WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE HORNY TOAD? | CAT SHOWS! | THE ELEPHANTS OF HUGO SEP/OCT 2017 $4.95 09> 7825274 66717 Contents SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2017 | VOLUME 67, NUMBER 5 Whatever Happened to the Of Trunk and Triumph 48 Horny Toad? 72 North America’s second-largest herd of Whether you know it as a Texas horned Asian elephants has roamed near Hugo lizard or a horny toad, this Jurassic-looking for decades. Thanks to the efforts of the reptile, once a regular backyard dweller, has Endangered Ark Foundation, these become harder to find in some areas of the pachyderms are thriving, and visitors can state. Are horny toads disappearing from meet them face-to-trunk. Oklahoma, or is it all in our heads? By Karlie Tipton By Chad Love Photography by Lori Duckworth The Gaming of Cats Flight Path 58 The relationship between cat and human is as 81 Norman naturalist and artist Debby Kaspari long as history itself—from their perches at tracks four of Oklahoma’s most elusive bird the right hand of the pharoahs to their current species in this field diary of sketches, paint- status as overlords of the internet. Cat shows ings, and avian observations. like the ones that occur yearly in Oklahoma Story and illustrations by Debby Kaspari take feline fancy to the competitive level. By Megan Rossman If Heartaches Were Horses 68 She grew up riding horses, and through col- lege, they were the axis around which her world revolved. But when Leighona Bernstein took a reining lesson from a Kellyville trainer, she found a different kind of joy in the saddle. By Leighona Bernstein Mommas Charmer, a Savannah cat owned by Deborah-Ann Milette of Shawnee, is one of a rare, expensive breed that began in Ponca City. OklahomaToday.com 3 LORI DUCKWORTH Contents Hennessey Braggs 44 Celebrate two of A perfect natural your favorite vices 35 getaway at this state at this festival. park PAGE 18 PAGE 94 40 Indiahoma 40 6 pt The elk, the elk are calling in Midwest City the Wichitas. Horny toads roam the 35 Air Force base. PAGE 48 Avian Idols PAGE 30 Hugo Debby Kaspari You’ll never forget introduces four stars 44 a visit to these of the Oklahoma bird elephants. PAGE 72 4world. PAGE 81 LORI DUCKWORTH LORI DUCKWORTH LORI DUCKWORTH Oklahoma City Zoo, page 23 Wild Heart Ranch, page 33 French Hen, page 44 17 Routes 29 Roots 41 The Menu Guests find sanctuary in nature at Thebugling elk of the Wichita Side dishes long have been relegated Greenleaf State Park in Braggs; new Mountains are making a scene; to the back of the menu, but no releases fill readers, watchers, and bakers’ Annette King has built Wild Heart more: These crispy, spicy, gooey, hearts with joy; For Claws and Paws Ranch into one of the best wildlife puffy, and yummy dishes are as good collars and leashes add color to any dog’s rehabilitation centers in Oklahoma; as any entrée, so find the perfect one life; the Oklahoma City Zoo hosts some artist Matt Moffett captures the spirits for you; the French Hen in Tulsa of the cutest critters in the state; fishing of beloved pets on canvas; Brian serves extraordinary steaks, desserts, spots along this boat trip will have travel- Neagle treats each rescue animal with and more without the attitude; and a ers hooked; and nothing tops Tulsa’s love and dignity; and “Hawk,” a poem recipe for the birds from Jones Seed Turkey Mountain for outdoor fun. by Richard Dixon, takes flight. Company in Lawton. ON THE COVER: Tulsa artist Matt In Every Issue Moffett, executive director of the Tulsa Girls Art School, painted the 6 Contributors oil on canvas Scuba Steve: Aviator Extraordinaire—depicting a long- 8 Point of View haired Chihuahua—for an old friend who belongs to a family 10 Welcome of pilots. Read more about Moffett’s animal 12 Feedback portraits in Sheilah Bright’s story “Paw 91 To-Do List Prints” (page 36). 104 Lost and Found 4 September/October 2017 Beans, corn and squash comprise “the Three Sisters” – a staple of Chickasaw gardens. TASTE theSEASON ENJOY AUTUMN'S GARDENS Explore our Village Gardens at harvest, ripe with beans, corn and squash. (Planted together, THE THREE SI STE RS help each other grow.) See vegetables on the vine, herbs and native plants. Learn growing methods and enjoy harvest-inspired cuisine in Aaimpa’ Café. Don’t miss our FALL FESTIVAL OCT. 21. ChickasawCulturalCenter.com • Sulphur, Oklahoma • 580-622-7130 UNI_17-CNC-068_OK_Today_Sept-Oct_FP4C.indd 1 7/19/17 4:44 PM Contributors HEN JAMES PRATT arrived Wat Tinker Air Force Base in July 2017, he didn’t know what to Since 1956 expect. “I couldn’t bring my truck in, MARY FALLIN, Governor so I had to carry all the equipment I might need,” he says. Despite the se- curity, Pratt wasn’t photographing a military official or foreign dignitary: He was there to find out “Whatever COLLEEN McINTYRE Happened to the Horny Toad?” Director of Operations (page 48). “When I was growing STEVEN WALKER up, I saw horny toads all the time,” WALKER CREATIVE, INC. Art Director Pratt says. “You don’t really see them in central Oklahoma anymore, but MEGAN ROSSMAN, Photography Editor NATHAN GUNTER, Managing Editor there are about fifty-four living right KARLIE TIPTON, Associate Editor KAY PRATT KAY there on the base.” SARA COWAN, Factchecker LEIGHONA BERNSTEIN, Editorial Assistant BECKY CARMAN, MARCIA PRESTON, and SANDRA SOLI, Copyeditors CLARA LINHOFF, Editorial Intern DEBBY KASPARI, A nature artist Contributors and writer based in Norman, has done BROOKE ADCOX, SHANE BEVEL, SHEILAH BRIGHT, a lot of traveling for Oklahoma Today TRISHA BUNCE, JACLYN COSGROVE, SUSAN DRAGOO, LORI DUCKWORTH, JOHN JERNIGAN, over the years. This time, she set out BRIAN TED JONES, PRESTON JONES, DEBBY KASPARI, in search of four elusive bird species. RANDY KREHBIEL, QURAYSH ALI LANSANA, JIM LOGAN, MELISSA LUKENBAUGH, TOM LUKER, “Drawing birds from life takes good JEANETTA CALHOUN MISH, REBEKAH MORROW, reflexes, luck, and a fast pencil,” she MARK W. NAULT, JAMES PRATT, ROBERT REID, JJ RITCHEY, DYRINDA TYSON, and SCOTT WIGTON says. “I sketch through a field scope and keep my eye on the bird until the initial shapes are drawn. I can’t see BRIDGETTE SLONE, Production Manager what I’m doing, so it’s a surprise every DANEKA ALLEN, Advertising Account Executive KERRIE BRINKMAN-WHITE, Advertising Account Executive time.” Working on “Flight Path” (page BLAKE PARKS, Advertising Account Executive 81), she had a memorable encounter in one of her favorite sketching spots: CAMILLE WALLACE, Circulation Manager the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. “I found a breeding pair of vireos with Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department DICK DUTTON, Executive Director a favorite perch and hung out for a few hours, drawing the male every time he Tourism and Recreation Commission LT. GOV. TODD LAMB, Chair flew up to sing.” Readers also can see GEAN B. ATKINSON, ROBYN BATSON, Kaspari’s work in the recent release RICHARD G. HENRY, GRANT HUMPHREYS, A. XAVIER NEIRA, CHARLES H. PERRY, Thoreau’s Animals. MIKE KASPARI RONDA R. ROUSH, and MIKE WILT To contact Oklahoma Today staff by email: [email protected]; [email protected]; and [email protected] Oklahoma Today’s awards include twelve 2016 Oklahoma Society of HEN EDITORIAL ASSIS- Professional Journalists awards, including Best Magazine; the 2015 TANT Folio: Designer of the Year award; seven 2015 International Regional W Leighona Bernstein— Magazine Association Awards; seven 2014 IRMA awards; a 2014 Folio: Top Women in Media award; seven 2014 Great Plains Journalism a Colorado native—was hired in awards; twenty 2014 Oklahoma SPJ awards, including Best Magazine; a 2013 Western Heritage Wrangler award; 2012 Wilbur award from the December 2015, she had no idea Religion Communicators Council; IRMA Magazine of the Year 2012, the ride she would be in for with 2010, 2005, 1996, 1994, 1993, and 1991. Oklahoma Today. “It feels like I Oklahoma Today (ISSN 0030-1892) is published bimonthly: in January, March, May, July, September, and November by the State know more about this state than of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, 900 North Stiles Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73104. POSTMASTER: many of the people who are from PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, here,” she says. From a feature on AND ADDITIONAL ENTRY OFFICES. Send address changes to Oklahoma Today Circulation, P.O. Box 1468, Oklahoma City, OK Oklahoma pop artist Ed Ruscha, to 73101. Oklahoma City Advertising Sales Office, P.O. Box 1468, Oklahoma City, OK 73101, (405) 522-9535 or (800) 777-1793. “If Heartaches Were Horses” (page Subscription prices: $24.95 per year in the U.S. U.S. copyright © 2017 68), and many writeups in between, by Oklahoma Today. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Oklahoma Today is not responsible for the care or return of unsolicited her editorial wanderings have taken materials of any kind. In no event shall submission of unsolicited material subject Oklahoma Today to any claim or holding fee. Payment her all across the state. “In learning is upon publication. Visit OklahomaToday.com. about your subject matter,” she says, “you always learn a little bit about LORI DUCKWORTH yourself along the way.” 6 September/October 2017 Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Plan your Pioneer Woman adventure at Travel OK .com/Pioneer. Conoco Museum Woolaroc Marland Mansion Pawnee Bill Ranch Trace the epic history Discover native Explore the Tuscan-style, Witness Wild West of oil exploration at this & exotic wildlife at this 43,000-sq.-ft. palace trick roping, shooting, cutting-edge museum 3,700-acre preserve of a 1920’s oil baron riding, cowboy ballads & world-class museum & more Point Of View Okie’s Best Friend Photograph by Yuko Smith According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, Oklahoma ranks tenth in the nation for dog ownership.