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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.
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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!
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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. |
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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”. |
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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
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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.
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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. |
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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. |
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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! |
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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!
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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.
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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
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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!
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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.
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Eddie Reese, Jim Thayer, Dick Sherry, Mike Ayling, Tom Clark |
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John Tomer, 1917-2007
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 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 |
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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 |
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 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. |
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Deer
Track by Donna Horton
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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
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