Visitors Guide to Okiboji

A tourist information sign over a flowering bush

When you walk through the portal leading to the Okiboji Powerplant Site, you find yourself in front of a small wooden building sheltered under the canopy of the still-growing Power Plant. Upon walking inside, there is a semi-circular desk in front of you. Its surface is covered with a variety of brightly colored flyers and brochures detailing the town's history and sites of interest.
Curled up on the edge of the desk is a Pastry Chef litmon. It sleeps wrapped around the plate of pastries available to guests coming through the visitor's center. Behind the desk hangs a poster advertising the most current show in town and a seated person who looks up at your entrance with a smile.
"Welcome to Okiboji. We've put together brochures for you, and I'm always here to answer any questions. Try one of the cookies. They're one of my favorites."

Overview

Long before Okiboji^* was known for the Power Plant ecosystem growing up around the Iowa Great Lakes, they were known for their water-based tourism.
In the aftermath of the The Third Word War, some of the resulting changes in the local climate made the Lakes more prone to flooding. The research into the area indicated that installing a Power Plant in this location might help bring stability to the region, and in turn bring back the population that drifted as tourism dried up.
The new Okiboji has grown to reflect the people who came there. Both those who revitalized the old industries that drew so many people the area initially, as well as those who entered the town anew with fresh ideas. Bringing together the new and the old with flare and creativity is at the core of what it is to be a Panda, after all.

Establishment of the Power Plant Ecosystem

After the population decline occurred, those who remained in Okiboji grew even closer. While they didn't turn against the rest of the world in the way many in their situation would have done in the past, they were divided as to how best to resolve the situation. The only thing they knew was that any solution would come best from within their own community.
Therefore , when the representatives from the Houses arrived with the Power plant proposal, they weren't welcomed warmly. Wariness and a tentative willingness to listen was the best they could offer at the outset.
A series of meetings followed, both with the officials representing each of the neighboring municipalities as well as a series of Town Halls involving the rest of the population. Eventually both sides reached an agreement deemed beneficial to both sides, where the Houses provided the support the area and population required to keep the area viable until the Power plant could be grown, and the population helped provide the materials and labor required for the initial installation.
After their initial negotiations, most of the ongoing discussions have largely been between representatives from House Ailurus and a group of representatives from each area who were present for the initial meetings.
Once the Power plant helped to stabilize the area, that further increased the trust the population had in the Houses. Some of those who had left the area for more stable employment returned once the town again became profitable. New people, with new ideas from other places in the Protectorate moved in and changed the shape of tourism in the area to not just revitalize the old forms of tourism that had built the town up, but added new creative endeavors that reshaped what the town became known for.
^*- Also frequently referred to as Spirit Lake. Nova in particular is more likely to use this name for the location

Known Flora and Fauna

Some of the commonly found flora and fauna in the area include:

Late July through Mid August are the time to visit if you'd like to see the sunflowers blossom.

Meanwhile, during the autumn, goldenrod and asters provide a carpet of color. The asters in particular were chosen as a part of the local community effort to support the butterfly and moth populations. While both are common during the autumn growing season, the goldenrods' growing season is longer.

To further continuing supporting growth in the Monarch butterfly population, milkweed is left to grow wild throughout the region.

Wild bergamot grows here during the summer months, and not only is this wildflower frequently used in the makings of tea, but it also goes into many of the baking and cooking experiments that occur within the kitchens throughout the Protectorate.

Other botanical exports include mulberry, which feeds small producers who sell silk in small batches to Artisimancers and other handcrafters; wild rose that produces the rose hips that is frequently used as an ingredient in tea blends sold throughout the Realm; and catnip, most of which goes into Catnip Tea, sold largely to help with stress and anxiety, and occasionally has wholly different responses amongst Werecats

The area has long drawn fisherpeople all year round, and the lakes are full of fish such as perch, walleye, bluegills, and northern pike. There have been speculation of fish not seen for decades returning to the waters in the aftermath of the Power plant installation.

Sites of Interest

The Boardwalk

Boji Bay Craft Brewery - It has been said that the waters from the Lakes had a special quality to them that made the local brews taste better, and after the Power plant, this became even more the case. It is said there's magic in the water now, though few people really believe it. Those who run the brewery provide both alcoholic and not drinks to many of the eateries around the town, and have a small store on the Boardwalk where people can step in and sample some of the new offerings before everyone else finds out about them.

Visitors Guide to Okiboji

Overview

Establishment of the Power Plant Ecosystem

Known Flora and Fauna

Sites of Interest

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