I’ve
chosen to study Raccoon Creek State Park for several, mostly personal reasons.
I grew up in this park – it was the first place I remember fishing with my
family; I got my mom to drive me out to their Soldier and Sailor Days when they
had re-enactments and displays for every war from the American Revolution
through Desert Storm; I’ve hiked the nearby Wildflower Reserve enough to know
exactly where I am and where to go from every point; I’ve mountain biked the
few miles of trails they have, and despite being some of the worst trails
around, they’re still a perennial favorite of mine.
But
for all that, there’s so much to the park I didn’t know existed, really, until
recently: there’s 40+ miles of hiking trails I’ve never hiked; there’s campsites
at which I’ve never camped; there are events I’ve never attended or knew about.
So, in a way, this is my chance to get to know my favorite park even better.
But
I also want to make sure those experiences – the ones I’ve had and the ones
I’ve yet to have – are available for others. Raccoon Creek State Park is not an
unknown park, but if I can live my whole life that close to it and have
experienced it so little, I can bet others have too. So I want to help put it
even more in the public eye. If I can study some aspects or parts to it and
make it more relevant to even more people, if I can understand what it has to
offer and promote visitation by whole ranges of people, I can help ensure not
only it’s survival – which I doubt is in jeopardy – but can perhaps help it
thrive.
If
nothing else, I intend to find out.
