It’s Not Easy Being Green
Saturday, May 16: Docent Road Crew, Cookout, and Hike: re-scheduled from May 2nd due to very wet weather. A morning of light work from 10:00 to noon, then a barbeque cooked by Preserve staff. The afternoon hike will take us somewhere on the Preserve not open to the general public. Meet at the Visitor’s Center. Departure by 4:30 p.m. Don’t forget a hat, sunscreen, and walking shoes suitable for off-trail trekking.
See you in the Tallgrass!
Anita Springer convened the 2009 Docent Reorientation at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 18th., attended by approximately forty-eight new and returning docents.
Anita discussed administrative business first:
Anita ensured that everyone signed a Liability Release Form. Liability release is necessary before you can serve a shift in the Visitor’s Center.
We received a reminder of Gift Shop procedures, some of which have been neglected in the past:
Anita handed out copies of Bill Rinehart’s Bison Chart that was a subject of the February 2009 newsletter, a Bison Roundup Fact sheet, a staff listing for the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, and a Bison Herd Growth chart.
Anita relinquished the floor to Dennis Bires.
Dennis recognized Iris McPherson for her work collating the data for the visitor count. It is good to know from whence our visitors come.
Dennis recognized Katy Hamilton, whose father is Preserve Director Bob Hamilton.
She is shown here brandishing a loaded paint-roller at the Corral Painting Work Day on April 4.
Dennis offered many thanks to Katy and Bob, and to Docents George McCourt, Dixie Collins, Dave Dolcater, and George Neurohr for taking on this important work under very breezy conditions.
For the Prairie Road Crew work day on March 7th, Dennis recognized Sarah Walker, George Neurohr, John Boxall, Dan Martin, Dave Dolcater, and Kip Cowan.
Dennis recognized Barbara Bates for her efforts organizing the New Docent Training curriculum, which was shortened by one day to make it a more attractive proposition for potential new recruits. Also, the training schedule was changed to occur prior to the annual Docent Reorientation, so that new docents can attend reorientation and meet experienced people.
Dennis said that the Visitor’s Center is open today. He requested volunteers to relieve Ed and Deanna Jolly to enable them to attend a portion of the meeting.
Dennis thanked Anne Whitehorn and Tawnda Hopper for the coffee and snacks that they provided
The Prairie Road Crew, Cookout, and Hike is scheduled for Saturday May 16th.
If you plan to work two shifts or more in succession then you can use the docent apartment. You must provide your own supplies and bedding, a mattress and bedsprings are provided, and you must request use of the apartment by sending Kay Krebbs an email at kkrebbs@tnc.org or by telephone at 918-287-4803.
Dennis announced that the Pawhuska office of The Nature Conservancy has relocated to the Research Station.
Dennis mentioned the ideas discussed at the Winter Meeting:
Dennis Bires introduced Harvey Payne, the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Community
Relations Coordinator.
Harvey recognized the significant contributions of Anne Whitehorn to the smooth running of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve headquarters.
He recognized the veterans of the Docent Program, some of whom have been active since inception of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in 1989. One of those veterens is Jenk Jones who was a vocal advocate and whose family has been a reliable source of financial support. Harvey said that the sign marking the approach road to the Research Station as Jones Family Drive was erected in honor of Jenk and Jerri’s continued commitment to the Preserve and without his permission because he would have vetoed the idea had he known.
Time was allowed for basic work to be done and for the prairie preserve to recover
somewhat from cattle grazing before the three-hundred-head of Bison were first introduced to the Preserve on
Monday, 18 October 1993. Guest speaker, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., said that the
bison are a gift from the American People to the American People.
Since
then generous donations for facilities of time, money, or both have been made by
many people. Scientific research has prospered as a result of the existence of
the Preserve. And, despite the naysayers in the beginning, the Preserve has
become a jewel that attracts people from all over the world, as well as becoming a source of
pride to local people.
At the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, the docent program is unique
among all the preserves managed by The Nature Conservancy. It sprang from the ground
upon release of the bison when it was first understood that visitors benefit from
talking to knowledgable persons; it is what the word Docent
means — one who knows. The presence of docents, Harvey said, is priceless
.
Docents are the friendly faces of the Preserve that visitors meet, meetings that help to form the good opinions
that visitors take home. Harvey said that as volunteers, you only get out of this experience what
you put in.
Many persons past and present have given much to the Preserve, for that to
continue we always need new docents to help make things work properly.
Harvey said that as of September 2008, Bob Hamilton is now the Preserve Director.
In answer to a question, Harvey said that the terms bison and buffalo are synonymous though a bison is not the same creature as a Cape Buffalo or Water Buffalo.
Harvey relinquished the floor to Dennis Bires who introduced the new docents by asking them to stand and say their names and from whence they come. Dennis then introduced Bob Hamilton, not that he needs much introduction.
Bob agreed with Harvey in that the Docent Program is the face of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. He said that it is unusual and quite cool, being entirely voluntary and self-perpetuating. The Preserve draws most visitors from the mid-west and eastern states.
Bob gave a report on the current state of the bison herd, drawing our attention to the chart distributed by Anita at the beginning of the meeting.
Given its start in 1993 of 300-head donated by the family of Christina Adams, the bison herd has now reached its target size of 2,600-head. The basic ecological herd grazes on a mixed landscape of 24,000 acres, managed by a successful patch-burning regime.
North of Headquarters, 700 acres known as the Spring Trap are being opened as a holding area for culled animals prior to sale. Last fall, 400-450 bison were culled and sold. Newborn animals are retained on the Preserve for 2-1/2 years, at which point a decision is made whether or not to retain them depending on their health or weight or genetics or combination thereof. Culled animals are moved to the Spring Trap where they are given supplemental feed in an effort to improve their value at auction. Trails are excluded from the new pasture, which means that some fencing that we see while walking the Prairie Earth Trail will disappear.
Bob reported that the patch-burning-cattle-grazing research done in conjunction
with OSU is generally successful and
available for export. He said that research showed no statistical difference in weight between
animals raised in traditionally managed herds and those raised on the patch-burning regime.
The plan now is to work with OSU and adjust the cattle management program through
second generation research. Bob said that: Good research leads to more.
Cattle ranchers often employ double-early stocking of their range, which can produce good returns but at the risk of failure due to too much rain and a cool spring that inhibits growth of the grasses. Cows won’t breed if their body is in poor condition. Too much rain causes the grass to be washy, containing too much water so that it is less nutritious. Soil temperature promotes growth of the grass.
Beyond the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, The Nature Conservancy objective is to preserve the five-million acres of intact landscape that constitute the Flint Hills, principally through the use of conservation easements. Development of conservation easements takes time through the quiet nurturing of relationships with landowners.
Bob said that the real ambassador for a heterogeneous landscape is the Greater Prairie Chicken that was once an abundantly ubiquitous game bird on the prairie landscape. The homogenizing effect of traditional range management techniques caused the bird to go into a steep decline because the Greater Prairie Chicken has evolved to exploit the habitat diversity promoted by patch-burning. About eighty birds have been counted on leks within the boundaries of the Preserve, mostly on the west side. Both the Bass Ranch and the Mormon Church have left areas of their range unburned this year.
Prairie Chickens are susceptible to disturbance by vertical structures that have the effect of fragmenting the landscape. Industrial-scale wind farming on the Flint Hills is a big problem for the Greater Prairie Chicken because research has shown that hens will avoid nesting in an area encompassed by a one-mile radius around a turbine tower; the same applies to a greater or lesser degree around trees, radio towers, and other structures. Wind farms don’t consist in one tower, but many and there must be adequate separation between towers, which has the effect of excluding hens from a large acreage. The Flint Hills is an ideal wind corridor for renewable power generation. The Nature Conservancy is working with power companies and landowners to limit the negative effects. [See the article below, It’s Not Easy Being Green, for more information about the kind of problems renewable power generation causes.]
John Boxall asked how to go about hearing the boom of the Greater Prairie Chicken. Bob said that there is a lek to the northwest of the north scenic turnout. Usually, male chickens can be heard booming on calm, clear mornings for about thirty minutes before and after dawn. However, if the chickens are disturbed in any way they will abandon the lek for another day; disturbance can be human, a hawk or owl flying over the lek, or a coyote passing through. Boom of the Greater Prairie Chicken is similar to the sound made by blowing across the open top of an empty Coke bottle. Bob said that the chickens suffer a sixty-percent predation rate at night and Great Horned Owls are theorized to be responsible.
Bob reported that Matt Poole, the scientific assistant, has been replaced by Tony Brown who is about to graduate from OSU. Matt had to return to Texas to help care for his aging grandfather.
Someone asked Bob about the possibility of reintroducing elk. Bob said that elk were most numerous after bison. However, Miriam’s Elk, that was indigenous to the prairie, is extinct. Elk are hard on crops and fences. Any plan for reintroduction would have to be done by consensus with landowners and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife. Elk, though, are not pivotal to the success of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, and are not something that The Nature Conservancy would want to lead.
Mention was made of the Pronghorn Antelope. Bob said that these animals are bio-political and even more fraught with difficulty. There is no chance of these being introduced.
Someone else asked about the bison genetics program. Bob said that the Preserve started testing for the introgression of cattle genes in the fall of 2004. He explained that when the bison was almost extinct, a private conservation effort was begun in the 1880s by Charles Goodnight and Buffalo Jones with five foundation herds. Attempts were made to cross-breed bison with cattle in an effort to produce an improved animal. As a consequence, all conservation herds have cattle genes. Texas A&M recently started a genetic survey program that was joined by the Preserve. Each year at round-up, about 20 to 30 tail hairs are pulled from each animal for the follicles, which are then submitted for analysis.
With current genetic techniques, the mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) is tested. mDNA is the power center of the cell and 100-percent inherited from the mother, therefore if the mDNA proves to be cattle then it is an easy decision to cull the animal. About 5-percent of individuals have cattle mDNA and have been culled
Nuclear DNA (nDNA) is the other half of the bison eugenics equation. Current genetic technology allows cost-effective testing of fourteen nDNA markers. 10-percent of individuals were found to have cattle nDNA. Active testing is at an end though sampling continues with the samples placed into storage until such time as genetic technology improves with a corresponding reduction in the cost per test.
Ultimately, do the bison look like bison? Yes, they do and they are above 99-percent pure. The last wild bison herds can be found at Yellowstone and Wind Cave National Parks.
Bob Hamilton relinquished the floor to Dennis Bires who adjourned the meeting for a fifteen minutes break. After the break, Dennis called upon Harvey Payne to introduce our guest speaker, Jenk Jones.
Harvey recalled that Jenk Jones was writing about the need for a preserve when he was a reporter for his family’s newspaper, the now defunct Tulsa Tribune. At the time, Harvey said that it was a deeply unpopular proposal especially since the first plan involved the Government; this plan failed. A second plan involved The Nature Conservancy and a coalition of supporters that succeeded in the purchase of the property that is now the Preserve. Through all this, Jenk Jones and his family were staunch supporters. Jenk has a broad knowledge of Oklahoma history, some of which he shares with us.
The text of Jenk’s talk is reproduced in the article below, Whispering Grass Gets a Voice, with the help of optical character recognition software. After Jenk’s talk we took a break for lunch then reconvened at 1 p.m.
Andrew Donovan-Shead re-introduced the Holland Hall School 6th Grade interactive
information kiosk development team: Today is the day we deploy the kiosk.
We have worked on this project for two school-years. At times it has been like
herding cats with sheepdogs. We had a fun project. We reached the stage where we
metaphorically shot the engineers and went into production. We set a deadline for
completion — today. We added more pressure by inviting press coverage of
the event. Our team has experienced a real-world project. Each member has learned
something of the self. I will let them speak for themselves, beginning with their
teacher, Karen Cochran-Moore.
Karen said:
This is an after school enrichment project. The amazing dedication these
students have shown to this project is proof that they are experiencing
the joy of being creative problem solvers. This is active learning at its
best. Some of the students have even learned advanced programming skills.
They also had to be historians, writers, and graphic designers in order
to create and program the slides. As with any project in the business or
real world, the students encountered roadblocks and difficulties that
they had to overcome, and they did so with perseverance and intelligence.
Andrew accessed the kiosk pages via the docent web-site, using the Research Station computer and overhead projector. Each student talked about one or two of their slides and what they had learned. See this link for the product as installed in the Visitor’s Center: http://www.oklanature.com/kiosk/Topic-Index.html.
Holland Hall School 6th Grade relinquished the floor and proceeded to the Visitor’s Center where they installed the kiosk.
Dixie Collins reports that there was a lot of photography tip input.
Jenk Jones, Van Vives and Harvey Payne all gave great tips. I found it
so helpful — I’m just a
point and shoot
person. My
husband is the one in the family who appreciates the art of photography.
We didn’t go very far; just walked up the road from the research
station a little way.
William Least Heat Moon, in his fascinating book Prairy Erth (a phonetic spelling), dices and dissects Chase County, Kansas, in every way imaginable. Chase County could easily lie just outside this Osage County window — Flint Hills, tallgrass, Indian history, ranching, sparsely settled, oil play, interesting geology and geography.
The author examines Chase County by breaking it into 12
quadrants, each with its own chapter. Before each chapter he cites many
quotations that deal with what is to come in the ensuing pages. In the
unit entitled Bazaar
(named for a tiny community), he chooses such as
these:
Grasses are the greatest single source of wealth in the world.(Agnes Chase, First Book of Grasses, 1959)
In its original state, the tallgrass prairie — also known as the true prairie — was probably the most dramatic of all American grasslands…(Lauren Brown, Grasslands, 1985)
Grass is that indispensable form of plant life without which civilization, as we know it, would not exist.(Sellars Archer and Clarence Bunch, The American Grass Book, 1953)
Grasses are the overseers of the soil.(J.C. Mohler, Grasses in Kansas, 1937)
Every American has the right as part of his cultural heritage to stand in grass as high as his head in order to feel some small measure of history coursing his veins and personally establish an aesthetic bond with the past.(William H. Elder, Needs and Problems of Grassland Preservation, 1961)
The Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve that we see outside this window has been a roaring success. Purchased twenty years ago come October, the land was left without bovines for more than three years to allow native plants stressed from years of cattle grazing an opportunity to recover. It is selectively burned to mimic nature’s random patterns, while intrusive species such as red cedar and post and blackjack oak have been vigorously attacked. With wise management the land has rebounded toward its original botanical cornucopia of more than 750 plant species. It even looks a bit more pristine, as unused houses, a pumping station, a wooden oil storage tank, some pumping jacks and internal fencing have been removed in recent years.
This revitalized land is a haven. Once this spring’s calf crop arrives, more than 2,600 bison will be roaming 24,000 acres. That’s compared to the 300 first turned loose in October 1993 to explore one-fifth of that space. Their grazing habits are part of the trinity that the prairie relies on for healthy conditions, the others being weather and fire. Deer, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, squirrels, turkeys, prairie chickens, quail, doves, eagles, raptors, songbirds, snakes, mice, voles and many aquatic species are but some of the creatures that soar, climb, walk, slither, dig or swim here. So attractive is the tableau — wildlife augmented by hills, forest, waving grasses, flowers, creeks and rock outcrops — that the preserve has drawn visitors from every state and more than 100 nations. It is one of the preeminent salesmen for The Nature Conservancy worldwide, and one of its greatest success stories.
It is also — and this is its primary purpose — a place for science. Specialists and classes come here from near and far to study everything from 1,700-pound bison bulls to tiny prairie mole crickets. Knowledge gained here about restoring land damaged long ago by oil and salt spills will be of widespread benefit. Cattle grazing studies may persuade ranchers to patch burn instead of incinerating all of their pastureland, a change that would leave cover for nesting birds and small critters. Scientists have a place to live here and labs, classrooms, a specimen room, a conference center and a satellite uplink to aid their research and communicate their findings. What is being learned on 39,000 acres of northern Oklahoma could have significant impact on millions of acres and hectare around the globe.
With such a glowing resume, it’s hard to believe the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve almost didn’t happen.
Annick Smith, in her fine book Big Bluestem, wrote, In the
1970s, the National Park Service conducted an inventory of nature
ecosystems within the United States to determine priorities for
preservation. They found that the only substantial biome that had not been
included in a system of national parks and preserves was that of the
tallgrass prairies. Acquisition of prime tallgrass land became their
highest priority. Only three sites were considered possible — all of them
in the prairie ecosystem that ranges from the Flint Hills in Chase County,
Kansas (William Least Heat Moon’s book site), to the unplowable northern
grasslands of Osage County in Oklahoma.
The idea of a prairie park had surfaced as early as the 1930s.
Various efforts in Kansas had met with fierce local hostility to such a
federal project, especially when the rumor surfaced that the government
was considering condemning as much as 350,000 acres for it in Kansas and
Oklahoma. For comparison, that would be nearly a quarter the size of Osage
County, Oklahoma’s largest. Oklahoma had two prospective sites: the
Chapman-Barnard Ranch (this is the Barnard part) and the Foraker Ranch
just northwest of here. But when the federal government was seen as
operating it, the howls that arose would have drowned out a pack of
wolves. Oilmen protested. Cattlemen protested. The Osage Tribe did
likewise. These groups all were concerned that their ways of life would be
adversely affected, and the Osages had little reason to trust Washington
after a history of bent and broken treaties. Harvey Payne, the Tallgrass’
long-time director and one of the few locals who favored the preserve
idea, watched one advocate’s bid unanimously shot down by a tribal council
on the warpath. It was like throwing a goldfish into a tank of piranhas,
author Smith quotes Harvey.
Still, an effort to create a federal preserve inched forward. A series of political tradeoffs and compromises etched out a measure that would call for one of no more than 50,000 acres. The likely land was the Foraker Ranch of the Oklahoma Land and Cattle Company. Oil wells (important for tribal mineral income), cattle grazing, hunting and fishing would be allowed. Most factions winced over specific details, but a successful deal appeared quite possible. A bill for a tallgrass preserve was introduced in the U.S. Senate, area people testified on its behalf and a Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Association was formed to drum up local support. Then out-of-staters in the Sierra Club crashed the party with a set of new demands that shattered the carefully crafted compromise. Political figures and private interests’ support quickly evaporated. The federal goose was cooked. The Foraker Ranch was sold to the Mormons for their cattle operations, taking that prime land out of future consideration.
That left in play only the 29,000-acre Barnard portion of the onetime 100,000-acres-plus Chapman-Barnard spread. J.A. Chapman and H.G. Barnard, wealthy oilmen as well as cattlemen, had treated their vast land lovingly, having the financial underpinning so that they didn’t have to overgraze it in hard times. But they died in the 1960s, and the smaller Barnard portion of the ranch was owned by family members who gradually lost interest in the business. The ranch went up for sale. Mary Barnard Lawrence, who once worked as a cowgirl on the land, pushed to have the Conservancy buy it. Some family members wanted to hold out for more money, but the purchase finally went through.
And what a purchase! Previously the national Conservancy had bought small land parcels to preserve an endangered plant, animal or insect. The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve was its first venture into the big leagues, buying about 45 square miles of land. (Subsequent purchases have added another 10,000 acres, making it approximately 60 square miles.) The Conservancy’s Oklahoma chapter, located in Tulsa, was just three years old and, Harvey says, had to scramble to keep the office doors open. Suddenly here was a project with a $15 million price tag. Even though land prices were at low ebb in Osage County at the time, around $210 an acre, the total required for the land purchase plus establishment of a significant endowment fund, buying heavy-duty equipment, adding miles of fencing, putting in gates and cattle guards, constructing or revamping buildings, paying employees and more was a daunting task.
But it came to pass, thanks to incredible teamwork. Harvey Payne, being a son of Osage County, was the perfect spokesman and salesman for the preserve as its director; people were more comfortable with someone local in charge. His superb photography helped promote what was here to a broad audience. Bob Hamilton, the prairie’s longtime science chief who became director in 2008 upon Harvey’s retirement, has had an outstanding record of achievement here. University of Tulsa professor Kerry Sublette was the driving force behind building this splendid research station. The Oklahoma Conservancy’s early board included nationally known businessmen Joe Williams, Frank McPherson, Len Eaton, Pete Silas and others who reached out across the state and country to bring in essential funds. The national Conservancy named the Tallgrass Preserve one of its Twelve Last Great Places, giving it more credence among those who could make sizable donations. Throw in the land’s fascinating history of Indian peoples, cattle barons, oil kings and a sizzling seasoning of outlaws, and the wind whispering through the grasses tells tallgrass tales to enchant anyone.
The preserve has been a good neighbor, fighting fires with its equipment and — despite being a non-profit — voluntarily paying ad valorem taxes. Those who had opposed a federal park for fear of government infringements found the Conservancy’s private ownership policies much more to their liking. The late Jack Graves, once the strongest foe of a federal park, joined the Oklahoma Conservancy’s board and donated and hauled gravel to build the four scenic turnouts. Our cowboys — local hires, another plus — ride forth (mostly on ATVs and pickups) every day to build fencing, set planned blazes and help neighbors fight wildfies, spray for invasive plants such as sericea lespedeza, and monitor our humpbacked herd. And certainly don’t overlook a decade and a half of enthusiastic docents who have helped bring the prairie and its colorful story alive for our visitors. They — you — are indispensable parts of making this place work. The Tallgrass Preserve needs each of you, and I hope you will dedicate yourselves to working here with some frequency. You are needed!
Take one more look out the window. You see the tallgrass — big and little bluestem, switchgrass, Indiangrass and their many botanical cousins — without which there would be no preserve, no bison, no visitors, no scientists. As those writers mentioned earlier stated, a healthy prairie, covered with lush grasses, is essential to our physical and aesthetic lives. Our preserve is the largest remaining segment of unbroken tallgrass prairie that once covered 142 million acres and spread north from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, west from Indiana into Nebraska. This spectacular land and its wildlife inhabitants will help future generations understand the past and enjoy the present.
So return once more to William Least Heat Moon’s list of
quotations. William A. Quayle in 1905 in The Prairie and the Sea
said, I think the prairies will die without grass finding a voice.
Ladies and gentlemen, as docents, as tellers of the tallgrass story, we give the grass that vital voice.
It’s Not Easy Being Green
As green tech. scales up, environmentalists are facing some tough choices….
[Read the full article, viewing the graphics and other images, by following this link to New Scientist magazine: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227041.300-green-and-mean-the-downside-of-clean-energy.html?full=true&print=true.]
The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Interative Information Kiosk is installed in the Visitor’s Center. As you can see in the photographs taken by Paul Moore, above, it is located on the table in the Nature Room. We are in process of procuring a touch-screen, which we expect to receive in about eight to ten weeks; meanwhile, Bob Hamilton allowed us to borrow an LCD monitor from the Research Station.
Here are the Operating Instructions:
I took this picture on the south end of the Preserve after a huge rainstorm.
The hawk was perched on a corner post. He had his wings spread out with his
feathers fluffed up trying to get dry. He looked miserable. Poor soggy thing!
But it sure made for a great picture. Does anyone know what kind of hawk this is.
Van Vives thinks that it might be a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk.
For those of you unaware, Josie is fortunate to live in the midst of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. She is the daughter of Joe Bob and Carmon Briggs and an occasional contributer to The Docent News. [Editor].
On Monday, 20 April 2009, Van Vives received a breakfast guest at his koi pond and
managed to get these pictures of the Blue Heron. Van said: When I enlarged the head
I saw traces of blood and meat on its beak, so maybe it did get one of my fish!
In the background of the left-hand picture there is what looks like a
Morning Dove sitting on the wooden platform at the head of the waterfall.
Some years ago when I was at Tofino, Vancouver Island, a Native American boatman told me never to point at a Blue Heron otherwise my finger would shrivel and drop off.
This is a review of the visitors signing in during the first three months of 2009. Not surprisingly, January and February had low counts. In January there were a total of 117 visitors from twelve states and three foreign countries. February had only 72 visitors who signed in with four states and four foreign countries represented.
The visitor’s center opened on March 1st, and the season was started for the year. The total number of visitors signing in during the month was 482. There were 22 states represented with the highest counts after Oklahoma (359) being Kansas (29) and Missouri and Texas each with 12. There were 18 visitors from 6 foreign countries. In March, 2008, there were 299 visitors, so hopefully the increase in March, 2009, will be an indication that we can expect higher numbers of visitors this year.
This is a request to all docents, but especially to the new docents who have just joined us. Please ask visitors to be sure to sign the guest register. On occasion a visitor may say that they don’t want to get their name on a list to receive anything, so you can tell them that we do not use the information they give other than to keep a count of visitors based on geographic location.
The number of visitors to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve from South America is shown below:
Back issues of the Docent Newsletter, to February 2009, can be found in the two green and one blue-black zip-binders, stored in the Perspex rack by the file cabinet in the office of the Visitor’s Center.
Deadline for submission of articles for inclusion in the newsletter is the 10th of each month. Publication date is on the 15th. All docents, Nature Conservancy staff, university scientists, philosophers, and historians are welcome to submit articles and pictures about the various preserves in Oklahoma, but of course the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in particular.