Journalist: Kameron Sanders (TCC)
Recently, some friends and I decided to start hiking and set goals to hike the Big Bend,
Zion National Park, and other ambitious locations. Before that could happen, we needed to start
small in our home of Oklahoma. During an OIL meeting, my fellow delegate members suggested
I write a bill that would create a travel program of the top hiking trails in Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, due to being unprepared to refute some questions, my bill did not pass the senate.
However, I received a lot of complements and encouragement to amend my bill and bring it back
to the senate for next session.
The purpose of my bill is to create a system of state park hikes and trails though
TravelOK and the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (OTRD) called “Oklahoma’s
Great Hikes.” Through the bill, TravelOK will create a digital passport system on their TravelOK
phone app to track and record the progress made by participants. This passport is similar to the
Route 66 passport and badge system created by TravelOK but will focus primarily on Oklahoma
state parks and hiking trails. The bill entitles approved concessionists, such as licensed gift shops
affiliated with the state parks or venders such as Mythic Press, to create and sell merchandise
with the Oklahoma’s Great Hikes name along with the name of the state park. I added that a
percentage of funds received from this merchandise will go towards the OTRD for the sake of
maintaining the upkeep of the selected parks.
I received suggestions for an amendment that I agree with. In the amendment, TravelOK
has the choice to rotate and select other trails for the sake of variety. This changes the passport
system and needs to be planned properly. In my mind, the rotation of different parks and trails
will need to result in a new passport to include these new areas. If I decided to include and
follow the amendment the new passports will be posted on the TravelOK phone app at the beginning of the new year, however the decision will be made to close the old passports or leave
them open for people to finish.
In the end, I feel that I should amend my bill due to the repose from other delegate
members. By amending the bill and better preparing for the time-for-questions process, I
certainly believe that my bill will pass the senate.