Earlier in February on a nice day a group of volunteers from the Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition joined staff members from the Nature Conservancy to do some trail work the Conservancy’s newest preserve in Oklahoma, the Pearl Jackson Crosstimbers Preserve in Creek County, Oklahoma, just 20 or so miles from Tulsa. The Preserve, which is not yet open to the public, is 12,000 acres of hickory and oak intermixed with tallgrass prairie. The previous landowners had used fire to control invasive species and the land is in really good shape. The man who donated, what had been a ranch, to the Conservancy gave up fortune in development. Such generosity blows my mind.
So we all met in the Conservancy’s office on the property and got a briefing on the work to be done. The staff had started a rough trail from a proposed trailhead to a sporadic waterfall. So we were going to take loppers, saws, axes, pick axes, and other tools to remove limbs blocking the way and rocks that were on the trail. The trailhead was about a mile from the office so we shuttled people down there in four wheel drives.
My Subaru, with 77,000 miles, finally got a little mud on it as I took people down to the trailhead.
So we took off down the proposed trail doing our thing. I am guessing the trail was about a mile.
The land is gorgeous. Very rocky and extremely old hickory and oak trees.
Down at the waterfall. No water over it today as it hadn’t rained recently.
And here is the intermittent waterway that bring water to the waterfall.
And a good time was had by all. The staff said that they plan to open portions of the preserve to the public but they have a lot of issues to work out beforehand. I’m guessing that it is going to be a least a year or two.
I’m linking with Skywatch Friday
Good skies.
Awesome blue skies and what a great place ~ such generosity indeed ~ Wow
an artist reflects
Just wanted to say the picture on the link up post looks like a painting! Well done!!
Beautiful new preserve – be sure to share a photo of the “waterfall” in a rainy season.
It’s nice to work as a team.
Beautiful blue skies.
Worth a Thousand Words
It’s wonderful to see a new preserve being created.
I noticed you are linking to this page from Skywatch. 👍🏻
Wonderful! I see a lot of potential. Good people doing good things is what makes living worthwhile.
It’s great to have so many willing volunteers!
Great post, Beautiful clicks.
Love your energy. Hope you had good expedition and relaxation. Better luck on waterfall soon
Beautiful scenes! It is great to see you were able to join the other volunteer for the trail work.
Take care, enjoy your day and happy weekend.
…barren beauty!
Everything is crispy. Even the edges of the shadow.
That donation really is the definition of generosity and so is the donation of time from you and the other volunteers working hard so the public can eventuallly enjoy this property.
This is such a heartwarming, hopeful post! Nature Conservancy does wonderful work and is so needed especially now in this political climate. We so need these natural spaces and what wonderful people the former owners are/were! Its great that the Volunteers like you were there to help give the place a good start and I hope you get other opportunities to visit even before parts of the place are open to the general public! You all deserve it. (and so does your Subaru — I bet it loved the chance to get muiddy )).
Beautiful captures!
the place looks dry
it will be a nice trail.
I am so proud that you all volunteer to help preserve these trails. Agreed. What a kind person to donate this land so future generations can enjoy nature.