Info on Botanical Gardens

[swake]

Story from KOTV on the Botanical Gardens

http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=97453

The Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden is planned for an adjacent piece of land north of Gilcrease Museum.

Directors unveiled the master plan for the garden Friday. It's being funded in part by state government and from contributions.

It's expected to open in late 2007.




Website
http://www.oklahomacentennialbotanicalgarden.com/index.html

[MichaelC]

From KTUL

quote:It's a centennial project years in the making, a botanical garden set in the woodlands of North Tulsa. Tuesday, a group of ecological experts took the first steps to making it a reality.

The Cross Timbers Woodlands have been virtually untouched by man. So much so, ecologists say it's one of the most diverse and least disturbed forests in all of North America. It's a place where the prairie grasses meet Osage Hills.

Developers say it's the perfect location to build a tribute to Oklahoma's past and leave this generation's mark for the next. The plan is to create a botanical garden amongst 215 acres of the most beautiful terrain in the country.

Tuesday, a group of experts hiked through the area that will soon hold two walking trails into the gardens. It's the first step towards building Oklahoma's Centennial Botanical Garden.

Developers hope to have the paths ready for public use next September. It's a day they've looked forward to for nearly a decade. They say these woods will serve as a giant classroom, teaching our children and our children's children about the amazing outdoors.

"We're celebrating the heritage of the land and it's important to know where we came from and to be able to see the beauty, the natural beauty of what was there and it just works hand in hand with the botanical garden," said Pat Woodrum, Executive Director of the Centennial Botanical Garden.

The plan also includes a 17-acre lake with two islands of Oriental gardens.

[Rico]

Possibly related to the sense that there will be further development in that general direction............  


http://www.terraverdeok.com/

[perspicuity85]

quote:Originally posted by Rico

Possibly related to the sense that there will be further development in that general direction............  


http://www.terraverdeok.com/

Where exactly is this development?

[Johnboy976]

Sounds good to me. At least they are serious about something up there.

[SXSW]

quote:Originally posted by perspicuity85

quote:Originally posted by Rico

Possibly related to the sense that there will be further development in that general direction............  


http://www.terraverdeok.com/

Where exactly is this development?

From the Tisdale Pkwy. you go west along Apache St., take a right at 41st W. Ave., then a left at 31st St. N.  Follow that road until you get to Post Oak Lodge.  It's a winding road through some dense forest and hills, a really beautiful area.

[Rico]

quote:Originally posted by SXSW

quote:Originally posted by perspicuity85

quote:Originally posted by Rico

Possibly related to the sense that there will be further development in that general direction............  


http://www.terraverdeok.com/

Where exactly is this development?

From the Tisdale Pkwy. you go west along Apache St., take a right at 41st W. Ave., then a left at 31st St. N.  Follow that road until you get to Post Oak Lodge.  It's a winding road through some dense forest and hills, a really beautiful area.

[mspivey]

It's right next to the site where "The American" will be. (or would have been)

[perspicuity85]

quote:Originally posted by mspivey

It's right next to the site where "The American" will be. (or would have been)

I e-mailed "The American" staff looking for a project update and this is what I received:

"We are happy to advise that The American Project is alive and well. We
have been very quiet for a number of months while we were completing
research and addressing some design issues that we believed were
necessary to ensure the success of the Project. Since last year, we have
completed two focus group studies, an attendance study, and an economic
impact study. The results of these studies all identified the Project as
not only a sound Project, but one with great potential for Tulsa and the
state. We also introduced The American to the art world at Art Expo in
New York City in March of this year. Art Expo is the largest art show in
the world. With regard to design, the artist and designer of the
Project, Shan Gray, completed the 3.5 ft engineering prototype in
February and has begun work on what will be called the Scan Master (a 6
ft engineering prototype of The American image) which will be the final
image for enlargement to the over 200 ft monument. With the completion
of the 3.5 ft image and the 6 ft Scan Master, certain design issues are
being addressed by the Structural engineers (i.e. fitting of the
elevator shaft and stairwell inside the statue, etc.). While all of this
work is very exciting and important to the Project, we realize it is not
very tangible to the public.

While we work on different aspects of the design, we continue to raise
funds. When the funding is completed, we will have about a six-month
start-up and then the public will be able to begin to see construction
on the monument itself. Our goal is to have the monument and support
facilities complete by early in the year 2010."

So it it's coming slowly but surely...

[unknown]

Not to take anything away from the Botanical Gardens, but is the American going to have a Casino at the base or at the top?[]

[SXSW]

For those that have been up that way recently, what progress has been made with the botanical garden?  I know some of the trails are complete and I believe they are finished building the 7 acre lake, does anyone know what else has been completed?  This is one of the coolest projects currently underway in Tulsa that many know nothing about because it's pretty secluded.  But that seclusion, which in real is only 6 miles from the heart of downtown, is what makes this garden and nature park interesting. 

I think this could be another great local hiking spot, maybe better than Turkey Mtn. or Chandler Park.  The hills in the area of the gardens are around 800-1000 ft. including the highest point Holmes Peak at 1,030 ft.  It doesn't sound very high but consider the river just 5 miles to the south is at ~650 ft.  The area is also very heavily wooded and includes some of the oldest forests in the region.

[OpenYourEyesTulsa]

This will be great for Tulsa and at around 250 acres this will be the biggest botanical garden that I know of.  It will draw people from all around.  I think you can hike on the trails now but the road up there is gravel until they get the drainage and pavement in.  They have a temporary visitors center open.  I have not been there yet but my parents (members of the Tulsa Garden Center) say it is beautiful there and there is a great view of downtown.

Check out their site for more updates:  http://www.ocbg.org/

[sgrizzle]

They have a few buildings too, including the temporary visitor center.

[buckeye]

I'm really looking forward to this opening and maturing, it's a great addition to Tulsa.

[SXSW]

Has anyone been to the botanical gardens recently?  I am curious as to what progress has been made.  I guess I need to head out there and see for myself.  I was just in Austin and went hiking along the Barton Creek greenbelt.  It reminded me a lot of that area in the Osage Hills, and could be just as popular as Barton Creek is in Austin once the gardens are in place. 

There is a valley next to this park where Bigheart Creek drops from just under 1000 ft. to around 700 ft. north of Hwy 412 and then into the Arkansas River.  It would be cool to see hiking trails through that 'greenbelt' similar to what they have done in Austin along some of their creeks in the hills.