Superintendent - Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway WHAT DEANA OBERHEU (B.S. in wildlife management, '95; M.S. in wildlife science, '99) does for work is not much different than what she does for fun.

One night last summer, Oberheu was setting a mist net over a creek to monitor bats in the Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway near Quitaque (pronounced "Kitty-Kway"), where she serves as park superintendent. On another evening after work, she enjoyed wading in the park's Lake Theo with her 4-year-old son, Grant, to catch frogs.

"I work in a really cool place, and there's always an opportunity to get outside," said Oberheu.

Outreach. Oberheu first joined the park staff in 1999 as a park interpreter, conducting tours and outreach educational programs. "The most fun was seeing the kids' eyes light up when they would learn something or see something new," said Oberheu. 'They really like skins and skulls. I guess it's because they can see and touch them in a safe environment."

Two years later when she was named assistant park manager, she attended six months of peace officer training in Amarillo to meet the law enforcement duties of her new post. She has been park superintendent since 2005.

Red-Rock. Tucked in the Texas Panhandle about 95 miles northeast of Lubbock, The 15,313-acre Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway annually attracts about 75,000 visitors. The park encompasses a part of the Caprock Escarpment, a dramatic geological dividing line between the High Plains to the west and the Rolling Plains to the east. Hikers, bikers and horse riders enjoy 90 miles of various grade trails that wind through the park's prairies and canyons and to the top of the red-rock escarpment.

Oberheu's enthusiasm for the outdoors developed while growing up in Ruidoso, New Mexico. She settled on a wildlife management major after first reading the class descriptions in the course catalog during her first semester at Texas Tech University.

Scholarship. While attending the university on a scholarship that reduced out-of-state tuition to the instate rate, Oberheu worked with graduate students on research projects. During her senior year, she was a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service co-op student assigned to Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado. One of her favorite projects at the refuge was trapping Swainson's hawks, ferruginous hawks, great horned owls and other raptors for study and research.

After completing her master's degree, Oberheu temporarily worked for the Water Department of the City of Lubbock on a special project to develop a water-wise landscaping program. The plan centered on incorporating native plants that are drought and heat tolerant and require minimal watering.

Natural Resources. She then moved to Quitaque to start her venture with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Despite her management duties that require some desk duty, Oberheu tries to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

"I really like being out and about. My favorite part of the job is knowing that we are managing natural resources for people to use," said Oberheu.

Written by Laura Gutschke / Photography by Artie Limmer

Editor's Note: For a full version of this Lankmarks article, please see http://www.depts.ttu.edu/agriculturalsciences/Landmarks_2008/index.php