I hope everyone is enjoying the changing of the seasons. There is something special about this time of year that invites reflection. Around campus, the leaves are being blown about and the students are also thinning out as they take finals and then drift back to their homes.

Last month we enjoyed one of the best views in all of Oklahoma – downtown Tulsa framed by the beauty of the crosstimbers. The new Centennial botanical garden and the trail under development there will provide an great opportunity to educate Oklahomans and visitors from around the U.S. and the world about the values and unique features of this “forest of cast iron.” Unless more of us become aware of the existence of the crosstimbers and start to appreciate and enjoy it, we will wrongly assume that it is an unlimited or low value resource. This month is the first time that the northeast chapter has held a monthly meeting in December and it promises to be an interesting and rewarding one. I look forward to seeing you there.

We will share this program with volunteers from the Teaching Gardens and it will be a wonderful Holiday treat.

Presentation: Nature Folktales and "Fact-tales" by Storyteller Fran Stallings

Folktales about nature are easy to learn, easy to tell, and easy to hear. But they do more than entertain, teach content, and inspire respect for our fellow creatures and environment. They also guide us in shaping science facts into "fact-tales" so that listeners can more readily absorb complex ideas. They help us recognize the meaning in masses of facts.

"EarthTeller" Fran Stallings will demonstrate examples from her repertory of folk and fact tales, for our holiday enjoyment and our future application in our Master Naturalist work.

EARTHTELLER FRAN STALLINGS

Fran is a nationally known storyteller, author, and recording artist. her favorite word is "imagination." Using no props or pictures, she paints vivid images in listeners' minds. She tells world folktales and original creations enlivened with audience participation in action and song.

Formerly an assistant professor of biology, she now uses the traditional art of storytelling to impart modern science concepts and content while sharing timeless lessons of understanding and respect for our planet's living things. Her workshops nationwide and overseas have trained teachers, zoo docents, and park rangers. She has produced 3 CDs, published stories and articles, edited books and magazines. Her tales of our fellow creatures and the environment have earned her the title "Earthteller." She lives in Bartlesville, OK. Web Site

Thanks to Joe Rackley for arranging this meeting.

P.S. If anyone else would like a copy of the new expanded “Field Guide to Oklahoma Plants” please send a check for $35 and I can being your copy to the Dec 18th meeting. Otherwise a check for $40 will get it to you through the mail. (check payable to Oklahoma State University and mail to me at 008C Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078-6013)

Marley Beem
Assistant Extension Specialist
Aquaculture / Natural Resources
Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
Oklahoma State University