Oklahoma’s State of Health: The People, the Economy, and the Environment 2018 – 2022 2017 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan The 2017 Oklahoma SCORP This page intentionally left blank. Mary Fallin Governor OKLAHOMA TOURISM AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT Dick Dutton Executive Director Kristina Marek Director, Oklahoma State Parks Todd Lamb Lt. Governor Ronda Roush Commissioner Dr. Rick Henry Commissioner Robyn Batson Commissioner Grant Humphreys Commissioner Xavier Neira Commissioner Chuck Perry Commissioner John “Mike” Wilt Commissioner Gean Atkinson Commissioner STAFF Doug Hawthorne Assistant Director, Oklahoma State Parks Susan Henry Grants Administrator This publication is issued by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation as authorized by the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission. This page intentionally left blank. Oklahoma’s State of Health: The People, the Economy, and the Environment 2018 – 2022 Fatemeh (Tannaz) Soltani, Ph.D. Lowell Caneday, Ph.D. December 2017 Acknowledgements As a part of the legacy of the 1960s, the United States Congress implemented the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission and, for the first time in the history of humans, a nation documented its natural resources with a focus on outdoor recreation. That review led to authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) – a grant program to aid states and sub-state units in acquiring and developing outdoor recreation resources to meet needs of a changing society. Over the balance of the 20th century and continuing into the 21st century, society and technology related to outdoor recreation changed dramatically. Oklahoma has benefited greatly from grants through LWCF, as have cities, towns, and schools across the state. Tennis courts, parks, trails, campgrounds, and picnic areas remain as the legacy of LWCF and statewide planning. Oklahoma has sustained a commitment since 1967 to complete the federally mandated Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) every five years. That commitment has maintained the eligibility of Oklahoma and its constituents to receive LWCF grants. That commitment is noteworthy! Oklahoma has passed numerous milestones, grown in population, and remained committed to outdoor recreation as a major component of life in the state. Evidence of that commitment is shown in securing and managing public resources across the state. However, evidence of increasing stresses and demands for all resources demands significant planning to ensure the health of Oklahoma’s people, its environment, and its economy. The authors desired to meet federal expectations, to represent the interests of Oklahomans, and to present a plan that offers a secure future for Oklahoma and its people. “We know we belong to the land; and the land we belong to is grand.” “In America many would demand what in other lands had been reserved Fatemeh (Tannaz) Soltani, Ph.D. for the few. Parks . are the best Research Assistant Professor expressions of this ideal. They belong to all Americans. There is, then Lowell Caneday, Ph.D. a symbolic significance to public Regents Professor Emeritus recreation that transcends its everyday meaning. In a nation Geography committed to equality . (parks) are Oklahoma State University the poor person’s property.” Stillwater, OK 74078 Alexis de Tocqueville i Table of Contents Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. i Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ ii List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii Foreword: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Executive Summary of the 2017 Oklahoma SCORP ..........................................................6 Oklahoma – The People and Their Health ...........................................................................8 Introduction ......................................................................................................................8 Population Distribution in Oklahoma ..............................................................................8 Race and Ethnicity of the People of Oklahoma ...............................................................8 Disability Conditions among the People of Oklahoma ...................................................9 Health Issues among the People of Oklahoma ..............................................................10 Obesity .......................................................................................................................11 Physical Inactivity ......................................................................................................14 Diabetes......................................................................................................................17 Tobacco Use among the People of Oklahoma ...........................................................19 Social Value and Health Benefits of Oklahoma State Parks .........................................22 Survey of Oklahoma Residents ......................................................................................24 Summary of the Health of the People ............................................................................28 Oklahoma – The Economy and its Health .........................................................................33 Introduction ....................................................................................................................33 Economic Status of the People of Oklahoma ................................................................33 Income Status of the People of Oklahoma .................................................................33 Poverty Status of the People of Oklahoma ................................................................34 Unemployment Status of the People of Oklahoma ....................................................36 Employment Change in Oklahoma ............................................................................37 Oklahoma Travel Impacts ..............................................................................................38 Examples of Economic Impact of Outdoor Recreation .................................................39 Oklahoma State Parks ................................................................................................39 Grand River Dam Authority ......................................................................................40 ii McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System .................................................41 Summary of the Health of the Oklahoma Economy ......................................................42 Oklahoma – The Environment and its Health ....................................................................43 Oklahoma’s Public Recreation Estate ........................................................................45 Oklahoma’s Parks ......................................................................................................49 Municipal Provision of Recreation ................................................................................52 School/Education Provision of Recreation ....................................................................53 County Provision of Recreation .....................................................................................54 State Provision of Recreation ........................................................................................54 Federal Provision of Recreation Resources ...................................................................58 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Tulsa District ........................................................58 U.S. Forest Service ....................................................................................................58 National Park Service ................................................................................................59 Bureau of Reclamation ..............................................................................................60 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ..................................................................................60 Provision of Recreation by Other Agencies ..................................................................61 Oklahoma’s Water .........................................................................................................63 Oklahoma’s Wetlands ....................................................................................................66 Oklahoma’s Campgrounds ............................................................................................67 Health of the Oklahoma Environment ...........................................................................68 Geology and Seismicity .............................................................................................68 Climate and Its Variation ...........................................................................................71 Environmental Health and Outdoor Recreation .........................................................73 Summary of the Health of the Oklahoma Environment ................................................73