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Mary K. Oxley Nature Center

Welcome! This site is provided by the Friends of Oxley Nature Center to share information about the Center, which is  operated by the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Please note that a $2 parking fee per car is charged on weekends when entering Mohawk Park April through October. Members of the Friends of Oxley get in free. The west gate will also be closed weekends during this time.
The Interpretive Building is closed for renovations.

Quick Links

May/June 2008 Newsletter

Volunteer Training Begins

Help Bring New Exhibits To  Oxley

New Trail Maps

Redbud History

Shop at Amazon & support  Oxley!

CELEBRATION of the LIFE of PAUL BUCK

Saturday May 3, 2008 - 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Redbud Valley Nature Preserve - N. 161st St. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Paul Buck, retired University of Tulsa Professor of Botany, died January 16, 2008.  He lived a full and varied life that impacted many people.  Please join family and friends in a celebration of his life and passion for nature.

1:00 pm – Gather with snacks and beverages

2:00 pm – Celebration of Paul’s life Celebrant - Thad Holcombe

3:00 pm – Visiting and tours of Redbud Valley provided by Nature Center volunteers

Attire: Field clothes/casual

Please RSVP to Dana Buck at dbuck@applecreekusa.com or call 1-678-485-7677.

If you wish to share written comments about Paul please go to the memorial website at www.legacy.com  and type in Paul Buck under “search”.

Interpretive Building Renovation

The Interpretive Building renovation began January 7. The project is scheduled to take 10 months to complete. During that time the building will be closed. The staff will be working out of the Mohawk Park country store located across the street from the Tulsa Zoo. Our phone numbers will be the same and we welcome any visitors to our humble abode. Our programming and tours will continue as usual but may be postponed until the trail system is made safe.

Ten months from now the Interpretive Building will be practically brand new with many upgrades and changes. We should have beautiful and intriguing new exhibits by then too. The woods will have begun to heal and life will go on.

Photos of the renovation from February, 2008

Help Bring New Exhibits to Oxley

It is an exciting time for our Nature Center!  Work on the interior remodel has begun, and thanks to help from the Oxley Foundation, the classroom expansion will still be part of the project.

We are raising funds for the new exhibits that will be installed in the Interpretive Building as the remodeling work nears completion.  We hope you will participate by making a contribution.  The Oxley Foundation will match all donations for the project, so whatever you can give will be doubled through their challenge grant.

Please click here for a detailed description of the exhibits, and how to make a donation to help make the exhibits become a reality.

Member's Picnic & Hayride

The results are in and it seems unanimous that the hayride was a great success again! A big "Thank You" goes to everyone for the wonderful food and friendship, and to Wally and Mike for their cooking duties. And of course a special thanks to the all the staff, especially this year as they were doubly busy cleaning up the storm damage.

Volunteer Training Begins
Join our team of dedicated volunteers

Spring is “in the air”. Splashes of color appear, relieving the winter grays and browns with a quiet flourish. Everything is in flux. Change steals over the landscape, as bird and frog song fills the air. Sap rises in the trees as blood rises in our veins. It is time to get outside.

Morning is a good time to be out and about. Sharing this adventure with children can increase your pleasure many times over. Explore forests where purple violets nod and wild onions demand to be tasted.

Tall prairie grasses and sculpted mud crayfish chimneys bespeak a mysterious world of enchantment for child and adult alike. Here the prairie vole follows his hidden trail only so far, to the open area around the pond’s edge. Danger lurks here; the soaring hawk is watchful. Come explore.

We need YOU
to help us share these stories with children.

Volunteer Naturalist training takes place March 4-March 28. Training emphasizes interpretation methods and leadership skills. No previous experience is necessary , but you must be 18 or older. Enthusiasm for nature and children is a must.

Upon completing the free six-part training, volunteer naturalists work one morning each week during April and May, guiding small groups of students on adventures of discovery along Oxley’s varied trail system. For some children this may be their first exposure to nature’s wonders. It’s an amazing opportunity!

Contact us for more information about joining our dynamic team.

Volunteers Graduate & Lead Fall Tours

Our new Volunteer Naturalists finished their training program and “hit the trails” immediately, leading school tours for area school children. They have been exploring the forests, wetlands, and grasslands at Oxley, sharing new discoveries at every turn. We would like to welcome:

Ed Cumming, Eileen Davis, Jane Knoten
Debbie Smith-Berlin, & Sonja Steinmetz

 Thank you for joining our team!  We hope the rewards you reap will be as plentiful and boundless as nature.

New and Improved Trail Maps Now Available!

John, Paula & Michael Schumann
Receive Outstanding Volunteers Award

This season the Schumann family received our outstanding volunteers award for their dedicated service to keeping the Coal Creek Trail, Blackbird Marsh, and other areas at Oxley free of trash. Coal Creek is one of our most difficult trails to maintain as new trash is frequently washed in with every rain. John, Paula, and Michael (age 7) are among the many hard workers who help to ensure your walk is more pleasant, and our park is more beautiful!

Damselflies & Dragonflies of Oxley
Bill Carrell has compiled a checklist of the all damselflies and dragonflies observed at Oxley Nature Center.

And now, with the cooperation of the web site OdonataCentral, photos of all the species have been added to the checklist, along with links to species accounts.

First known record of a Striped Saddlebags, Tramea calverti, in Oklahoma spotted at Oxley!
Click here for details.

Checklist of Damselflies & Dragonflies of Oxley Nature Center, compiled by Bill Carrell

Volunteer Calendar Now Available on-line
Click here for an up-to-date volunteer calendar


Variegated Fritillary by Jim Thayer

Butterflies of Mohawk Park
Jim Thayer has compiled a checklist of the all butterflies observed in Mohawk Park. 

Click here for to view the list or downlad a PDF version

Damselflies & Dragonflies of Oxley
Bill Carrell has compiled a checklist of the all damselflies and dragonflies observed at Oxley Nature Center. The checklist is hosted at the TNC web site, and can be viewed by clicking here.

Newsletter Now Available in PDF Format
The Oxley Newsletter is now available in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format.
Click here for the current and past issues.
If you would like to receive the newsletter via email instead of a hardcopy in the mail, please send you name and email address to John Kennington

The History of Redbud Valley
Amy Morris, going through the archives of  has assembled a wonderful history o the foundation of Redbud Valley. The article can be found here.

Have You Found an Injured or Orphaned Bird>
Click here for information from about what to do

Attention Teachers!

Oxley Nature Center has a few open days for school tours this fall! Here is your chance to book an award winning tour for your class. You may choose between a General Discovery Tour or "The Riddle of the Woods" Tour. Call soon for available tour dates: 669-6644. You may talk with a staff naturalist between 10;00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., or leave a voice mail message outside office hours. There is no program fee charged for school tours.

Bob Jennings's bird book is finally published! Bob was working on a bird guide last year when he found out he was ill. He had finished most of the book and had it to the publisher before he died. A friend, a professor at KSU, did some final editing. The title is Birds of the Great Plains (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, S Dakota, N Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas.) It is a book that both serious and casual birders could use.

The editor's acknowledgment about Bob says: "We feel blessed to have been touched by his enthusiasm for the natural world and by his humor, and we are pleased that some of his personality and knowledge live on within the pages of this book."

The book is available for purchase the The Nature Store at Oxley
(don't forget your 10% members discount!)

It is also available at a discount through Amazon (Oxley will receive a percentage)

On-Line Membership Form Now Available!

If you would like to join the Friends of Oxley, or renew your membership, you can now do it on-line using your credit or debit card.

Click here for our new online membership application

Volunteering

Volunteers are a vital part of our Nature Center. Our volunteer page describes the  many way you can contribute. If you know you're ready to help, you can go right to the volunteer application. Thank You!

What Is An Easy Way To Support The Friends of Oxley?

By shopping at Amazon! If you enter Amazon through the links on our site, then The Friends of Oxley will receive a portion of your purchase. You still receive the normal excellent Amazon prices, and this applies to any product offered through Amazon, not just bird and nature books! So consider doing all your Amazon shopping through here to support Oxley Nature Center. Our original On-Line Nature Store is still available, and has a better selection of some items (such as bird feeders). 
And you can always come out to Oxley and shop the old-fashioned way!

Dick Sherry Awarded
2006 Council Oak Award

Friends of Oxley President Dick Sherry recently received the individual 2006 Council Oak Award for outstanding contributions to the citizens of Tulsa through the Tulsa Park and Recreation Department, a much deserved honor.


Eddie Reese, Jim Thayer, Dick Sherry, Mike Ayling, Tom Clark

John Tomer, 1917-2007

John passed away on May 26,2007. John was a pioneer of Oklahoma ornithology and a founding member of the Tulsa Audubon Society in 1935. John served on the Board of the Friends of Oxley Nature Center for many years and was among the early supporters of the Nature Center when it was in the earliest stages of trying to get the City to proceed with the plans for a Center back in the early 1970's. Donations in John's name can be made to the Friends of Oxley Nature Center.

Please click here to read more about John's life or to make a donation

Bob Lange Passes Away

Volunteer Bob Lange passed away on June 20, 2006. In his memory many of his family and friends have donated over $700.00 to ONCA.

We will remember Bob for his dedication to Oxley and thank those who have recognized Bob with their there financial support

 

Bob Jennings, 1939-2004

Bob Jennings, founding naturalist of Oxley Nature Center, passed away on September 15, 2004 after a battle with melanoma.

Bob will be missed.

Memories and photos of Bob will be gathered in the comings days and added to the Tributes to Bob page. If you have any such memories or photos send them to John Kennington and I will incorporate them in the page.


Deer Track  by Donna Horton



Information on School Fieldtrips

Contact Information

Telephone

918-669-6644

FAX

918-669-6653

Postal address

5701 East 36th Street North, Tulsa OK 74115

Electronic mail

General Information: Oxley@ci.tulsa.ok.us
Webmaster: John Kennington

 

For general information send e-mail to Oxley@ci.tulsa.ok.us or call (918) 669-6644.  
Send e mail to John Kennington with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2006 Mary K. Oxley Nature Center Association, Inc.
Last modified: August 14, 2007