Oxley Nature Center Selected as One of 21 National Leave No Trace Spotlight Sites Supported by the Airbnb Community Fund

Nov 7, 2023 Oxley Nature Center: 

The Leave No Trace organization has selected Oxley Nature Center as a 2023 Spotlight site. As outdoor areas all over the country are being impacted by record use, this new initiative from Leave No Trace shines a light on communities rising to meet this challenge with multi-day, onsite education and stewardship programs. From November 11^th – November 12th, a Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Team will be in Tulsa, Oklahoma with Tulsa Parks staff and the Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition to work with the community and local land agencies to deliver Leave No Trace education as well as to partner on restoration and stewardship projects. 

Sites are nominated for the Leave No Trace Spotlight initiative by local land agencies or community groups. The diverse sites chosen in 2023 span the country, each with uniqueenvironmental challenges. The goal of the initiative is to equip each Spotlight area with relevant Leave No Trace tools that address the impacts the site is facing and ultimately, to foster healthy lands and people. 

“The Spotlight initiative highlights the great steps a community can take to protect an area that they cherish,” according to Dana Watts, the Executive Director of Leave No Trace. This year, the Airbnb Community Fund has made this program possible through a generous grant. Watts continues, “The Spotlight features workshops for stakeholders and Leave No Trace education for the public at large. It also will include opportunities for the community and our Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Team, who will be there conducting the initiative, to roll up their sleeves together at the Spotlight site and get some work done.”  

“I’m thrilled to announce that the Leave no Trace traveling team is coming to Oxley Nature Center in Tulsa. This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to promote responsible outdoor ethics and sustainable practices in our urban wilderness. We’re excited to engage in our community in these events and make a lasting impact on our beautiful natural surroundings.” Laurie Biby Marketing and PR Director for Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition.

The following events are free and open to the public and we encourage people of all ages to attend. For more information visit https://lnt.org/event/

Sunday, November 12th: Stewardship Event: Join Leave No Trace and Oxley Nature Center Staff on Sunday, November 12th, for a fun volunteer day and stewardship project as part of the Oxley Nature Center Leave No Trace Spotlight. Volunteers will help plant trees and remove invasive species!

Sunday, November 12th:Trivia Event: Stop by Heirloom Rustic Ales to meet staff and volunteers from Oxley Nature Center and Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition to learn how practicing Leave No Trace can help keep Oxley, Tulsa Parks, and our surrounding areas safe and sustainable!

About Leave No Trace

Using the power of science and research, education for all, and stewardship to support and protect nature, Leave No Trace is on a mission to ensure a sustainable future for the outdoors and the planet. The Spotlight program is the newest education offering from Leave No Trace.Additional support for 2023 Spotlights comes from the Airbnb Community Fund. Learn more at: www.LNT.org. 

• Facebook: @LeaveNoTraceCenter

• Instagram: @LeaveNoTraceOrg 

• Twitter: @LeaveNoTrace 

• LinkedIn: @LeaveNoTrace

Usually, the TUWC tries to keep our scope to wilderness-specific issues. But with the Vision 2025 funding tying Turkey Mountain and the Zink Dam together, we need to hold true to our convictions. In March of 2016 we endorsed this bond measure after a great deal of fact-finding. The last thing our organization ever wants to do is gain at the expense of another outdoor space. 

As a result, we spoke to an unlikely source: Dave Lindo, a biologist who runs Oklahoma’s first dedicated kayaking stores. Anyone who has been on the water with Dave can tell you that he is a biologist first and a salesman last. One of the things he loves most is helping people connect with nature. 

While speaking with Dave, he allayed concerns of how the new dam would impact the unique species that call our prairie river home. He went on to detail how this would actually be an improvement for these wild creatures. We were encouraged by this and chose to endorse the bond measure. To see that the promises in this bond package have not been carried on to implementation is disappointing to say the least.

We are specifically concerned with the Least Terns, at last, having access to a relatively predictable nesting ground in the form of a protected sand bar island. The shovel-nosed sturgeon and paddlefish who need to be able to swim upstream to spawn. With the prior low water dam, these rare species of fish would become trapped in shallow pools. A more regular lowering of the dam would allow for them to complete this spawning cycle which actually might allow the population of these fish species to flourish. 

We understand that the River Parks Authority is a dam manager and not the owner, and therefore does not have the authority to enforce these promises. Flow of the dam is dictated by the Corps of Engineers. We sincerely hope that both the city of Tulsa and the Army Corps of Engineers will respect the statements made in 2016 and help the Tulsa stretch of the Arkansas River be a model for other cities on how man and nature can co-exist for the benefit of all. 

A quick review of the Vision 2025 package here will direct you to the following link. RiverProjectsTulsa.info The full report is available here.