With Thursday’s news of land donations to Turkey Mountain, it’s important to take a long view back to what made this happen. In addition to lands donated by the city of Tulsa to the Tulsa River Parks Authority, the George Kaiser Family Foundation donated even more, bringing the total to around 400 acres. These donations triple River Parks Authority’s land inventory at Turkey Mountain.
GKFF has been a forward-thinking entity when it comes to preserving land at Turkey Mountain, buying up parcels for well over a decade. It has been patient, waiting for the city to commit to a vision for the area that dates back to the late 1970s – to keep that section of land along the Arkansas River as wild and free as possible, for the purpose of giving Tulsans a place to enjoy the outdoors in a natural setting.
The trend has been heading that way. Plans for an outlet mall on Turkey Mountain’s western edge were loudly rejected by the public, and the city listened. The land was included in the latest Vision Tulsa sales tax package, taking it off the market.
Next came dealing with the inherent instability of Turkey Mountain’s land leases. Monthly lease terms meant the possibility existed that lands leased to RPA could be wild one month, then developed commercially the next. A master lease program has ended that, providing a more stable and clear future for Turkey Mountain.
And now we have Thursday’s land donation, the moment that GKFF and many other advocates for Turkey Mountain have been waiting for. A hodgepodge of public and private land holdings is now being further unified, which will give planners the needed certainty that Turkey Mountain can be a long-term site for outdoor recreation.
For years, Turkey Mountain has been a magnet for mountain bikers, runners, hikers and nature enthusiasts. We now have greater assurance that this quality-of-life asset will remain so for the foreseeable future. Turkey Mountain serves as an important site for preserving the health of the city’s air and water, and is a major asset in the area’s promising outdoor recreation economy.
Thursday’s news is good for all Tulsans, now and in the future. For this, we owe the George Kaiser Family Foundation no small amount of gratitude. Its long-term thinking is paying off.
The Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition applauds today’s action by the city in regards to transferring its land on Turkey Mountain to the River Parks Authority.
This will ensure the long term health a viability of wild green space in Tulsa, along with the benefits that come along with it. Preserving that land is a major win for local conservation, and will go a long way toward giving Tulsans a healthy outlet to get outside and be active.
It also builds on the city’s ability to tap into Oklahoma’s outdoor recreation economy, one that provides $3.1 billion in wages and $663 million in state and local sales taxes every year. Tulsa has a unique opportunity to become a destination for outdoor recreation enthusiasts in Oklahoma and beyond and further diversify its economy.
The Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition in Collaboration with River Parks Authority and Riverfield Country Day School Establishes Turkey Mountains first Pollinator Garden.
Registration of the Monarch Way station is sponsored by the TUWC
