September 1, 2012

This issue of This Land is all about water—how we store it, how we use it, who owns it, and who wants it back. OVER THE AQUIFER: Wil Hylton taps into the issues surrounding the diminishing aquifer of the Great Plains. TROUBLED WATERS: Contributing Editor Ginger Strand puts this history of Oklahoma lakes in perspective. THE LAST OF KENTON: Sheilah Bright visits drought- and grief-stricken Kenton, a Panhandle town on the verge of losing it all. JEWEL OF DENIAL: Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson recalls a once-pristine Illinois River. LIKE WILDFIRE: Sheilah Bright grabs a camera and a pen to capture the devastation left in the wake of the recent Creek County fires. ORIGINAL OKIE: Nathan Poppe photographs Ferris O’Brien, an Okie music enthusiast and owner of the independent radio station “The Spy” in Oklahoma City.