The Oklahoma Forestry Services launched a Rural Library Backpack Program in 84 of the state's libraries outside of major metropolitan areas. Kids of different ages can grab a backpack from their local library and get outside to learn about the state's forests and the invasive species creeping in.
This is the first round of backpacks. Oklahoma Forestry Services education coordinator Tony Pascall said there will be more rounds focusing on other topics. But this initial round hits home with the agency.
"I think it's something that captures students' interest, you know?" Pascall said. "I think it's also something that's really important to us at Forest Service about how we want to make sure that our forests and ecosystems are kind of protected."
A U.S. Forest Service grant funds the program, and the state services held a pilot project this past summer. Pascall said, given the opportunity, kids will go outside.
"They'll take their nature journal, they'll take their bug net, they'll go explore and they'll go learn and they'll come up with great ideas," Pascall said. "They're our future stewards, and they'll come up with great ideas for how to solve some of these difficult problems."
There are invasive species problems in the state. Species like redcedars have spread throughout Oklahoma, outcompeting native species, providing prime wildfire fuel and slurping billions of gallons of water along the way.
In the backpacks, which are meant to be kept, are actions for kids and families to take to help curb invasive species. Pascall said it was important for the service for children to bring home activities they can do in their communities.
If a library is not in the program, the state forestry service can send supplies. But he said the grant is specifically for rural libraries, and the agency has enough funding for every library outside of Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
Although the backpack program does not include school libraries, there are other resources available through the services for educators, such as educational trunks.
"We do workshops, and the teachers themselves get a whole lot of the activities that I use to build these backpacks," Pascall said.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
