More Oklahoma City residents than ever before will benefit from the life-changing and life-sustaining exposure to the outdoors at Martin Park Nature Center when a new, accessible boardwalk overlook officially opens April 6.
The Wilderness Matters Overlook is a boardwalk that will provide an elevated view of the 20-acre pond and surrounding forest in the heart of Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W Memorial Road. The boardwalk is near the Visitor Center, which recently completed a 2007 bond program-funded renovation and will also re-open to the public April 6.
Wilderness Matters, Inc., a local nonprofit group founded in 2012, collected donations for the design and construction of the Overlook, which has been donated to the City of Oklahoma City. It follows other groundbreaking accessibility projects at the park already funded, completed and donated by Wilderness Matters. INTEGRIS Health is the largest of many contributing donors.
“Our mission has always been to improve accessibility for people with other abilities by creating an accessible trail with an improved surface, interpretive exhibits and improved signage while preserving Martin Park Nature Center’s unique ecological features,” said Wilderness Matters co-founder and board chairman Peter Hoffman. “With the new addition of the Overlook, coupled with these previous improvements, the park has the promise of becoming an important regional landmark that enhances the quality of life in Oklahoma City and surrounding areas.”
About the Overlook and other improvements
Wilderness Matters and the City partnered in 2013 to make the improvements, which are funded through donations to Wilderness Matters.
The first phase was improvements to one of Martin Park’s trails, along with new interpretive trail exhibits and improved trail signage. The INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Courage Trail, provides about ¾ of a mile of an ADA-accessible surface that allows Oklahoma City residents and visitors of all abilities to enjoy the metro’s preeminent forested wildlife oasis.
The enhancements make it possible for people of all abilities to better feel, smell, see and experience the many natural wonders of Martin Park. The improved signage makes it easier for everyone to navigate the park and benefit from its resources and amenities.
The second phase is the new Overlook, which officially opens April 6. It connects to the Courage Trail and combines a series of ramps and viewing platforms to provide expansive vistas for all visitors to the park.
The Courage Trail and Overlook bypass steep slopes, steps, roots and other obstacles and adds natural landscape features to improve safety and navigation using ADA-accessible design and surfaces.
The total project cost is about $1 million, all raised privately by Wilderness Matters.
The project is a manifestation of Wilderness Matters’ vision to make it possible for everyone in Oklahoma City to spend time outdoors, an essential part of a meaningful life that directly enhances one’s physical, mental and spiritual well-being. The Wilderness Matters mission is to provide universal accessibility to public nature parks, wildlife areas, trails and other outdoor venues.
Wilderness Matters intends for the improvements at Martin Park to serve as a model for other communities to pursue public-private partnerships that improve accessibility to naturally beautiful places.
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