand, Interpretive Ranger at FSJB State Historic Site 75th Anniversary of Audubon State Historic Site, March 19th
Celebrating 75 years of being one of the oldest in the Louisiana State Park system! Throughout the day activities highlight both the natural and historical events that created the site from the original founding of Oakley Plantation in 1795 until it became a park in 1947. Step into the shoes of the artist naturalist John James Audubon through birding activities and nature based crafts for the kids. Go on special guided tours of our nature trail or out to the cabins of the enslaved people who lived here and helped Audubon find many of the specimens you see in his pictures. Talks in the theater will bring the world and life of Audubon alive. Many more activities are planned for this day long celebration of the park. LA Report continued Page 15 Spring 2022
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The photo of Oakley House was taken in 1887. It features Isabelle Matthews at the foot of the steps who was from the third generation of owners of the property and her husband William Matthews. During the American Civil War Wilson Mathews joined the Confederate army and in October of 1864 actually participated in a skirmish with Federal troops on his property.
This picture is of William Gardener. William grew up as one of the enslaved people at Oakley Plantation. After becoming a free person Williams lived out the rest of his life on the property. -Photos and information for Audubon SHS provided by John House, Audubon State Historic Site Manager Sam Houston Jones SP Tree Planting
Restoration of Sam Houston Jones State Park continues following Hurricane Laura. Our friends at The Nature Conservancy in Louisiana and CITGO Fueling Good donated and coordinated the planting of over 5,000 longleaf pine tree seedlings. The tree planting was held February 19 had more than 5,000 trees and shrubs was made possible, in part, with a generous donation of $10,000 from our partner, Sasol of Westlake. Volunteers armed with shovels at the Sam Houston Jones SP tree planting event.
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MISSOURI
Report
Leah Eden reports that in spite of the ice and sleet storm on February 23-24, the annual Vulture Venture event was held on February 26 at Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery & Conservation Center in Branson, MO. The highlight of the event was the live presentations in our auditorium with Alice the Turkey Vulture. Alice has a permanently injured wing and is housed at the Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield, MO. At first we were concerned we would not have many people for the presentations because of the weather, but as the first presentation time approached so did the people. We had a total of 108 people for the 4 live presentations with Alice. Not bad considering the weather challenges we faced that week. Though the weather was sunny and in the low 40’s in the afternoon, most of the vultures that normally frequent the Branson, MO area were driven further south to avoid the freezing weather earlier in the week. At the spotting scopes we were able to see a multitude of gadwalls, mallards and buffleheads but no vultures. The event also featured crafts and games for the kids. 2022 is already hopping for the Nathan and Olive Boone Homestead State Historic Site. A new series of virtual programs called Coffee Talks takes place every third Friday of the month at noon. You can visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NathanandOliveBooneHomesteadStateHistoricSite to see previous programs.
Site Assistant Superintendent Melissa Blank reports that new programs will be brought out this year, including Living History Saturday’s, a new series of pre-k programs called Playtime on the Prairie, and this June a collaboration with the Springfield-Greene County Library will lead to a weekend of fun featuring the traveling Thomas Hart Benton Mural from the Missouri State Museum.
The Association of Missouri Interpreters Planning Committee would like you to Save the Date for our annual Conference in 2022! The AMI 2022 Conference will take you to where Missouri’s interpretive roots grow deeply. A place where history, like a river, runs through Mis-
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souri’s veins. Discover where the last 2 million acres were added to Missouri; where explorers, pioneers, orphans, guerrilla fighters, American Indians, settlers and bank robbers impacted Missouri’s future. Explore a western frontier rich in big river, prairie, oxbow lakes, loess hills, and wetland landscapes that beg you to come and satisfy your adventurous appetite.
Let Your Interpretive Roots Lead You to the Western Frontier September 20-22, 2022 in St. Joseph, Missouri We look forward to seeing you there!
2022 Region 6 Conference cancelled, to be held in 2023
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t is with a sad heart that we will be canceling this year’s conference. Due to many factors, COVID-19 related travel restrictions being the biggest one, we have rescheduled this year’s conference in Missouri to February 2023. Our thanks goes to the Texas conference committee for pushing their date to February 2024. (Editor’s note - this will be 2025 according to Spring 2022 VIsions report) Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton has changed our dates and canceled our room block for this year. Any reservation made with them through our room block has been canceled. Those of you that have registered for the conference through the NAI National website will be refunded. If you have any questions about refunds, please e-mail Amber Edwards, Conference Committee Chairperson at edwardsamb@missouri.edu or Kyle Dargatz, registration & conference volunteer coordination at kyle.dargatz@mobot.org. If you need continuing education credits, don’t forget about NAI’s online calendar of events and training options. We look forward to giving you a quality experience in Columbia, MO February 19-23, 2023.
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OKLAHOMA
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Hello and welcome to the Oklahoma Report!
G.M. Sutton Avian Research Center, in Bartlesville, welcomes Daniel Harris as their Education Program Manager.
The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department welcomes both James Timberlake as the new Director for Oklahoma State Parks and Brian Tabor as the Interpretive Programs Coordinator. Mr. Timberlake brings a diverse background to the agency including a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Nebraska, experience in nonprofit management, and also expand nonprofit sports and fitness as the Executive Director at the Santa Fe Family Life Center. His leadership grew the centers operations by 170% and doubled the impact of its mission-based programs. Mr. Tabor is welcomed to the agency as the Interpretive Programs Coordinator. Mr. Tabor got his start in the field working as the Naturalist at Beech Fork State Park in West Virginia before moving to Oklahoma City to be the Assistant Manager of Martin Park Nature Center, and moving into the Oklahoma State Parks. The Modoc Nation welcomed 28 bison from Yellowstone National Park in late December of 2021. This large family group was transferred with the help of the Fort Peck Tribes, the InterTribal Council and the Defenders of Wildlife who facilitated the transfer under the Bison Conservation Transfer Program that started in 2019. These bison begin the tribe’s reintroduction of a cultural herd and are also direct descendants of the survivors of the mass slaughters during the 19th century, according to the Defenders of Wildlife. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, in Oklahoma City, is in the process of putting together an “Outlaw Man” exhibit which is scheduled to open to the public in November, 2022. One feature of the new exhibit is a woman’s purse that is purported to have once belonged to Bonnie Parker (of the infamous “Bonnie and Clyde” outlaw duo of the 1930’s). The purse includes a bullet hole and is said to be an item that was removed from their bullet-riddled car when lawmen ambushed their automobile in Louisiana and, thus, brought the outlaws’ crime spree to an end. A special interpretive exhibit, “Al Herrin: The Bow Maker’s Calling” was featured during the months of January, February, and March at Oklahoma’s Saline Courthouse Museum located in Rose, OK. The exhibit showcased the life story and artwork of Cherokee National Treasure Al Herrin, including examples of his handmade bows and arrows. This Cherokee National Treasure was also featured on an episode of the Nation’s Cherokee Artist Showcase. (youtu.be/hituU44x08U) Let us take a moment to celebrate recent award recipients here in Oklahoma! “Keep Oklahoma Beautiful” presented its “Visionary Leadership
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Award” to an Oklahoma City partnership called: “River Protectors.” Not only does “River Protectors” organize and conduct litter pick-ups on OKC’s major river, but it also collects data on where that litter was collected and the relevant information on its source. The goal is to identify ways that the litter can proactively be kept out of the waterway.
The 2021 Frank Condon Award for Environmental Excellence was awarded to a partnership between Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) and the Oklahoma Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The award was in recognition of the power company’s diligence in not merely discarding the power line tree branch trimmings into the landfill, but instead, the power company teamed up with the Zoo to utilize the tree branch tips as a supplemental food source for many of the captive animals there at the zoo. To wrap up our Oklahoma report: NAI’s Region VI Deputy Director, Neil Garrison has been retired since 2009, but remains active in the profession of interpretation. His volunteer gigs include leading birding hikes once a month at Martin Park Nature Center, as well as once-a-week birding hikes for senior citizens at the HealthyLivingOKC facility. Retirement has also provided him with an opportunity to further one of his hobbies...wood whittling. He teaches a wood whittling class once-a-week at HealthyLivingOKC where the class participants have been fashioning hiking sticks out of downed tree limbs. Neil is also the immediate past-president of the OKC Retired Employees Organization and was also appointed by the of Mayor of OKC to the Board that oversees the investment portfolio of the $100-million of pension fund where he has a vote on how those funds are managed. Yet another of his volunteer activities is the every Monday nature education article called “Nature & You” that is published in The Oklahoman newspaper. Legacy, NAI’s premier periodical, offers a forum for professionals in the field to exchange ideas and information. Articles, columns, and commentaries deal with practical issues relevant to frontline interpreters, planners, and managers. Contribute to Legacy As the premiere magazine produced by the interpretive profession, Legacy is looking for professional writing that provides more than information. Writers for Legacy should make every attempt to forge emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of their readers and the inherent meanings in the resources being described. In other words, Legacy articles should be interpretive, not just informative. Check your story before submittal to see if it: • Relates to the theme of the issue • Has a specific theme within the article (what is the main idea that you want to convey) • Serves a purpose by provoking further thought or action • Engages the reader by being relevant to their life experience • Is appropriate for the audience (those who have interest in or visit interpretive sites) E-mail Legacy to submit a query: legacy@interpnet.com. Themes and remaining submission dates for 2022/23;
September/October: ACCESSIBILITY Submit queries by June 10, 2022 Completed manuscripts for accepted queries due July 15, 2022
November/December: INCLUSION Submit queries by August 10, 2022 Completed manuscripts for accepted queries due September 15, 2022 January/February 2023: Interpreting Undervalued Ecosystems Submit queries by October 10, 2022 Completed manuscripts for accepted queries due November 15, 2022
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Members Invited to Submit Articles for NAI Legacy Magazine (from NAI National website)
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Volume 36, Issue 1
Texas
Report
NAI Region 6 2025 Regional Conference Chair Lari Jo Edwards would like to announce that the 2025 Regional Conference will be hosted in Amarillo, TX in collaboration with the NAI Four Corners region.
Pat Stephens Williams, Ph.D., professor and MSRC program director of Master of Science in Resource Communications at Arthur Temple College of Forestry at Stephen F. Austin State University invites NAI members to “join us for our 100% online masters of science program in Resource Communications and Interpretation (MSRC) as we head into our 20th year of providing interactive education and exploration of communications, interpretation, and education issues associated with natural and cultural resources. Flexible learning with engaged colleagues doing cool things in cool places. Non-thesis and Thesis options.” Contact stephensp@sfasu.edu or ATCOFA@sfasu.edu for more information. Jerrel Geisler, Outdoor Education Interpreter at Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve would like everyone to know about a major change to a couple of the commissioner precincts in Harris County.
Commissioner precincts in Harris County, the county surrounding Houston, are being redistricted. While all precincts are being balanced due to Census figure changes from 2010 to 2020, two precincts, precincts 3 & 4, in northern and western Harris County, are numerically being switched.
Management and operational staff has been relocated. Some educational and interpretive staff have chosen to remain in their prospective parks and educational locations. Most maintenance and support staff are moving with the new designation numbers and being centralized. As of April 1, Precinct 3 and Precinct 4 educational staffs have become employees of the precinct in which they will geographically be located, and the parks are also designated as such.
These parks will be in a state of flux as operational supplies and equipment are being relocated into the new areas to remain with the precinct which originally purchased the items or maintain them as inventory. Luckily while this change is being TX Report continued made, no public services will be affected. Page 20
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Parks in the areas now considered Precinct 3 are Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve, Jesse Jones Park, Mercer Arboretum, and the precinct’s mobile educational team, “Trails as Parks”. Parks now in Precinct 4 are John Paul Landing, Kleb Woods Nature Preserve, Mary Jo Peckham Park, and others. Together both precincts house over 70 parks, however not all have educational elements. Harris County as a whole, with a total of 4 Commissioner Precincts, has a land area larger than the state of Rhode Island. If you know anyone in any of the parks named above, wish them luck in the transition, which should have been completed by April 1. As of this writing educational staff are still in a state of flux.
Katie Raney, regional interpretive specialist for Texas State Parks is looking for volunteers. She says, “I’m a member of the American Astronomical Society’s solar eclipse taskforce for the 2023/2024 eclipses in the informal education working group. We’re looking for folks representing parks to join our subgroup--any type of park is welcome. The time commitment right now is about one hour per month, or less, though it may ramp up before the eclipses.” If you’re interested, please e-mail katie.raney@tpwd. texas.gov for an application. Ann Hobing, guest experience manager for Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees announces that East End Lagoon Nature Preserve was awarded Special Recognition by Houston-Galveston Area Council for Parks and Natural Areas projects under $500,000. To learn more about the preserve visit https://www. galvestonparkboard.org/285/East-End-Lagoon-Nature-Park-and-Preserve. Share your congratulations with Ann by e-mailing ahobing@galvestonparkboard.org.
More from Texas: We’re going to space!
(from Texas Master Naturalist website)
One of the most serendipitous events that could ever take place during National Volunteer Week and the morning after Earth Day – our first ever Texas Master Naturalist in Space! Gulf Coast Chapter Member, Kjell Lindgren is a NASA Astronaut commanding the SpaceX Crew-4 shuttle to the International Space Station with a tentative launch scheduled for Saturday April 23rd. Join us as we share more about the crew, their launch and then host a live downlink with Kjell later this summer.. #NASA #NASAastronauts #TMNinSpace A member of the Gulf Coast Chapter (Houston/Harris County area), Kjell (pronounced CHELL) joined the training class and earned his certification in 2021, and has been involved in the many projects of the Gulf Coast Chapter, including the Texas Butterfly Monitoring Network, BRIT’s (Fort Worth Botanic Gardens) Armchair Botanist and Armand Bayou trail guiding.
Editor’s Note: TX Master Naturalists attend 13 weeks of training including training on ecosystems throughout the state, based on covering their local area, as well as Interpretation, and much more. In 2021, Lindgren would have been in my training presentation on Interpretation. Wow - I trained an Astronaut! - JG
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Volume 36, Issue 1
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
