Master Naturalists tour Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

The daylong event, led by Oklahoma State University botanist, Mike Palmer, was a combined program activity that included members from the Oklahoma City area Central and the Tulsa area Northeast Master Naturalist chapters.  Both groups were involved in advanced training for the day.

The TGPP is located in north-central Oklahoma in the southern portion of the Flint Hills region of the Great Plains. One of the last remaining extensive tallgrass prairies in North America, the TGPP is owned and operated by the Nature Conservancy.

Master Naturalists, a national organization focused on creating nature ambassadors, is supported by Cooperative Extension Services in nearly every state, and is growing in Oklahoma.  Following basic workshop training, participants give back by volunteering through educational efforts with the public in a wide variety of ways.

“The program offers a series of four daylong workshops that cover basic ecological processes––aquatic, wetland, forest and prairie ecosystems. Participants also attend two or more advanced workshops or field trips that focus on the state’s most outstanding areas such as the tallgrass prairie, cross-timbers areas, eastern woodlands and others,” said OSU Cooperative Extension Services Natural Resources Specialist, Marley Beem.

Oklahoma’s program is offering training over the summer for the first time in the hope of allowing the state’s educators an opportunity to take part, Beem said.  Much of the material presented would be useful in science or ecology classes.

Naturalists at the TGPP were given two morning presentations about the prairie, one that included information about the study of fire instances in the TGPP.  Research is being conducted to determine the historical effect of fire on two oak species throughout the region.  Matt Allen, a student of Palmer’s, is researching a 277-year fire history that includes use of the area as early Osage tribal hunting grounds in the mid 1700s.

Because of vast habitat diversity, more than 750 plant species are found on the prairie land of the TGPP.  Nearly 89 percent of those are native, Palmer said.

Research at the TGPP also encompasses work with grassland birds, small and large mammals including the American bison, termites, the use of patch burning, root fungi and plant viruses, as well as many others.

The Master Naturalist program offers an opportunity to learn of Oklahoma’s unique natural offerings, often in “backstage” settings with state wildlife officials and others who are charged with oversight of the state’s facilities and resources.

“The public is increasingly out of touch with nature, and what is not being experienced is not being valued,” said Beem. “By participating in the Master Naturalist program, you can increase the public’s understanding and appreciation for the natural world by sharing your love for it.”

Beginning the first week of June, the Oklahoma Master Naturalist Program will provide two workshop series designed to certify participants as qualified naturalist educators. Workshops will take place at the Cleveland County Extension Center, 601 E. Robinson, in Norman, and at Martin Regional Library, 2610 S. Garnett Road, in Tulsa.

After certification, participants choose where, how and when they will help enhance public awareness and appreciation of Oklahoma’s natural resources. One popular option for volunteer service is monitoring restored wetland habitats in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Our goal is to encourage a unique experience while providing the background necessary to be an effective, well-rounded naturalist,” Beem said.

Registration at workshops is limited to 25 per session to those ages 18 and older. There is a charge of $50 per person to help meet costs and expenses for training materials. Workshops are also offered in both locations in the spring and fall.  For more information call 405- 255-7016 for central Oklahoma, and 405-744-3854 or 405-255-7016 for northeastern Oklahoma. Information is also available on the Web site at www.okmasternaturalist.org.

The Oklahoma Master Naturalist program gratefully acknowledges support from professionals representing Oklahoma State University; the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation; the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and other organizations.

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CUTLINE INFORMATION:

Matt Allen points out a fire scar on an oak tree to Master Naturalists who recently spent time on one of the hiking trails at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, Okla.  (Photo by Janet F. Reeder)

REPORTER/MEDIA CONTACT:

Janet F. Reeder  BA, MS
Communications Specialist
Agricultural Communications Services
Oklahoma State University
142 Agriculture North
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-3651
Fax: 405-744-5739
E-Mail: janet.reeder@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments Cooperating:  The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, or status as a veteran, and is an equal opportunity employer.