Why give back?
I am a firm believer that you get out of life what you put into it. That if you want to improve the world around you that you must be the change you wish to see in the world.
I am fiercely passionate about Tulsa and Oklahoma and our way of life. I get excited about the ways that we are coming into our next century and blending old traditions with the new technology. I adore shopping at local stores and supporting local dining establishments. I love that people know who I am when I walk in. The fact that I can travel 30 minutes in any direction from the Tulsa metro and find myself in a smaller community, near a natural space, or in the wide open countryside is possibly one of my favorite things about living here. Part of what makes Tulsa so amazing is the citizens who are actively giving back to the community.
How I got involved.
Not too long ago one of my favorite places was threatened by a developer wanting to put in an outlet mall with chain stores. This place happens to be my wintertime refuge from life’s stressors. This place holds a special place in my heart. This is where I turn the ringer off on my phone, take to the woods and listen to the leaves and dirt crunch under my feet. I decided this was one of Tulsa’s treasures we could not afford to lose without a fight. Too many of our icons have been taken for the sake of ‘development’ (Bell’s amusement park to name one). This space I speak of is Turkey Mountain.
When I started running Turkey I was told not to go alone. I was told it was dangerous. I was told that criminals were hiding there. This was more than 7 years ago. Since that time I can promise you this has changed dramatically. In a large part thanks to a developer wanting to take away a place that some of us loved and rarely talked about.
The concern.
A small contingent of local lovers of the trails got together one dreary and unseasonably cold August morning in 2014. There were 13 of us. 13 who did not know one another. 13 who had no idea what we would do, but that we must do something. Of those in attendance I knew 4 people. We planned to meet again in 2 weeks and for each of us to come back with our list of 3 goals for our ragtag group. One thing we agreed on was the need for respect. Respect for one another and respect for all those our group encountered both in agreement with us and in opposition to us.
A coalition of trail users was born.
As time passed our group determined it was time to become official. This included a name for our mismatch of trails users; thus the Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition (TUWC) was born. I donated my time as an artist, graphic artist, site developer and photographer to launch our web presence. Over time I started to represent the TUWC in news articles and interviews too. At most any TUWC event you will find me with my camera in hand documenting the efforts of our volunteers. You will not find our business name attached to the TUWC very often, but if you look for my name ‘Laurie Biby’ the evidence is there. This is one way I give back to Tulsa.
My why.
Why would I devote so much time to this cause? Because I believe in Tulsa. I believe we care about the world around us. I believe we can be forward thinking and good stewards of what we have at the same time! I believe we as Tulsans and Okies want to leave this world better than we found it. This is one of the ways I can help this to happen.
The ongoing outcome.
Since the TUWC put a voice to the the concerns of the trail users in Tulsa we have hosted many cleanup days, educational events, and even a party! A bigger thing we have done is we have encouraged more people who live around the area to use the trails.. in fact, many of the people who come to Turkey Mountain are people who are experiencing our unique wilderness retreat for the first time! As a result we are fostering a love of the outdoors in young and old. We add to lives in these ways. This is how we move the needle away from the obesity epidemic that is plaguing our state; we make exercise a discovery not a drudgery. When you are excited to see what is just beyond the bend, those extra steps are just not so hard.
I encourage you to find ways to improve your community by giving back.
