Chickasaw National Recreation Area

In the hot, dry prairies of southern Oklahoma, this recreation area offers an oasis of mineral and freshwater springs and creeks. Each year, nearly two million people boat, swim, and fish in the Lake of the Arbuckles, within the recreation area. TPL worked to expand the recreation area by adding a sloping parcel of cedars and hardwoods, interspersed with grassy meadows and small ponds in 1991. As the highest land east of the lake, the Park Service wanted to see it protected to prevent development and preserve views from the lake.