Documentary About Oklahoma Closing Seven State Parks

I am raising money for...

On August 15, 2011, the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department will stop funding and maintaining seven state parks to save the state $700,000. Across the country this year hundreds of state parks will be shut down or given to other municipalities. These closures or transfers of power will create hardships on the communities and organizations trying to keep open these beautiful parks open.

Towns, Native American tribes and other organizations will take the burden of funding these parks that the state is abandoning. The price of operating each park will cost these groups up to $100,000 per year. While this is a drop in the bucket to the state of Oklahoma, the people trying to keep these parks open will have to come up with the money through fundraising or other means.

When the state decided to close these seven parks, they did not consult with the towns that would be affected by this decision. They chose to do this without research or studies in to how this would affect the surrounding towns.

If the towns choose to let these parks close, the loss of revenue from the tourism created by these parks could cause a great loss of tax dollars. If they choose to fund the parks themselves, the operating costs could deplete their budgets.

My mission is to give a voice to those affected by the state\'s decision to shut down their local parks. I will travel to each park to interview city leaders, park users and locals. While my efforts will not save these state parks from being abandoned by the state, I hope it will raise awareness to possibly save the closure of future parks.

The money collected will go towards...

The donations to this documentary will go to three different areas.

1.    $500 "“ Funding for fuel, camping fees and other daily costs to travel this great state to hear the stories of those affected by the state's decision to close the seven state parks.

2.    $500 "“ Additional equipment purchases to record these interviews. A lavalier microphone, handheld audio recorder, camera batteries and Compact Flash cards will be purchased to ensure high-quality production can be achieved.

3.    $500 "“ Entry fees for DeadCenter Film Festival and other film festivals, converting supplemental 8mm footage of state parks I have found through various sources to digital media and other administrative costs.

Supporters can also help by...

Donating the use of equipment, services or agreeing to be interviewed would be significantly helpful in reaching this goal. Any type of help will be accepted. Email me at [email redacted] if you would like to contribute.