Latest / The County Line / The County Line Podcast: Ep. 13

Transcript

The County Line Podcast: Ep. 13 · The County Line

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_03: You're listening to the County Line Podcast, production of the Tulsa County Board of County Commissioners.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: All right, welcome Tulsa County Commissioner District 2 here with uh some very good friends of mine.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I think everybody knows Deputy Chief Mark Van Kuren.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for being here.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: Former science teacher, so he's gonna drop some knowledge on us big time today.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: Uh very honored to have our uh excellent parks director, Matt Hancock, who has really done a fantastic job at not just Chandler Park, which we're gonna talk about today, but really all over Tulsa County, made a big, big difference in uh the way we do business.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I think everybody who visits those parks really see the change, especially at the front door where we have new signs.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: So congratulations on that effort and getting it done.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then we also have Patrick Hayes, who uh this is really his time to shine.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: He is our resident naturalist out at Chandler Park and just the education opportunities and the and the amount of uh work you pour into the children up there throughout the summer programs that we have, uh, but also this time of year where it gets really fun.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: And we uh are gonna talk about one of the premier events that we have at Chandler Park that's really uh grown by leaps and bounds, I think far greater than we ever expected as far as the popularity, uh, the number of community organizations that have gotten involved.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: But I think this is this our 11th annual uh monarchs on the mountain.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: Is that right, Patrick?
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Correct, 11 years running, so in this and the fourth year with the county.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: What'd the first year look like?
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great question.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean, think about this.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: This is a you know 2015, this is a river parks event with uh Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition, um, you know, a small grassroots event to celebrate, you know, the role that Oklahoma plays in the migration.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's gotten such a you know a true love for, you know, when you think about the monarch, it's uh it everybody I've got four-year-olds that know what a monarch butterfly is.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so since then, you know, it's grown quite a bit.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: And then um after year seven, it came to the country with us since so uh you mentioned the Urban Wilderness Coalition, I think JT Darling.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, our president.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Appreciate him and other community uh groups and leaders that have kind of been uh on the forefront of really establishing these events that you want to recognize.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Well, there's a group that I'm always excited about seeing um, you know, the Tulsa Audubon Society has been there since day one, um, River Country Day School has been there since day one.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but we also have some new folks that are joining the table too, and I'm excited to see the Cherokee Nation participate this year.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: The Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma have played a big role in our event as well, and they bring out all their troops to come out, and so that's another one that I always love seeing out there with us.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: We've got some folks from Oklahoma City as well coming out too, um, but the county's well represented too.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: So Stanley.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Matt, you know, logistics challenges, things that we deal with, it's gotten bigger and bigger.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: How do you kind of manage that process, there, Chandler?
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you know, the I think the to Patrick's point, you know, 11 years.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I was at the YMCA when this thing got kicked off over on Turkey Mountain, you know, being at the West Side Y.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and so kind of seeing it full circle.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it was it was underneath the pavilion.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_03: And as it's grown and grown and grown, uh, that's how it ended up at Chandler Park, to be honest with you.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_03: It grew grew to grew to a place where you needed a venue that could hold uh thousands of people, and that's really where we're at.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you'll see anywhere from uh three to four thousand people in the four hours that come through uh Chandler Park.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_03: And that's a a really remarkable opportunity for us as a county.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we do have, you know, although our parks have some niches, and our niche at Chandler Park, I do believe it's that's why we have Patrick and uh Kim out there with both being naturalists and have that opportunity to really think about how that former quarry that really established downtown Tulsa and established the city streets in Tulsa, um, the role it plays from an environmental standpoint and what the county's invested there when it comes to uh the natural, the naturalist side of things, the trail systems, um, the really the outdoors.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we have a rec center and we've got the splash park, but at the end of the day, I mean, a lot of people come to Chandler because of being in that space.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_03: And and Turkey was that space for a long time too, but with the the mass, massive size of what this event's grown to, we just Chandler makes sense.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_03: I mean the relationship having people like Patrick and Kim.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, previous, this was happening previous to me coming to the county, but having leadership from the county want to be at the table and want to be a great partner.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_03: And that's one thing that uh Patrick gets overlooked, I think, when it comes to how we operate as a county is we have our athletics team and we have our naturalists as well.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_03: And our naturalists are going to serve 25, 25,000, 3,000, 30,000 kids a year by going into schools or having camps come to us and things like that.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_03: So we we're serving a lot of kids on a on a daily basis, um, our homeschool programs, things like that.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_03: And it just so happens that we kind of get to kick off this fall with monarchs every year.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_03: Logistically, it's it's not a nightmare.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_03: It's actually it works really well.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we got a significant amount of green space at Chandler.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, the very first thing I saw at the parks whenever I came to the county was monarchs and got to see, you know, that whole hillside filled up with cars and vendors.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, Patrick and these guys are bringing, he's got a great committee of folks, and I think that's one thing that's a logistical uh pleasantry is it's it's not just the county that's leading this effort.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_03: There's a lot, it's not just a vendor showing up on Saturday.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_03: You've got layers and layers of volunteers that have made monarchs monarchs.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_03: And so Patrick has a team of people that he's getting to lead, and that's really what it is.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_03: He's getting to lead this group to make sure that Chandler Park can put our best foot forward, but at the same time, we can be the best partner for folks that are selling plants.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you've got you do have folks like the experiential stuff with the Girl Scouts, where these girls are looking at badging.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_03: I know last year you got to see that.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_03: Some there's some badging opportunities for the scouts.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_03: That's really big.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh painter this year that's going to be doing a painting out there.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, no pun intended.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, Chandler is a place where you can spread your wings.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it really that when I think about Chandler, that's what it is.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: You really can't get back to nature up on that hill.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, a lot of opportunities, just a lot of changes in topography that are out there.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: Anybody who's seen the views out there, a lot of changes there.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: But I I equated, I went, I went fly fishing one time and uh just had a great day catching fish.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: And we turned them all back.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I asked the guide, I said, Hey, do you ever keep them and and uh cook them up?
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: And he said, Absolutely not.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: He goes, these are my business partners.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I think of Chandler, you know, I think of the monarchs and some of these things, these are our clients too.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: They're kind of our business partners up on the hill, and uh we appreciate them.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: So, how can we better, you know, manage that and make the environment better for them?
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: So uh our customers, our constituents in the county get to come up there and enjoy the opportunity to to uh see them, learn about them, and and just enjoy the activities of being out.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: Uh probably more so we got to enjoy as kids.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: I know uh deputy chief kind of grew up in the country too.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: He was a science teacher, so this is probably old hat for you.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: It's right up my alley, you know.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_02: This is the kind of thing that we uh always incorporate into classroom situations, whether it was uh junior high science or high school science, looking at these things.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, the things that you guys are doing out there, it's just a great another great way to showcase all the things that you were talking about with Chandler Park.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: And you talked about the views.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_02: We've got great views of downtown, but then great views of the river and we do and m looking west as well.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, tell us something about these guys, these uh these monarchs.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_02: They this is one of the the most incredible uh migrations of uh living organism uh that we have on the planet, really.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_02: So we'll share a little bit about that.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: I yeah, I think it works really well like when I work with my students, but just as much too, you know, with an adult, because we've all been on a road trip before.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, uh any good road trip is of course, you know, making it to your destination, but it's also the stops along the way.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: And for the monarchs that do make that 3,000 mile migration, um, they have to stop and they have to make those rest stops for uh nutrients and rest and all these things, because you have to think that an insect that is, you know, no bigger than this is going to be, you know, traveling that incredible distance in in a single lifespan.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: And uh to do that successfully, they have to have places like our parks or our neighborhoods or things to to rest and to find resources and ultimately move on like that.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: So they go on a crazy road trip.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: And the thing is is that you know, what I think is so nice is that Chandler Park does get to be a destination for them to stop on that road trip because Oklahoma is special in the sense that we see the migration twice.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: We see it in the fall as you travel to Mexico and then again in the spring when they travel back north.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: So um us having these plants available um in our parks and our neighborhoods, and even just you know, public spaces in general um ends up being a rest spot for you know this amazing creature.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_02: So it's I mean, I I love pizza.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_02: I could probably eat pizza every day, but these guys have a very specific diet that they eat.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: They're they're pretty into one particular plant as well.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_02: Can you talk about that and what we see with milkweed, you know, in the area?
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Trevor Burrus, Jr.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean, kind of back to the road trip, you know, analogy, um, you know, you have to stop at the right place to get what you need, right?
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you can't stop at a hardware store and get, you know, nuts and bolts to eat, like this isn't gonna work.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so you can have a lot of flowers and a lot of plants, but what the monarch needs is a very specific, you know, plant to be able to lay its eggs on and for its caterpillar to eat, and that's milkweed, and more specifically, native milkweed to the area to Oklahoma.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: So uh the greenhorn uh uh milkweed that's here is is a super popular one for them, and that's one that they're gonna look for ultimately and will be able to you know raise their next generation on.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so as long as they have that, um, they will be able to kind of keep continuing their life cycle and their journey.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but just like that rest stop, they've got to find that that slice of pizza for them ultimately.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: Will horse apples work?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: No, you know, that's got that milky stuff as a kid that uh yeah, gets back to the biggest.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_02: They make great baseballs, but I don't think monarchs go for it.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: I think you're right.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh anything, uh one of the things that fascinates me is that they tag these things so they can actually track the migration.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: How in the heck do you wrangle a uh butterfly?
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: Or I assume they've got the little nets, you know.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, my daughter, we used to go out and catch them with those, but it still seems like they're very delicate.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: How in the world do you tag them?
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's one of the best things that you'll get to see in action on Monarchs on the Mountain at 10 o'clock.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: We'll have one of our experts that'll demonstrate, you know, how to tag a monarch butterfly.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: And we're we'll be getting these from the UG butterfly farm out in Bixby, and they'll provide those for us, and then we will demonstrate that and the kids will get to release.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: But if you can imagine, I mean, the butterfly that weighs, you know, almost nothing.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the sticker has to weigh even less than that ultimately.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so once it's placed on that wing, the goal is that when it's when that butterfly is recovered or seen, we can it'll be tracked essentially.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: So um we can know that it landed in Tulsa, then it went to you know Amarillo, and then it made it to the overwintering sites in Mexico.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it's getting to the point too that you know that we have RFID stickers too that you can put on, we'll do the automatic, like um, you know, that'll let them know basically you know where these things are coming from without us having to physically like capture that monarch.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: So the technology is keeping up with it beyond just a little sticker and uh and an Excel sheet ultimately.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: Do they do they kind of follow?
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: I know they follow a migratory pattern, but is it like turtles, you know, the beach that they were hatched on they go back to?
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: Uh is it kind of like that?
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: So last year we were really fortunate to work with a group um from Mexico that um the thing is is that you know, as the monarchs pass through Oklahoma, I mean, we can't just throw our hands up in the air and say, well, we've done our part.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: You know, this is a this is a tri-nation migration from Canada to the United States to Mexico.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so they have overwintering sites in Mexico that are very sacred and very um, you know, threatened ultimately.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: They're they're quite a tourist destination, but uh just like anything else, you know, there's a lot of urbanization that's kind of pushing some of this out.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so there are these refuges and these sanctuaries that the monarchs continue to come back to, you know, time and time again.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: And um that's where they go.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so there's great research that's being done there.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: There's incredible communities that that make their living in some ways based off of that migration and um incredible artists out there.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: So it's very important that the migration extends well past our borders.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: Well, they're they're beautiful to watch, uh beautiful to see migrate.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: What are some of the other benefits that maybe people don't know about monarchs specifically to the environment?
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: I think one thing that I think most of all of our conservation partners can agree with is that you know, monarchs on the mountain is to definitely, you know, highlight and celebrate what it means to, you know, protect a species.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: But the monarch is is the is the key, is the gateway to you know this broader topic of how we um treat our world as far as the environment goes, from our plants to our soil to other animals, mammals, and even each other.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um the monarch really is the key for that.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: It is a symbol of that, you know, internationally at this point.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so um so the monarch does get to be this thing that is a champion really for conservation.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, like I said earlier, you know, if I've got four-year-olds that understand what a monarch is, then we're working in the right direction of them understanding what it means to be, you know, a good steward of our earth and our parks and our planet and even our backyards.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_02: So so when I was a kid, I used to always see horn toads everywhere and we'd catch those, but don't see them so much anymore.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_02: Monarchs, kind of the same thing.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: I used to see them, you know, in pretty high numbers, but now not so much.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: What where are we at as far as you know the prevalency of of these little creatures?
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: So this is you asked this question out a really interesting time, uh, both for Oklahoma and the nation ultimately, because um currently the monarch is being re-evaluated for its status um to be moved from a threatened species to an endangered species.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: And should that change, that's gonna change a lot in how people can handle and do research on these animals.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know, not everybody can just, you know, get a monarch at that point if it's um and then release it.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, this turns into a much more regulated thing.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so, but of course, you know, we don't want it to go to that point.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: We want to improve to at least stay at the point where it's threatened, and we can continue to push that needle forward.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um so it there are less than what we want to see ultimately.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: But I think we should also be proud, too, that a coalition of the Oklahoma Monarchs and Pollinators Collective has put out the uh five-year state action plan as far as how to, you know, from urban environments from organizations to businesses, individuals, how do we approach this and how do we advance this together ultimately?
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so that that plan has been published now and it's kind of debuting in Tulsa on Sunday.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: So outstanding.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's a fascinating conversation.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: Uh a lot to be uh experienced, explored, learned at Monarchs on the Mount, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: Can't thank you both enough for what you do.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: Your teams that'll be out there, uh the the community volunteers that are out there as well.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great event.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's September 19th.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: That's it.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: When does this start?
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: We'll start at nine o'clock in the morning.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: Go to one.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: Nine o'clock.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_03: The best thing is free.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_03: That's one of the best parts of this.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it really is.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we we we do have folks come in from out outside the city.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I say outside the city, we have folks come in from all over the state to the event.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but it is a low-cost opportunity at no cost.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_03: The only thing people are paying for is, you know, if if people want to buy a plant, um, you know, all the vendors have most vendors have something to give away.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's just the opportunity to celebrate this this amazing thing.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um and we're we're excited to, again, to as many things we can do in the county at low cost, no cost.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_03: We want to be able to do that as much as possible and for this to be a free event um important to us.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_03: So somebody come out and spend a day with Monarchs and at the same time come out and you know, come out and go for a hike or come out and see those great views on the lower level and take in that ADA trail or go play around a disc golf.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, there's just there's just so many so much opportunity, um, and hopefully it'll be cooled off by then.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_03: I'm glad you brought us up to do that.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's a great, great point.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: You know, uh, we just went to an event last month, Sharks in the Park, down at Oklahoma Aquarium.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: Free event really reminded me a lot of the events growing up.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's totally free.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: You had a uh community bank that was giving out free hot dogs, so the event was free, the food was free, and there's just not that many opportunities for families.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: And and you see with the economy right now, it is challenging for families, especially when you've got more than two children.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it's difficult.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: It adds up really fast.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so these opportunities, every time we do them, I'm just grateful for what you do that we're able to provide that for our county parks.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: It is a value-added service.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I know we uh every opportunity we can take to provide something free to the community, we do it.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: And it's it's thanks to you guys because a lot of times you're working outside your hours.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it's not a nine-to-five job.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know this, uh, it could be, but you don't make it that.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: You prioritize our constituents and the people there, and you're passionate about what you do.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: So uh thank you very much for doing that and uh making the experience the best it can be.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, we're we're inspiring the future entrepreneurs, future leaders, future naturalists that are uh gonna maintain this place for the the kids of the future and get to enjoy it like we did.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: So uh grateful for science teachers too uh that do a lot of work in the classroom and uh fortunately get a few field trips every now and then to get out and uh actually eat some pizza too, along with looking at the milkweed.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: So uh thank you very much, Patrick Hayes.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: Appreciate you, brother.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh thank you, Matt Hancock.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: Uh just keep up the great work, guys.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you very much.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: Monarchs on the mountain.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you can track this event like all other events at TulsaCounty.org.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: Uh thank you for joining us today on the uh Tulsa County podcast.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: This is the Tulsa County Line signing off.