Kim Baker's Photography Blog

Oklahoma has abundant water. Unfortunately, the water resources of Oklahoma are not evenly distributed. As Oklahoma moves forward, the State’s future depends greatly upon our water resources and its management.  An informed citizenry is also a prerequisite for moving forward. If the public does not care about their water enough to be engaged in its conservation or too busy to pay close attention to what their state leaders are doing to safeguard its sustainability, then Oklahoma’s water resources are at risk of being exploited, degraded and sold for far less its true value.

I have been involved in the Oklahoma water resource community for over ten years. I have worked to document Oklahoma’s rivers, and have donated the use of my work for water conservation purposes to many different groups and state and federal agencies. I was a regional discussant in the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan and an Oklahoma Academy Water Town Hall participant; I have insight into one of the most vexing problems that plaque environmental group, both local citizen groups and state agencies – lack of public awareness. 

The idea began to form in my mind about an image-based project that would capture the attention of the public and show the world the value in saving our ecological resources. The idea for the Oklahoma Conservation Photography Survey was born. The OCP Survey’s pilot project is the Pennington Creek Project – its mission – use photography to raise awareness about how unique and special Pennington Creek is and how it is essential that it is protected against environmental degradation.    

The first time I ever saw Pennington Creek was during a group tour of Devils Den. I had heard of Devils Den before ever hearing about Pennington Creek. My mother used to tell me about a place her and my dad and grandparents used to go for outings, called Devils Den near Tishomingo.  Devils Den was a popular recreational area in the 1950’s and I have a picture of my mother at about twenty, wearing cute white shorts and a white blouse with ruffled sleeves posing coyly in front of a line of the huge granite boulders. I tried to identify the exact place she was standing, but none of the granite outcrops that dominate the rolling landscape matched the picture.  The current landowner, one of Pennington Creek’s staunchest allies and one of Oklahoma’s great water advocates, conducted the tour and pointed out all the unique features that make the area so special.

Before my next trip to Pennington Creek, I plotted my route on my Oklahoma Backroads map with a pink highlighter and made plans to explore all the country roads that crossed, followed or ended at Pennington Creek. My first stop was the Tishomingo Fish Hatchery where I photographed a beautiful waterfall along a nature trail that parallels the clear-running stream. The diversity of the flora and fauna struck me as I composed my picture trying to include as many plant species as possible while balancing on streamside rocks slick with moss and that slimy gunk left when water recedes.

On a subsequent trip, I briefly toured Slippery Falls, but it was the height of summer and Boy Scout camp was in full swing, and harsh glaring sunlight made good pictures impossible. But the wide falls that stretch across the width of the creek and the enormous granite rocks that line the banks of Slippery Falls Boy Scout Camp are imprinted in my mind and I have wanted to return there to photograph ever since.   

Last June, a fellow water advocate who owns land along Pennington Creek where water from Pilot Springs merges into the mainstream, commissioned me to photograph the diverse stream on the family ranch. The landowner is naturally concerned about the water of the Arbuckle- Simpson Aquifer that feeds Pennington Creek, Pilot Springs and other spring-fed creeks and streams in the area. The rich ecological diversity that makes the area so special is utterly dependant on water from the aquifer.

My enchanted with Pennington Creek only increased after my next two trips there to visit the ranch and photograph Pennington Creek and Pilot Springs. I met with the landowner and a small group of Johnston County residents who are fellow water advocates.  A videographer made one of the coolest video’s I have ever seen of Pennington Creek and Pilot Springs. Please check it out here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABXHtlBHISk