I am a landscape architecture student at the University of Oklahoma. This is a place where I can explore links and relationships of landscape and Oklahoma.

Jord Wilson

DAYS TILL GRADUATION

Graduate Student of Master of Landscape Architecture;
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design;
Minor in Interdisciplinary Principles of the Environment;
College of Architecture;
University of Oklahoma

wanderings

I was born in Oakland California. I grew up in North Central Washington, in the eastern foothills of the Cascades and on the Columbia River. I graduated from a school of 250 students K-12. I didn't attend college until after I was 30, so I brought to school my experience: garden designer, carpenter, concrete worker, florist, greenhouse manager, perennial expert, shrub and tree salesman, bus driver, truck driver, apartment manager and maintenance man. Frequently I worked 3+ jobs a day during my go-get-'em-like-your-killin' -snakes years. So I was well prepared for the vigor's of the University and the initiation rituals of the Architecture department. I graduated from the College of Architecture with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design and a minor in Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Environment. College has allowed me to bundle my many paths into a single and wide corridor. I started my Master of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Oklahoma in the fall of 2006.

bearings

Knowing where I've been is the easy part. Knowing where I come from and where I am going is the challenge. I moved into a little rent house out in the country about 15 miles south of Norman Oklahoma. During my first winter in Oklahoma, I dabbled in some genealogy. I found two great-grandfathers and their families buried within a few miles of my new home. It was not just serendipity that my internal way-finder connected and centered me in the place of my forefathers. I have a deep connection with this place.

compass

The spirit of place.Present and past human connections influence our lives. Community, family and place are part of our soul. Regional identity is both cultural and physical. The spirit of place is what nourishes our beginings and tethers our world view. It is also that soul and bond that embraces our community. Technology has allowed us to disregard the environmental aspects of place. The media wants us to believe we are a global society and that our world is getting smaller. Our world gets smaller when we exchange our spirit of place for anothers. The spirit of place must be unearthed again to regain the comfort of belonging.

Oklahoma hunting trip or Art?

Plan now to attend the Oklahoma Station of the Safari Club International's annual banquetNatureWorks to hold annual art show in new locationOutdoor CalendarFishing Report

Plan now to attend the Oklahoma Station of the Safari Club International's annual banquetOutdoor enthusiasts can contribute to important projects supported by the Oklahoma Station of the Safari Club International by attending their annual banquet Saturday, March 3 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City."The event plays an important role in generating revenue so that the chapter can in turn lend support to programs for wildlife and outdoor education, said Sam Munhollon, member of the Oklahoma Station chapter's past president council.The Oklahoma Station of the Safari Club International offers support and funding to a number of sportsmen's causes, especially local efforts that benefit the sportsmen and wildlife of Oklahoma. The chapter is a sponsor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Oklahoma Wildlife Expo and a donor to the Hunter's Against Hunger program, which oversees the distribution of hunter-harvested venison to needy families.The organization also helped fund the purchase of an airboat used by the Wildlife Department on waterfowl surveys and other wetland management tasks, and they provided the Department with a 24-foot trailer for use in the Department's Shotgun Training Education Program (STEP). STEP introduces both youth and adults to shotgun shooting techniques and the proper handling of firearms. Additionally, the chapter purchased eight elk for introduction into an existing herd in southeast Oklahoma.The Oklahoma Station of the Safari Club International sponsors the Department's annual youth essay contest. The contest gives youth the opportunity to share their feelings about Oklahoma's outdoors and gives them the opportunity to win great prizes, including a guided pronghorn antelope hunt in New Mexico.One of the highlights of the annual event is the live auction, where bidders have a chance to buy guided hunts in Oklahoma, across the United States and around the world. There also will be a selection of items on the auction block including art, firearms, camping equipment, vacations, jewelry and much more.The banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3, but registration begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the event must be purchased by Feb. 27. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum is located at 1700 N.E. 63rd St. Oklahoma City 73111.For more information or to purchase tickets, call (405) 721-7229, or call toll free 1-800-405-3580. For more information on the Oklahoma Station chapter of the Safari Club International, log on to oklahomastationsci.org.

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NatureWorks to hold annual art show in new locationWildlife enthusiasts who look forward to the annual NatureWorks Wildlife Art Show and Sale in Tulsa each year should note that the 2007 show will be held at a new venue.Slated for March 3-4 at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center, the art show will feature everything from wildlife paintings and photography to sculptures and carvings."Those of us associated with NatureWorks are especially proud of the fact that it is an all-volunteer organization," said Ken Greenwood, senior executive director of NatureWorks.Greenwood said the annual art show is one of the best shows in the nation."It attracts some of the finest artists nationally and internationally," Greenwood said.Art enthusiasts can view entries from last year's art show by logging on to natureworks.org.The annual Wildlife Art Show and Sale, sponsored by NatureWorks, has generated matching grants to assist a variety of state wildlife conservation projects.NatureWorks, Inc., located in Tulsa, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting in wildlife conservation efforts and wildlife education opportunities.Programs such as the Hunters Against Hunger program, the Harold Stuart Waterfowl Refuge Unit within the Deep Fork Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and the Grassy Slough WMA have benefited from NatureWorks' generous support.Hours for the NatureWorks Wildlife Art Show and Sale will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 3 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 4. The Tulsa Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center is located at 6808 South 107th East Avenue (71st and US-169). For more information about NatureWorks or the art show, call (918) 296-4278 or log on to natureworks.org.