A Game on the Rise

By

-

December 29, 2025

Lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, and that momentum is increasingly visible in Oklahoma. The appeal is easy to understand once you see the game in motion: It’s fast-paced like soccer, strategic like basketball and physical like football — yet open to athletes of all body types and skill levels.

“What I love about lacrosse is that any athlete can succeed,” confirms Jason Armstrong, director of lacrosse for Broken Arrow’s Indian Nations Lacrosse Club. “You don’t have to be the biggest or the fastest. If you work hard and learn fundamentals, there’s a place for you.”

While lacrosse does blend recognizable elements of other sports, it also offers something totally unique.

“Everyone’s a quarterback on the field,” adds Brandon Newman, head coach at 405 Lacrosse, a similar club based in OKC. “There’s something about having a stick in your hands that’s just special. That’s why [Native Americans] call it the medicine game. It just feels good every time you play.”

The sport builds community as much as athleticism. While college scholarships are a possibility, coaches emphasize that lacrosse also opens doors into coaching, officiating, college club programs and lifelong recreational play. The lacrosse world is known for being tightly connected, with players frequently continuing in the sport well beyond their youth or high school years.

Although often perceived as a boys’ activity, girls’ lacrosse has a meaningful and growing presence in Oklahoma. Indian Nations introduced girls lacrosse in 2014, but the early years were marked by tension over player assignments and organizational structure, leading to a split that left girls’ programs operating separately for several years.

That changed in 2023, when a coalition of clubs came together seeking a unified system from youth through high school. The result was a renewed partnership: high school teams aligned under the Oklahoma Lacrosse Association, while youth programs, including Bixby, Broken Arrow and Metro Christian Academy, rejoined Indian Nations. According to Indian Nations commissioner Chad Lott, this shift represented “a new era of growth and collaboration for girls’ lacrosse in Oklahoma.”

Lott notes that the growth hasn’t been linear, but it has been driven by passion.

“A small but highly committed group of coaches, administrators and parents has created a strong foundation for the sport,” he says. “Their focus is on supporting the athletes and expanding the game’s reach.”

Many girls arrive from other sports, especially softball and cheerleading, bringing athleticism and competitive drive.

The helmets and contact may suggest rugby at first glance, but lacrosse places far more emphasis on spacing, ball movement and stick skill. Rugby relies on continuous physical tackling, while lacrosse blends controlled contact with the finesse of passing, shooting and positioning. Strategically, it resembles basketball more than rugby, with rotations, screen plays and coordinated attacks driving play.

“There’s truly a role for every player type,” Newman said. “Big, small, fast or strategic — there’s space for you.”

Oklahoma lacrosse participation declined during the pandemic, when the number of players dropped to about 500. But Indian Nations has nearly doubled its youth numbers in recent years, and more families are discovering the sport every season.

Armstrong believes this upward trend is just beginning.

“Once families understand the game — not just the rules, but what it offers their kids — they really buy in. I truly believe lacrosse is going to take off in Oklahoma.”

Main image cutline: 405 Lacrosse is dedicated to building a competitive and supportive community for the sport across OKC. Photo courtesy 405 Lacrosse

Roots in the Red Dirt

By

Jennifer Lee

-

December 29, 2025

Oklahoma is known for its red soil. But what, exactly, makes our soil red? Professor Shiping Deng, Ph.D., of Oklahoma State University, says it’s the iron oxides – and although the oxidized form of iron is actually orange in the pure state as observed in the laboratory, it shows up bright red in the soil because of the fine crystalized hematite particles scattering light.

Hematite comes in a variety of colors, from black or silver-gray, brown to reddish-brown, or even red tones, and while the color may vary, all hematite contains rust-red streaks, and its name derived from the Greek word for blood.

Deng goes on to say that iron oxide forms in the process of ‘soil weathering’ in tropical and subtropical climates, where iron minerals in rocks and sediment are exposed to oxygen and water, and undergo oxidation, which is observed as rusting. Simply put, soil weathering is the process by which rocks and minerals break down into smaller particles, thus forming soil.

The formed pigment will persist and remain on soil particles if conditions remain aerated, or in the presence of oxygen.

So why, then, is Oklahoma home to so much red dirt as compared to other states and regions? Oklahoma’s climate is conducive for the rocks to oxidize because of our warm and dry climate. The relatively dry conditions of a semi-arid climate help preserve oxygenated air in the soil and reduce leaching, which prevents iron from being removed from the soil profile.

The soil profile consists of layers (or what is called ‘horizons’) beginning with the surface horizon; some soils have an organic horizon that lays on top of the surface horizon, followed by the subsoil, and then the substratum.

Deng shares that the variation of the soil parent material (rocks) and the climate make red soil common in certain parts of Oklahoma. Higher rainfall may cause iron to leach from the soil and reduce the iron content. Because water drives oxygen out of the soil, it creates reduced conditions.

However, red soil is not exclusive to Oklahoma, although we’re known for it. It can be found in other U.S. states such as Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arizona and New Mexico.

Clay soil has shaped the way people farm here in Oklahoma.

“In the past 30 years, the farming community in Oklahoma and nationwide have implemented many management systems to improve soil health and sustainability,” says Steven L. McGowen, a state soil scientist.

There are many ways to manage clay soil that helps it become more usable for agricultural purposes, such as reduced tillage, no-till, cover crops and regenerative agriculture. These management practices “aim to retain the soil moisture, build organic matter, restore natural soil microbial communities, improve nutrient cycling and improve overall soil health,” McGowen says.

McGowen explains that NRCS soil health systems focus on four major factors to protect and feed the soil system: (1) minimize disturbance, (2) maximize cover, (3) maximize biodiversity and (4) maximize living roots.

“By implementing management practices that follow these principles, crop producers and ranchers can care for the soil resource and sustain production potential for the future,” says McGowen.

Exploring the Bell-to-Bell Ban

By

Gretchen Eichenberg

-

December 29, 2025

When each day starts within any Oklahoma public school this year, the only ringing that will be heard is the school bell, thanks to Senate Bill 139, which passed before the start of the 2025-26 school year.

From the first bell at the start of the day until the dismissal bell, personal electronic devices – cell phones, smart watches, smart headphones, laptops, tablets and smart glasses – are prohibited. It’s a step lawmakers and school administrators are taking to keep students on track in their educational journey by reducing classroom distractions and improving student focus, academic performance and social interaction.

“Removing distractions from our school environments benefits the experiences of young people in our buildings,” says Caroline Crouch, executive director of communications for Tulsa Public Schools (TPS), “allowing them to more fully engage with their teachers, their classmates and be fully focused on their learning.”

TPS already had cell phone restrictions in place prior to SB 139 with a “phones away, just for the day” policy beginning with the 2024-25 school year.

“Because of that, there was less of a transition for our students and families,” Crouch says. “With the benefit of being one of the first districts to introduce a limit, we were already on-board with the idea and had strong practices in place.”

Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) did not have a district-wide policy regarding smart devices prior to SB 139, but administrators have given schools an opportunity to develop their own policies and procedures that follow the new law.

“This year, we’re trying to find out what works best,” says Shaun Ross, senior executive director of support and accountability for OKCPS. “So schools have some autonomy in how they interpret the law, which says no devices from bell to bell. In some schools, that means collecting devices and others have students store them in lockers.”

Ross says consequences for phone violations are focused on teaching student responsibility.

“We’re really trying to make it where there’s some learned responsibility for students, “ he says. “Not really being punitive from the word go. There are some in-school suspension options, but we’ve set out to where this is not something that’s going to keep a kid out of school and more of an opportunity to be responsible for their devices.”

Both TPS and OKCPS have exceptions for students with medical conditions that require them to monitor their health via a smart device.

Measuring the success of the policy is an evolving process, involving surveys set up for the spring for students, parents, staff and principals to obtain quantifiable data, Ross says.

“What you can see is a reduction in the number of referrals district-wide from one year ago to today,” Ross says. “We have roughly 32,000 students and we’ve had 1,700 wireless device infractions. It’s a small number, roughly 14% of our total disciplinary actions for the year had been around wireless devices.”

So far, silencing cell phones appears to be a good decision.

“Because these practices have been ongoing within our district for well over a year now, and based on the response from our community,” Crouch says, “we believe that reducing distractions during the school day continues to have an overall positive impact on our district.”

Beyond the Traditional Classroom

By

Sonya Colberg

-

December 29, 2025

Education has changed drastically since Oklahoma’s first class convened in 1889. In that private or “subscription” school, parents paid tuition of $1.50 per student. Today, most Oklahomans are used to a far more “traditional” educational route, but the creative spirit lingers with different approaches to educating Oklahoma youth.

Charter Schools

Students with Dove Science Academy charter public school are teaching a robot dog new tricks … like how to impress dignitaries. The students write code to program the pooch to balance on his forelegs, jump and perform other acts. The dog even shook hands with U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon when she visited Oklahoma last summer.

The metallic gray dog recently ran through his paces for Oklahoma Magazine.

“My name is BenBen,” he says, as a blue light flashes across his face. “I’m your loyal and adorable robot dog.”

At his handler’s command, the beagle-sized pooch answers questions using ChatGPT, bounces to his feet and shakes his back end.

“It’s very agile. But I think the coolest thing we’ve done with it so far is we’ve actually used the programming language Python to code it,” says Dove student Rayan Elmhami.

The dog, as well as drones and other robots, are key elements of the charter school’s STEM focus, says M. Atay, principal of Dove’s high school in Warr Acres. Dove is one of 26 charter schools attended by over 38,000 students in Oklahoma. These tuition-free, state-funded public schools develop their own curriculum, but must meet their contract, or “charter,” performance standards. Dove also offers one of seven online public charter schools serving kids across Oklahoma.

Montessori Schools

On any given day, you might find Undercroft Montessori private school students selling jars of locally sourced honey or cooing at McMomma’s baby chicks scratching in the school’s chicken coop.

In the classrooms, teachers or “guides” step back and let kids from three years old through eighth grade forge their own pathways in hands-on learning, ranging from pounding steel drums to carving the moon’s phases in Oreo cookies’ creamy filling.

The private school in Tulsa is one of about 20 Montessori institutions in the state.

“The children are learning all kinds of skills,” says Nancy Davis, head of school at Undercroft. “Having that freedom of choice allows them to respond to their own developmental needs.”

Today, about 5,000 Montessori schools teach 1 million students nationwide.

Home Schools

Oklahoma’s hands-off attitude toward homeschooling is an excellent policy, according to Jana Belcher, a former public-school teacher who homeschooled her own four children.

“I think homeschooling really provides a lifelong learning mentality more than anything else,” she says.

About 46,000 kids are homeschooled today in Oklahoma, and programs operate legally as long as 5- to 18-year-old children are schooled for 180 days a year.

The first step of developing curriculum doesn’t have to be a pain point for parents, as they can buy or access free packages online or develop their own customized lesson plans. The Coalition for Responsible Home Education offers guides and how-tos, as well.

“We offer all kinds of resources,” Belcher confirms.

Homeschoolers often come together as a microschool in which a paid educator, specializing in chemistry, for example, walks five or six students through the curriculum. Co-ops consist of parent-led groups that share teaching duties. Experts teach homeschoolers about physics, movie making, crocheting, entomology, geography, photography, conducting mock trials and much more.

“At the end of the day,” Belcher says, “all of my children, when they want to learn something, they are on fire for it.”

Engineering the Future

By

Carol Mowdy Bond

-

December 29, 2025

Oklahoma’s myriad array of STEM programs are preparing students for future careers. Across the state, these programs give students an unusual blend of both technical and executive functioning skills meant to support long-term success in a variety of careers.

Dylan Zemlin, president of Sooner Competitive Robotics (SCR) based at the University of Oklahoma, can speak to this long-term success – as can his faculty advisor, Noah Zemlin.

“A core part of what we teach is problem solving and creativity,” says Dylan. “Collaboration is also a huge part of what we do.”

Emily Mortimer, Ph.D., is vice president of STEM Ecosystems of Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance, where she leads a team delivering statewide efforts that connect classrooms, industries, higher education institutions and community organizations through real-world, hands-on STEM learning.

“Robotics and drones are STEM – and students are gaining real expertise in coding, engineering design, data collections, physics and flight operations. What surprises students and families is how strongly these programs build the executive functioning skills behind great engineering work.”

Dylan continues: “A core part of engineering is being able to go through the full process: design, build and test. Being in an organization like ours gives them almost full freedom over their respective projects. This means that they get to apply their design to the parent project – e.g. a robot – and must figure out all of the individual constraints while also designing the actual part. They get to go through the process of actually building their parts, reiterating on designs and testing their parts.”

Mortimer, Dylan Zemlin and Noah Zemlin all agree that part of the learning process includes making mistakes.

“By doing so, you can learn exactly what went wrong, how it went wrong, and what can be improved to prevent it from happening again,” says Dylan.

The Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance leads statewide efforts to connect classrooms, industries, higher education institutions and community organizations with real-world, hands-on STEM learning. Photo courtesy the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance

There are many other learning experiences in the mix. Mortimer explains that executive functioning skills help students in robotics and STEM programs, as well as life. All of these “build essential skills such as strategic planning and organization; critical and analytical thinking; collaboration and communication; creativity and program-solving; adaptability and reflective thinking – preparing students for a future where technology and career pathways evolve rapidly.”

The programs interface with universities, local businesses and nonprofits. For example, SCR hosts its own robotics competition called STORM.

“We designed it from the ground up to be an educational STEM program for universities,” says Noah. “Each year, we release a new set of completely unique rules and challenges that clubs or programs at universities compete in. We design the rules such that the robots must feature tough problems across several disciplines such as mechanical, electrical or software.”

Mortimer says that industry partners bring current technologies, tools and real-world problems to the table, making learning relevant and career-connected.

“Universities extend this by offering access to research environments and emerging innovations that deepen both teacher and student understandings of STEM concepts,” she says. “Nonprofits and informal educators add creative, community-based approaches that make STEM more inclusive and culturally grounded.”

Noah mentions that STEM clubs, especially robotics, give students unique opportunities due to the breadth of work these projects require.

“It’s very rare that a single project can be completed by just one student due to the amount of different disciplines needed such as programming, mechanical design and manufacturing. Kids in STEM clubs must work together with others to design, build and test whatever it is they are working on. As part of that process, they learn better communication skills and the importance of teamwork in developing a complete and working project.”

Main image cutline: The Sooner Competitive Robotics Team at the University of Oklahoma helps its members learn both technical STEM skills alongside executive functioning skills. Photo courtesy the Sooner Competitive Robotics Team

Sports Without Limits

By

Drew Joseph Allen

-

December 29, 2025

WCBBALL2025-33 — The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges organizes a variety of adaptive and accessible sporting programs, as well as other services. Photo courtesy The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges

In Oklahoma, athletes with disabilities are reshaping the world of sports through creativity, resilience and innovations that make competition more inclusive than ever. Through adaptive sports, anyone with disabilities can join in on fun – or the fierce competitiveness.

“The Center offers adaptive sports at various levels of development, recreational and competitive play,” says Margie Crossno, director of programs and volunteer services at The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, based in Tulsa. The Center offers people with physical challenges opportunities to enhance their quality of life through adaptive and accessible programs and services. “We have ongoing sport class instruction in recreational classes as well as select competitive sport practice,” she continues.

Sporting options run the gamut – ranging from wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair softball to goalball, air rifle, cycling and climbing.

“If somebody wants to take it to the next level, we also can coach them up to where they can be connected to a USA Paralympics Team,” says Anthony Meadows, the Center’s adaptive sports coordinator.

Getting involved is as easy as expressing interest or going online to find a community.

“Athletes usually get involved by reaching out through the website,” says Cathryn Tamney, volunteer and coach at Oklahoma Adaptive Sports Association – a leading provider of adaptive sports programs for children and adults with physical disabilities. “Sometimes we meet athletes at Chicken N Pickle [an OKC restaurant with pickleball and bocce ball] at the monthly para-sports night,” she continues.

If you’re looking to get involved, the Oklahoma Adaptive Sports Association has wheelchair basketball running from September to April, as well as track and field events from February to July.

If you want to attend any of these events, you can — without digging out your wallet.

“Another beautiful thing about wheelchair sports and adaptive sports in general – there are no fees to come. There is no charge. It’s free and open to the public,” says Meadows.

Perhaps the most important thing about adaptive sports is its ability to become an uplifting and essential tool for kids, empowering them to believe in themselves.

“These leagues provide a community for people with disabilities,” says Tamney. “Sports also build character, leadership skills and grit.”

Meadows wholeheartedly agrees.

“It’s important for kids, so that they can see somebody that’s just like them,” he says. “I love to see kids in sports, especially adaptive sports, because they can finally see that ‘there is a place for me.’ I’m not just going to be put off … or just shut in at the house not having anything else to do. Everything that they see on TV is about other people doing these sports, whereas if they come and watch adaptive sports, they can see themselves, a kid with a disability, or see an adult being active as a disabled athlete.”

Where the Line Meets the Current

By

Tracy LeGrand

-

December 29, 2025

Oklahoma’s waters are buzzing with a new wave of fly-fishing fever, as anglers discover the state’s untapped potential for hooking warm water species with artificial flies. Far beyond its trout-centric reputation, fly fishing is reeling in enthusiasts chasing temperate bass, black bass, panfish and nongame species, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC).

But what, exactly, is fly fishing? Chance Maxville, co-owner of Owasso fishing store Green Country Fly Company, which also offers guided fly fishing expeditions, explains.

“Fly fishing is a fishing technique that uses an artificial fly — made of hair, fur, feathers or other materials — to mimic insects and other prey, casting it onto the water using a specialized rod, weighted line and reel. The weight of the line, not the lure, casts the fly, and anglers use different fly types (dry, nymph, wet or streamer) to imitate the prey fish are feeding on. It is a skillful, often relaxing yet challenging pursuit that connects the angler to the water and the natural world.”

Fly fishing, long celebrated as a trout angler’s art, is gaining traction among Oklahoma’s warm water fishing community, with the state’s diverse fish populations proving just as eager to strike a well-presented fly. The ODWC highlights the growing popularity of this technique, noting that the state’s rivers, lakes and streams offer a gold mine for fly anglers targeting species like bass and panfish. As more anglers trade traditional gear for specialized rods and weighted lines, Oklahoma’s waters are becoming a hotspot for this skillful pursuit.

Getting involved is easy, says Maxville.

“There are tons of resources for aspiring fly fishers to seek out that can give them so much info on how to get started,” he says. “Local fly shops like ours, and then JD Adams & Co. in OKC, are great places to start, where you can seek out local knowledge and expertise for your area, check out all of the gear and take classes.

“Local clubs like Trout Unlimited are also a great resource, as there are chapters everywhere across the country; we have two local chapters in Oklahoma alone. The internet is a great place to research and learn about the sport. It’s literally at your fingertips these days, almost anything that you want to know,” he continues.

Owasso’s Green Country Fly Co. offers guided fly fishing trips, classes and gear. Photos courtesy Chance Maxville

The basics to get started include a fly rod, reel, fly line, leader, tippet and a basic assortment of flies for your local area. The possibilities are endless past those items, with waders, vests, packs, fly boxes, tools, clothing and sunglasses to consider. It’s a gear-heavy sport — which can be intimidating to new anglers. However, clubs are available to help guide you.

The two Trout Unlimited chapters based in Tulsa and OKC offer “many members that host meetings, classes and events throughout the year,” says Maxville. “They also have Facebook pages for those clubs that are a great resource.”

Oklahoma’s waters offer prime destinations for both novice and seasoned fly anglers. Maxville highlights spots like the upper and lower Illinois Rivers, Blue River, Lower Mountain Fork, Arkansas River and Spavinaw Creek, alongside local city or farm ponds as excellent starting points. For those willing to venture further, the nearby Ozarks in Missouri and Arkansas provide endless possibilities.

Inside Oklahoma’s Drone Scene

By

Tracy LeGrand

-

December 29, 2025

Drone racing is gaining popularity in Oklahoma. In fact, our state played host to the 2025 MultiGP Drone Racing Championship, and hosts the Thunderbird Drone Festival in Tulsa.

Tad Douce, executive director of MultiGP Drone Racing, explains the burgeoning phenomenon.

“Drone racing is special because the pilot is wearing a set of goggles, getting a video feed from a camera mounted on the drone, so it feels like being in the drone, like in the pilot seat if it were an aircraft, and it feels like you’re flying – not like a radio-controlled car or airplane.”

Drone racing, Douce says, has been around for ten to 15 years.

“My background is in education, and I saw some people doing it with small drones you fly indoors, so students could build and repair. And I thought it was great for kids to learn the skills.”

MultiGP is the largest organization for drone racing across the world, started by Chris Thomas in Florida. He wanted to fly with others as a hobby, so he started the first real community of hobbyists and racers. The organization now has 30,000 pilots all over the world.

“It’s getting more mainstream,” says Douce. “When I started in 2019, there weren’t a lot of resources; you had to know somebody. The drones are not simple to set up, fly and repair; it takes some knowledge, and there’s a learning curve. Now it’s getting easier to get started, as in the last three years, there are more companies selling them with the drone already put together and the ability to buy a kit and open up drone racing for more people.”

Douce says that with time spent building skills, anyone can participate in drone racing.

“It’s a skill that anyone can do, as it’s not hard to learn the basics, but to get good at it, it’s like any sport,” he says. “Like basketball – if you give someone a ball, they can dribble it, shoot a basket. But it takes practice to get any real skills. With drone racing, it’s a skill. When I was first getting started, it was hard for me to fly accurately.

Students compete during the 2025 Season Championship in Houston, Texas, hosted by EduEverything, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding technology and robotics education for schools and educators. Photos courtesy EduEverything

“A lot of people use Veloci-drone – a software that you can plug your controller into a computer and you can practice in virtual mode, and you get better,” Douce continues. “I realized it got me better, but it takes hours of practice to get muscle memory. There’s a lot of strategy to it. Every track is different, and can have spirals, loops, turns and structures, so you’re learning different maneuvers. Children often learn quickly, and I admire some of our students in the Drones in School programs as they can develop real speed like a real-life video game.”

For adults and children alike, drone racing has the added benefit of getting people outside.

“It’s like a video game, but outdoors,” he says. “You interact with other people and touch grass. It crashes, you figure out how to fix it [and you gain] real life skills.”

If you want to get involved in the activity, Douce says, “find a chapter close to you and, most of all, practice. The MultiGP community people are enthusiastic, and they’ll help you and give advice on equipment and share their knowledge. Plug into an organization in your community.”

Oklahoma’s Otter Revival

By

Kimberly Burk

-

December 29, 2025

StacyFreeny1 — While river otters are objectively adorable, experts advise not to interact with or feed them. “You don’t want them to get habituated to people and view people as food sources,” says biologist Mark Howery. Photo by Stacy Freeny courtesy the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

River otters feed on small fish, crayfish and turtles, and thus “are an important part of river systems in keeping those populations in control,” says Mark Howery, a non-game biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

And, Howery says, “they are often a species that people find very endearing. They enjoy watching them and having them around.”

But as with most wild animals, it’s a case of look, but don’t touch.

“It’s a bad idea to try to feed them,” Howery says. “You don’t want them to get habituated to people and view people as food sources. They might come up around houses and attack small pets and chickens, and get into fights with small dogs.”

And it’s illegal to capture river otters and try to make pets out of them, Howery says. As a non-game biologist, Howery works primarily with wildlife species that are not hunted or fished.

River otters were absent or nearly so during the first 60 years after statehood, Howery says, but “now we have them in nearly every county east of I-35,” and a few in the southern part of the state, as far west as the Wichita Mountains.

River otters were heavily trapped in the late 1800s and early 1900s, before wildlife laws were enacted, Howery says.

“They were harvested for their fur,” he shares. “As a result, the Oklahoma population was decimated prior to statehood.”

In the late 1960s and early ’70s, river otters began making their way back, migrating from Texas and Arkansas. Historic predators such as wolves, bobcats and mountain lions were gone or diminished. Another factor in the population rebound was a “population augmentation” by the wildlife conservation department, Howery says.

Two employees who have since retired, John Skeen and Richard Hatcher, “worked out a trade with the state of Louisiana, and traded wild turkey in exchange for river otters,” Howery says. Eighteen river otters were placed at the McGee Creek and Wister reservoirs between 1985 and 1987.

“The populations increased to the point that by about 2008 or 2009, we reopened a limited fur harvesting season on them in certain counties,” Howery says.

As many as 2,000 people still work as fur trappers in the state, primarily harvesting bobcats, beavers and raccoons, Howery says.

River otters are now plentiful in such rivers as the Arkansas, Canadian, Kiamichi, Washita and Red River, Howery says, but also thrive near streams.

At night, they disperse to ponds to look for fish, he says, moving overland up to a couple of miles. They aren’t so welcome by property owners who are nurturing fish and turtles in their ponds, however.

River otters typically live eight to nine years in the wild, and Howery estimates the Oklahoma population is now between 3,000 and 5,000. They create their dens in river and stream banks and produce litters of two to four pups, also known as kits.

The animals will usually slide into the water when they encounter people.

“They are a curious animal, but don’t tend to approach people,” Howery says.

A Beginner’s Guide to Composting

By

Sharon McBride

-

December 29, 2025

“In Oklahoma, yard trimmings and grass clippings can make up 15 to 25% of a community’s waste,” says David Hillock, a consumer horticulturist with the Oklahoma State University Extension. “The costs of collecting and transporting yard waste and the subsequent landfill tipping fees may be a considerable portion of a community’s waste management budget. These costs may be reduced if communities encourage and practice backyard yard waste composting.”

Compost systems can be simple and slow, such as a heap or pile, which is turned occasionally during the year.

“In general, a bin of some sort makes it easier to manage,” says Hillock. “This can be a large container or a structure made from simple materials like wood, wire or concrete blocks. A more relaxed method is just creating a pile in the corner of the landscape where you throw all your scraps. You can dig a wide but shallow hole to help keep it somewhat contained.”

But what, exactly, can be composted? Most yard waste, such as grass clippings, leaves, twigs and excess vegetation, alongside food scraps without fat, twigs or chipped branches, coffee grounds and tea leaves. The list of what can’t be composted is a bit longer, including large branches, fatty foods, grease, meats, dairy products, fish, bones, synthetic products like plastics, diseased plants, weeds and vegetables that produce abundant seed, and pet or human waste.

The benefits of composting are vast. You’re recycling natural materials; reducing the amount of chemical fertilizer and the amount of material going to landfills and the landfill tipping fees; and extending landfill life.

And if you aren’t sure what to use your compost for, it can:

Improve soil structure and texture;
Increase the water-holding capacity of sandy soil;
Loosen clay soil and improve drainage;
Add nutrients to improve soil fertility;
Aid erosion control;
Work as potting soil;

A sign from Tulsa County Master Gardeners shows which materials are great for composting, and which are not. Photo courtesy TCMG

Substitute as mulch around landscape plants to retain moisture.

“Essentially, we are helping nature do its work by turning ‘free’ plant-based material into a rich source of organic matter and nutrients that improve soil health, which helps plants grow,” says Hillock.

So, you have decided to start composting. Where do you place the compost pile? The best place for a pile is where you’ll actually use it, says Patrick Morey with the Tulsa County Master Gardeners.

To harvest compost, it should ideally be sifted through 1/4”-1/2” hardware cloth, says Morey.

“Whatever falls through can be used in gardens. What doesn’t fall through can be tossed back into the pile to decompose further,” he says.

The best compost has a variety of carbon material (browns) and material with higher nitrogen content (greens).

“For example, carbon rich browns would be dried leaves, straw, shredded paper and paper towels,” says Morey. “Nitrogen rich material would be kitchen scraps like veggies and fruits, even potato peels, orange peels, celery stalks, carrot ends. Finished compost can be turned into the soil prior to planting veggies, or can be used as a top-dressing for perennial flowers, shrubs and trees. Compost helps everything grow better.”

Main image cutline: Composting is a relatively low-maintenance activity that can help communities thrive and gardens grow. Photo courtesy OSU Extension

Charter Schools

Montessori Schools

Home Schools

Most popular

Editor's choice

918.744.6205