Your best bet is to make friends with whoever does tree work in any towns near you. It is going to be hard to find native wood there that will work. Find some trees being taken out and grab them. Any wood is better than no wood and you can get practice working on local stuff before you spend the dollars for an imported (to your area) stave.
I am in kind of the same boat. In Western Nebraska, it is all cottenwood, elm, russian olive. Occasionally some hackbery if one is being taken out of someones lawn.
You can also watch the red oak at any HomeDepot near you.
Welcome and good luck.
