As we begin to discuss the River Parks Authority Turkey Mountain Master Plan created by MVVA one of the first things that must be done is undergrowth, fallen leaves and invasive species removal. There are a number of ways to do this. Manually, with grazing animals (like goats) or the most cost effective and natural option – fire.
Without man made controls Oklahoma’s landscape would regularly cycle through a burn period allowing for the landscape to remove dead plants that were choking out part of the ecosystem and as a result would be a much healthier lush area as the foliage grew back.. This is apparent around Oklahoma in places like the Tallgrass Prairie, Deep Fork Wildlife Refuge and Cookson Hills.
The reality is that by stopping this natural cycle Turkey Mountain has become a tinder box the dead wood and leaves actually are a huge danger and need to come out! We also have invasive species choking out native plants.
What about the animals?
If you know anything about the TUWC you know that we consider humans as visitors to the space wildlife call home. The last thing we want to do is evict them!
Controlled burns are done in small segments and set and watched by trained experts. By doing small areas at a time this allows the wildlife to safely evacuate. Where if we wait until a loose ember or lightning strike happens there will be no control and it will likely burn a much larger area.
The TUWC is excited to see the implementation of the Master Plan and looks forward to the future of Turkey Mountain!
Last night the citizens of Tulsa got to see the first ideas of what Turkey Mountain can hope to look like going forward.
While we understand that as of yet this plan is a dream with zero funding committed, we are delighted with what we are seeing. Turkey Mountain as we currently know it is being left largely untouched by programming.
The careful consideration from Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates’ team working together with many experts including Progressive Trail Design, assures us that we are in the hands of respected trail builders and conservationists. As each piece of this plan was unveiled we were pleased to see how much input from the community was utilized.
By incorporating the other regional parks this is a chance for our Urban Wilderness experience to expand! With the revitalization of Bales Park to house picnic facilities and a community green space for performances, this gives park users some of the things they have wanted to see on Turkey Mountain Proper while not detracting from the more intensive recreational trail users.
We are happy to see the inclusion of accessibility options for those of all ability levels to bring the wilderness experience to users of all walks of life.
Since the early days of the TUWC forming, Mooser Creek has been a big concern. We are thrilled to see the health of this creek take a prime role as it is one of the last natural, pristine streams in Tulsa County. The inclusion of many suggestions from the RD Flanagan study is a wonderful thing to see.
We hope the citizens of Tulsa are as enthusiastic as we are about the opportunities this plan could hold for our beloved Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness. An urban wilderness park of this caliber can only boost the appeal of Tulsa to live, work and play!
Recently some person took it upon themselves to remove a tree from Turkey Mountain.
They did this without the permission of the land owner. This makes the action vandalism.
We understand that in years past rogue cleanups often happened and generally were well managed.
With the increased use Turkey Mountain is seeing in the past few years, this is a practice that simply must stop. The trees that are being felled are sometimes not the ones that need to go, including the tree that was cut down recently.
When the TUWC has a work day, we coordinate with the land owners. We plan carefully what trails we will work on, what work will be performed and what tools we will need.
The use of power tools requires a full shutdown of the trails that the work is performed to prevent any accidents of a trail user surprising someone wielding a chainsaw.
Currently the only persons allowed to work on Turkey Mountain with any type of power equipment are those employed by the River Parks Authority. If you see anyone using power tools in the park without RPA authorization, please contact the proper authorities.
Turkey Mountain Named as Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics 2020 Hot Spot Location
Turkey Mountain is 1 of 13 Diverse and Popular National, State, and Local Parks and Protected Areas to be Selected as a 2020 Leave No Trace Hot Spot
As the popularity of Turkey Mountain continues to grow, the need for Leave No Trace Outdoor Education to preserve and protect the natural landscape we treasure is greater than ever before. In 2020, Turkey Mountain has been named a Leave No Trace Hot Spot.
July 23, 2020 (Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness)
Hot Spot locations are popular and beautiful outdoor areas across the country that have experienced heavy recreational use and visitor-created impacts, including excessive trash, damage to vegetation, trail erosion, and disturbance to wildlife and more.
The Leave No Trace Hot Spot program is designed to help educate people on how to reduce impacts on nature while enjoying our nation’s shared outdoor places. The Center received over 100 nominations for Hot Spots events for 2020 and chose 13 geographically and ecologically diverse sites, nationwide—including Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness.
The Leave No Trace and its Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers will be working together with the Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition (TUWC) and Tulsa River Parks Authority (RPA) to provide public education about how to reduce impacts in the outdoors and improve the trail user experience .
“Hot Spot areas are damaged but can recover again with a motivated community and a week-long, comprehensive infusion of Leave No Trace programs centered around training. These efforts include a series of special workshops for local officials, land managers, and volunteers, as well as advocacy events for the general public conducted by expert Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers,” said Dana Watts, Executive Director of Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. “By identifying and working with Hot Spots and their communities across the country, Leave No Trace can rapidly move toward recovering and protecting the places we all cherish for generations.”
Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness has been a longtime favorite of locals and tourists alike to visit, train, and for recreation. Sadly, the impact of its popularity has shown over time and it is important for us to work with Leave No Trace to evaluate the cumulative effect of recreational use to help educate visitors on Leave No Trace practices. In most cases, the land impact is not due to malicious intent or a desire to harm nature or wildlife. Instead, the simple lack of information and Leave No Trace education can be attributed.
As part of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics’ Leave No Trace In Every Park program, the Hot Spot initiative is now in its ninth year and has trained more than 55,000 people through its Hot Spots program.
2019 HotSpot Locations:
Horseshoe Bend (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area) – Page, AZ; February 4-11, 2019
Bridger-Teton National Forest – Jackson, WY; February 26-March 5, 2019
Amicalola Falls State Park & Chattahoochee National Forest – Dawsonville, GA; March 1-4, 2019
Death Valley National Park – Death Valley, CA; March 18-25, 2019
Sumter National Forest – Tamassee, SC; March 18-25, 2019
Mount Major Reservation & State Forest – Alton, NH; June 17-24, 2019
Columbia River Gorge – Hood River, OR; June 24-July 1, 2019
Enchantments Special Permit Area (Alpine Lakes Wilderness) – Leavenworth, WA; July 15-22, 2019
Chatfield State Park – Littleton, CO; July 22-29, 2019
Eastern High Peaks Wilderness – North Elba, NY; August 7-14, 2019
Arroyo Seco Gorge – Greenfield, CA; August 19-26, 2019
Peekamoose Blue Hole – Grahamsville, NY; August 24-27, 2019
Painted Hills (John Day Fossil Beds National Monument) – Mitchell, OR; August 26-Sept 3, 2019
West Maroon Trailhead – Crested Butte, CO; August 26-September 3, 2019
Lochsa Powell Ranger District – Kooskia, ID; September 16-23, 2019
Six Mile Cove – Lake Mojave, NV; September 23-30, 2019
Amazon Park – Eugene, OR; October 8-15, 2019
Indian Creek – Monticello, UT; October 15-18, 2019 & TBD Spring 2020
Joshua Tree National Park – Twentynine Palms, CA; October 15-22, 2019
2020 Leave No Trace Hot Spot Locations:
Arches National Park – Moab, UT
Minnewaska State Park Preserve – Kerhonkson, NY
Barton Creek Greenbelt – Austin TX
Base & Meridian Wildlife Area – Tolleson, AZ
Paris Mountain State Park – Greenville, SC
Panthertown Valley – Cullowhee, NC
Lynden Hill – Milwaukee, WI
Hixon Forest – La Crosse, WI
City of Colorado Springs Regional Parks – Colorado Springs, CO
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary – Florida Keys, FL
Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness – Tulsa, OK
Endless Wall (New River Gorge National River) – Glen Jean, WV
Wissahickon Park – Philadelphia, PA
Events and activities for the Turkey Mountain Hot Spot will be announced in 2020.
For more information about Leave No Trace Hot Spot and community events visit www.LNT.org.
About Leave No Trace
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics in a national nonprofit organization that protects the outdoors by teaching people how to enjoy it responsibly. Their Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers are mobile teams educators that visit 48 states every year delivering Leave No Trace programs such as Hot Spots to over 15 million people each year. Leave No Trace in Every Park is the Center’s new, multi-year campaign that incorporates Leave No Trace programs and educational opportunities across the country. For more information, visit: www.LNT.org.
