As a graduate assistant, I have had the opportunity to be associated with a variety of research projects in the Oklahoma state park system. I was recently at an Oklahoma state park collecting data and conversing with visitors of all types, discussing their opinions related to environmental ethics, attachment to place, and recommendations to secure outdoor recreation for future generations. A frequently discussed topic is the role that a park has had or still has in the lives of these visitors; such a topic often leads me to spending extended periods of time listening to memories retold. It is interesting to hear the various roads and routes people take in life and how and when parks intertwine with such importance. In a way I expected, but still was taken by surprise, when I was asked by a tent camper what parks meant to me. At the time I lightly touched base on some generic viewpoints I hold dear as to why parks are important, but I limited my response to avoid personal introspection and continuing on a conversation that had already lasted for half an hour. Most park users are social and they thoroughly enjoy spending evening hours discussing whatever is on their mind.
It took introspection to understand that while I valued parks, I had underestimated their role in my life. As a child, I was what most people would deem a “normal” boy, as I loved being outside and getting dirty. As a youth, my family lived in rural areas and my brother and dog were my fellow explorers as we wandered through the piney woods and discovered every element of the lakeshore. We were enveloped in nature, the woods were our backyard, and the lake was our local playground. As children, we caught every animal we could get our hands on, lifted every moveable rock, fished every nook and cranny, and memorized various mazes through the trees. Often we would return home hours later caked with grime and dirt and would receive the water hose treatment before my mom would permit us to walk through the house to the bathroom.
We attempted to create pets from wild reptiles and grow plants from seeds we found in an abandoned shed nearby. Our family was poor, but our parents were fantastic in that they never restricted our interaction with nature, despite my mother’s winces when we would return home cut or gashed from our adventures. We never visited a “park” per se, but rather created our own as we connected to nature in our own way.
As we grew older and moved several miles across the southwest, we began to travel more often, including state parks, wilderness areas, lakes, wildlife refuges, and the like. Before I ever knew the concept of “leave no trace,” my parents instilled in me the idea that we should always leave every place in better shape than we found it. This philosophy still pervades as I continue to pick up trash when I visit parks when staying as a researcher or visitor.
To me, parks are a place of respite, they represent everything each of us should seek, a place to forget obligations and enjoy the beautiful places that our society was progressive enough to set aside for enjoyment. While our society often seeks other outlets to overlook obligations, I revel in hearing the birds chirp their daily songs, watching leaves blow in the fall breeze, and lying on a cool bed of grass tucked under the shade of an old red oak. Parks are my home, no matter where I am in on the map or in my life. As each season turns into the next, the parks transform into entirely new places. I simply cannot wait to see the changes nature has set in motion. The natural and cultural landscapes that make up the local, regional, state, and national parks offer experiences that one cannot express. You must be there and breathe the air and see the sights.
Throughout the last four years, I have had the amazing opportunity to conduct research throughout the state park system in Oklahoma. As I share my visits to the various Oklahoma state parks via photographs, I cannot help but snicker as people attempt to guess where I have been. Is that California? Wow, you went to Louisiana! When were you in Montana? Although these places are special in their own way, this confusion speaks to the lack of knowledge of what is in our own back yard. Oklahomans are not alone in the fact that people simply do not know what amazing opportunities await them in the parks, within a short drive! Parks have demanded an advocate, a role that I have taken on as I continually pour forth information to everyone I talk to. As a society, we were lucky to have progressive individuals and groups that sought to set aside these important assets. The conservation and preservation ethic meant providing these natural resources for future generations to enjoy.
To me, parks mean that our society values natural wonders, historically and culturally significant places, and having space to simply enjoy the outdoors. Having parks mean that we understand the value in common places to commune with nature and socialize with friends and family. The spirit of the parks that we have set aside must be observable in the people that enjoy and visit them. Supporting the parks through a variety of means enables us to share these experiences and places with others.
I no longer attempt to make pets of all the wildlife I come in contact with as a park visitor. Instead of bringing home rocks and sticks, I bring home pictures. I have learned to be a responsible adult in these beautiful places, but am still childlike in my wonder and awe as I explore new places and old. To me, parks are places where I feel like I belong. I look forward to visiting a new park in my travels or visiting the local one day in and day out. Parks, to me, are my life philosophy in real time movement. They welcome anyone and only ask that you respect the resource as you enjoy it. The fresh air becomes part of you and the aesthetics overtake you.
Parks can teach us much, if we are willing to be patient and listen. They offer a lifelong connection to something meaningful, something grand, something we can become a part of and that may become a part of us. Parks mean something special to me, and I can only hope that through working hard in education to instill philosophies of conservation, preservation, and sustainability, that I may be help share what is so wonderful about parks. I can only hope that others continue to seek out these opportunities and discover what parks can and do mean to them.
Michael Bradley is a graduate student at Oklahoma State University.