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TUWC: 2019 Tulsa Urban Wilderness Calendar Released!

Tag: Recreation

Black Friday #OptOutside with the TUWC

This year Turkey Mountain is the place to be for Black Friday! Both the Westside YMCA and the Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition are hosting events at Various Locations on Turkey Mountain.

The Westside YMCA is hosting a local outdoor shopping experience along with a variety of activities and local musicians for entertainment. These events will take place at the Westside YMCA.

At the Upper Parking lot TUWC is hosting its first Annual Black Friday Photo Scavenger Hunt. Participants will be given a list of locations on at Turkey Mountain to visit and tasks to complete as they explore the outdoors. Our hope is that those attending can focus on meaningful interactions with loved ones and making new memories. Pre-Registration is required to participate!

Plan to spend the morning with the TUWC for adventure and the Westside YMCA where you can participate in local vendors black Friday sales and experience live music will be part of the fun!  

We want to invite Tulsa out to our Urban Wilderness to explore our wilderness in a fun environment!

Start time is 9AM and the event will end at Noon. 

• Teams of 5-8 people.
• Each team must have one TUWC member. (To become a member click here, membership is $5 each calendar year).
• Teams must pre-register with the TUWC to have your scavenger hunt kit ready for you on Black Friday!
• All teams must have at least one person on the team over the age of 18.
• Preregistration is required.
• To Register click here: https://goo.gl/forms/0N2l9RWETuRbVrum2

 

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TUWC: Local Trail Escapes 1 – 2 hours from Tulsa

Turkey Mountain is seeing record numbers of families these days. With school letting out for the summer, here are some alternate trail systems to explore. Please visit the links for up to date park hours, admission fees and trail restrictions (not all trails listed allow for mountain biking, dogs, or equestrian use).

Oxley Nature Center  – Tulsa – Located in Tulsa’s beautiful Mohawk Park, this 804-acre nature center offers over ten miles of hiking trails (some wheelchair and stroller accessible). Free programs are offered every weekend. Guided tours available with advance notice. Trails may be walked when gates are closed, but Mohawk Park does follow a 9pm to 7am curfew. Pets, bicycles and horses are not permitted on the trails. Mohawk Park charges a $2 vehicle admission on weekends from April 1 through October 31.

Redbud Valley  – Claremore – Redbud Valley offers a rugged one-mile trail that takes hikers through a variety of habitats, ranging from flood-plain forest and shady north-facing slopes to limestone bluffs and dry upland forest. Admission is free.

Keystone Ancient Forest – Sand Springs – Owned and operated by the city of Sand Springs, the Keystone Ancient Forest Preserve totals over 1,200 acres and protects a prime example of cross timber woodlands, including some of the oldest known living eastern red cedars, aged at over 500 years old.

Claremore Lake – Claremore – Claremore Mountain Bike Trail is a 10+ mi single track trail located along the east banks of Claremore Lake. Great for biking and day hiking.

Collinsville Trails  – Collinsville – Trails were built spring 2016 exclusively for non-motorized, non-equestrian usage. Hikers and bikers only

Greenleaf State Park – Braggs – Tucked away in the hills of eastern Oklahoma, Greenleaf State Park offers spectacular scenery and is a family-friendly state park. The park includes Greenleaf Lake as well as cabins, campgrounds, family recreation facilities and nature hiking trails.

Osage Hills State Park  – Pawhauska – Trails on the rocky, hilly terrain provide a challenge to hikers and mountain bikers, and there are many to choose from in Osage Hills State Park. Visitors may catch a glimpse of white-tailed deer or a wild turkey while on the trails. Tennis courts and a ball field are available to visitors, and the swimming pool provides a great way to cool off on a hot day.

Eagle View  – Outside of Ponca City – Kaw Lake – Mountain bikers enjoy the challenges found on the Eagle View Trail from winding through tree-lined paths to cliffs overlooking Kaw Lake. Approximately 12 miles long, it allows you to get away from the hustle and bustle and connect with nature. The trailhead for Eagle View Trail is located near the Osage Cove campground and has limited parking. After the first mile the trail basically follows the Kaw Lake shoreline with rocky outcroppings near the shore. The trailhead is located at Osage Cove Road and Osage Park Road

Lake McMurtry – Stillwater – Nestled just 10 minutes outside of Stillwater, Lake McMurtry Natural Resource and Recreation Area is a quiet, family friendly lake where you are surrounded by beautiful scenery and can end your day soaking up one of Oklahoma’s gorgeous sunsets.

Lake McMurtry offers RV and tent camping, swimming, fishing, boating, 28 miles of multi-use trails for mountain biking, hiking and trail running, two 18-hole disc golf courses, kayak and SUP rentals, and watchable wildlife.

Lake Carl Blackwell – Stillwater – Lake Carl Blackwell is a mid-sized lake of 3,350 acres, located 8 miles west of Stillwater on Highway 51. There is an abundance of fishing, boating, swimming, water skiing and camping but we also have hunting, equestrian trail riding, hiking, and an on-water fuel dock. It features 4.5 miles of single track trails.

Bell Cow Lake  – Chandler – Open for equestrian use, hiking and mountain biking, the Bell Cow Lake Trail System runs along the shoreline of Bell Cow Lake near Chandler. Featuring two out-and-back trails, this system is mostly used by equestrians, and is considered to be easy and accessible for beginners. The trails share a trailhead, which is located within the Area C equestrian campground.

Okmulgee Lake  – Okmulgee – Okmulgee Park is open for year-round recreation. Okmulgee Lake is open to fishing, boating and swimming. The lake which was built in 1926 to provide water for the city of Okmulgee is considered to be an “old fishing lake.”The lake bottom features large boulders and thick oak tree trunks. Common game fish found in the lake are crappie, white bass, sunfish, largemouth bass, and channel catfish. In addition to fishing the lake is open to boating, kayaking, swimming, and water-skiing. The end of Okmulgee Lake features the Lake Okmulgee Dam Spillway Cascade, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, which on occasions of heavy rains and high lake levels creates an intense man-made waterfall. There are 75 RV camping sites and 50 tent camping sites at the park. The boat ramps are lit. Okmulgee State Park also features a 3-mile (4.8 km) hiking trail and extensive picnic facilities. Hunting is not permitted within the park, but a public hunting area is located on the north and west side of the lake.

Prague Lake  – Prague – Prague Lake Trail is a 6.4-mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Prague, Oklahoma that features a lake. The trail is good for all skill levels and primarily used for hiking and horses. Dogs and horses are also able to use this trail.

Chandler Park – Tulsa – The park features 192 acres of wooded area with open space in the center, has great natural beauty and panoramic views of Tulsa and Sand Springs. Facilities include hiking trails, rock formations for climbing/bouldering, a swimming pool, nature trails, lighted baseball/softball complex, basketball court, playgrounds, restrooms, picnic facilities, covered shelters, large playground structures and an 18-hole disc golf course with cement tees. Chandler Park features a state-of-the-art community center with fitness center, full-court gym, reception room, dance/exercise room, concession, catering kitchen and restrooms.

Ray Harrell Trails – Broken Arrow – The 40-acre park includes a Nature Center, paved jogging trail, park benches, two picnic shelters with tables, flowering gardens, an arboretum and a suspension bridge. The Ray Harral Nature Park is located off of Tucson Street (121st Street) and west of Lynn Lane behind Childers and Spring Creek schools.

Sequoyah State Park – Hulbert – Visit Three Forks Nature Center within the park to view live animals and educational displays. The on-site park naturalist is available for individual and group programs. The two-mile paved trail in the park is perfect for hiking, biking, walking and running.

Hunter Park – Tulsa – Hunter Park in Tulsa is a great place for the whole family to relax and have a good time. Bring along your furry friend and let them run free in the on-site dog park, Biscuit Acres. There is also a playground with swings, four basketball goals and an 18-hole disc golf course with concrete tees for visitors to enjoy. The average hole length is less than 300 feet, and overall the course is long with rough terrain and some heavily wooded areas. For extra challenge, there are contours, woods, water and alternate pin placements. The Hunter Park Labyrinth, also located on site, is an ancient tool used for meditation and reflection. It is one trail into the center and out again with no dead ends. Restrooms and picnic shelters are available.

Enjoy your trip and do not leave home with out insect repellant!

 

Can you think of a trail system we overlooked? Drop us a line and we will be glad to add it to the list!

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Volunteers Cleanup & Monitor Mooser Creek on Turkey Mountain

Mooser Creek at the north boundary of Turkey Mountain has been able to remain in reasonably good condition despite encroaching urbanization.  How do we know?  Mooser Creek is monitored by devoted Blue Thumb volunteers.  Several of Turkey Mountain’s trails twist and turn and progress north to tie into areas along the southern bank of Mooser Creek.

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Mooser creek clean up Tulsa OK
Volunteer Gayle with Blue Thumb coordinator (and TUWC member!) Cheryl Cheadle collect benthic macroinvertebrates (snails, larval insects, etc.) from the stream as part of Blue Thumb monitoring.
Red darters found in Mooser Creek
Darters are small fish that like to make their home in the riffles of streams where the water is likely to be well-oxygenated. This redfin darter is a great find – these little fish cannot survive if pollution levels go too high.
Darters in Mooser Creek
More Darters! These are orangethroated darters, another great find, although they are not quite as sensitive as are the redfin darters.
Mooser Creek
Rocky ledges, emergent vegetation, large rocks, woody debris – all of these habitat components can be found in Mooser Creek. With Turkey Mountain being such as important part of the Mooser Creek watershed, protecting Turkey Mountain also protects Mooser Creek!!!
Mooser Creek
Volunteers Walt and Gayle not only perform monitoring, they pick up the trash that so often plagues the stream that flows from SW Tulsa and enters the Arkansas River just south of Interstate 44.
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Tulsa's Monarchs on the Mountain

Monarchs on the Mountain 2016

Tulsa's Monarchs on the Mountain

 

Tulsa’s RiverParks Authority is pleased to announce Monarchs on the Mountain, a new festival celebrating the vital role Eastern Oklahoma plays in the Monarch Butterfly migration will be held September 24th, on Turkey Mountain. The festival will take place from 10:00 am, until 2:00 pm in the pavilion area of the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area near the main trailhead, 6850 S. Elwood Ave.
The day will be filled with fun and educational activities highlighting the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly, the Great Monarch Migration and the habitat of Turkey Mountain which supports a myriad of wildlife. Information will be available and plants may be purchased to help establish your own Monarch Waystation. Visitors can even make a seed ball to plant this fall. Monarch tagging will be demonstrated and butterflies will be released to join the southward migration to the Oyamel fir forests of Central Mexico. This free festival will appeal to all ages and food trucks will be on site. Come spend the day with us celebrating our unique place in the life of the Monarch!
This event is hosted by: RiverParks Authority in partnership with the Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition, the Tulsa Audubon Society and The M.E.T. and supporters; Sustainable Tulsa, Blue Thumb, The Tulsa Zoo, City of Tulsa, Monarch Initiative of Tulsa, Westside Y and the USFWS.
Please help us spread the word by distributing the promotional flyer and sharing our event on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1049153295167427/

For more information contact Marci Hawkins, steering committee chair at: marci.hawkins@tulsaurbanwildernesscoalition.org.

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