THE STATE PARKS: INVALUABLE GEOLOGICAL SHOWROOMS AND CLASSROOMS

There are no national parks or monuments in Oklahoma; however, like the national parks elsewhere, many of Oklahoma's state parks are natural showrooms and classrooms for geology. Indeed, many are state parks because of their spectacular geology. For example, Black Mesa, the highest point in Oklahoma, is a Tertiary basalt flow that caps Mesozoic dinosaur bone- and track-bearing strata. Alabaster Caverns is the only developed gypsum cave in North America. Hourglass selenite crystals can be collected in alluvial sand near Great Salt Plains. And the museum at Lake Murray displays the largest meteorite (Cretaceous) ever found in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) publishes several guidebooks and pamphlets for the public on the geology of some of the more popular state parks. Recently, the OGS published booklets on other popular "natural" areas including a large city/Corps of Army Engineers park (Arcadia Lake) in a suburb of Oklahoma City, a national wildlife refuge (Wichita Mountains), and reserves owned by The Nature Conservancy (e.g., Tallgrass Prairie). The format varies from professionally edited and formatted guidebooks to informal open-file reports. The audience for these reports is the casual visitor; teachers and students; and park professionals, volunteers, and docents. OGS staff frequently lead field trips for these groups. The publications and field trips are designed to describe the geology and stratigraphy of the park, explain fundamental geological principles in terms of what can be seen in the rocks, and point out the important role of geologists in today's society.

Writing for the public about the geology of one or several outcrops in a park or an entire park can be an excellent exercise for undergraduate and graduate students. With close early guidance, repeated reviewing and rewriting, and later editing, student "papers" can form the basis for a publishable guidebook.