By Bryce C. Hulsey

A common message that I heard and saw in the crowds was: Can we do this again soon? Some wanted to come back next week also. Most seemed very pleased at the outcome and the efforts to help in bridging the gap for some -- many who had never touched an alligator, seen an eagle up close, shot a weapon, caught a fish or paddled a kayak.

Another Wildlife Expo comes to a close, to the joy of many who organized and put it on. Thank you, Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation, for tons of hard work and labor poured into this event to make it a success. You have put together another one of our states' best efforts to inform citizens on the many activities and work that goes on in the wonderful state of Oklahoma!

School Day on Friday is a little crazed as over 10,000 kids scramble to see what they can see and do. With more than 40 agencies from local, state and federal, present and many privately owned companies, were on hand to help out and raise awareness and hopefully make for a pleasant day too.

This is what I observed in my rounds between working the Dept. of Environmental Quality booth and running recycling operations. The children for the most part were in awe, kinda like a damp sponge on the edge of a grape juice spill, SOAKING IT UP! Their happy faces were only soured when it was time to leave to go back either to home or school.

There were several incidents of misbehavior that I heard about only secondhand, but, for the most part, I saw nothing but good behavior and a thirst to do and know more! If you think about it, you take over 10,000 kids and thrust them into some unknown then something's going go awry! Next year send more parental units to supervise activities!

Throughout the event's three days, I noticed it over and over with each passing moment -- even the adults that hadn't had the exposure to our great outdoors, were lapping it up!

Usually I asked most everybody I talked to where they were from. For the most part it was a fair Oklahoma representation; Guymon to Sallisaw and Hollis to Dewey, even Frogville! Some even said that this was way better than the State Fair and sure a lot more fun too.

Let us work now toward applying some thought on things learned that will make a difference in children's lives in our state.

On a recycling note, this was a formidable task for me, as I was emptying recycle bins and trying to show people how to recycle at a large event. I noticed that even some vendors that had been "a stick in the mud" at past Expos were helping out. So credit that as a major success! There is hope that even an old dog can learn a new trick or two.

Comments from some parents included "WOW, great job Oklahoma!" "Wish they had thought of this a long time ago!" "How do I get to the _______?" "Do you know where and how to get my water well tested?" "What is this Ozone Alert thing?" "Where do I recycle my TV?"

Now I ask for you to show your support -- call, write and/or e-mail your elected officials in Oklahoma City to support this kind of effort for now on!