A piece of Tulsa is now part of the National Trails System.
The 300-acre Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area's 6.7 miles of marked trails have been designated as National Recreation Trails. The designation recognizes Turkey Mountain for offering Tulsans a way to spend time outdoors.
"It's a great feather in our cap. It shows that we have great recognition for the importance of the Turkey Mountain trails," said River Parks Authority Executive Director Matt Meyer. The authority manages Turkey Mountain.
The designation does not mean, however, that Tulsa has a national park, nor will it result directly in any extra funding.
"There's a couple of programs that we've applied to before at Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Recreational Trails Program, and they're all scored on a very competitive points system. I don't know — I can't tell you exactly how much this could help us, but it definitely won't hurt us," Meyer said.
Meyer recognized Tulsa's philanthropic community's support of Turkey Mountain.
In all, the U.S. Department of the Interior has designated more than 350 miles of trails in a half dozen states this year as National Recreation Trails.
