August 2023 | Issue No. 33

Builder of the Quarter:

Wallace Design Collective

Wallace Design Collective is our builder of the quarter! This firm has been involved in the implementation of Low Impact Development, or LID, at the new apartments in River West Neighborhood, 975 W. 22nd Place, in Tulsa. The types of LID used at this site include parking lots draining into bioswales and rain gardens.

Wallace Design Collective also gave a descriptive tour of this property to the Department of Environmental Quality as part of DEQ’s audit of the City of Tulsa’s Stormwater Quality Permit. All were impressed with the engineering and design elements which enable thousands of gallons of stormwater to flow through these LID practices. This improves the quality of runoff while also conveying the quantity of rainfall runoff from the site. Wallace Design Collective also plans to utilize some of these practices at the 36 N project in North Tulsa. Congratulations, Wallace Design Collective! For more information on how you can include LID at your home or business, visit www.cityoftulsa.org/lid

Species Spotlight:

Water Beetle 

Have you ever been to a pond and seen an oval-shaped insect swimming on top of the surface? Have you ever wondered what the creature was? That insect is a whirligig beetle or water beetle, as it is more commonly known. Besides being fun to say, the whirligig beetle is also an interesting insect.

 Whirligig beetles are usually black or a dull brown color. They prey on small aquatic insects. They live mainly on top of the water and “whirl” around when moving. This is how they get their name, the Whirligig. When in the water they have half of their body submerged, while the other half is on the surface. What’s more remarkable is that their eyes function independently: part of the eye is above the water’s surface while another part is below.

The Whirligig play an important part in the ecosystem. They scavenge and eat dead aquatic creatures, and fish and other aquatic life eat the whirligigs. This helps keep both the whirligig and their prey population in control. Next time you are at a freshwater river, lake, or pond, make sure you pay attention to the beetles whirling around on the surface of the water. If you are looking for ways to get outside with other nature lovers, check out the Crow Creek Community Meadow Facebook group.

2023 Great Tulsa Cleanup results

Thank you, everyone who was able to participate in the Great Tulsa Cleanup! We had another successful cleanup event, when 1,029 Tulsans came out to lend their support to help beautify their city. Together we collected 893 bags of trash. That is equivalent to 16 transportation buses! Our numbers of volunteers have been doubling each year.

Each year Stormwater Quality, Tulsa Parks, and Refuse and Recycling holds an annual cleanup event. This was the third year that citizens could go to an online dashboard and register for a cleanup location. Citizens were able to sign up for a location, date, and time to clean. After the cleanup event citizens got a creek cleanup t-shirt. Some groups were even able to get recognized in local news.

If you are interested in volunteer activities and future cleanup events, please keep an eye out on our social media pages. Other event opportunities are frequently posted on the City of Tulsa Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter..