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Pryor parks board recommends naming 179 acres around Prior Creek a city park
Summary
At a Pryor Parks Board meeting, a longtime volunteer described the Prior Creek Wildscape and board members voted unanimously to recommend the city council designate the 179-acre Tom Giles property as a city park under the parks department.
Kathy, a Mayes County Master Gardener and director of Saving Whiskers and Tails Pet Rescue, told the Pryor Parks Board on Thursday that an 11-acre portion of Tom Giles’s larger Prior Creek property is certified by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife as a "wildscape" and is being used by the community for wildlife habitat, monarch waystations and informal trails.
Board members heard about the site’s features and history and then moved to recommend the city council officially designate the broader acreage donated by Giles as a city park. The board voted by roll call to recommend that the council place the 179-acre Tom Giles Outdoor Classroom/Prior Creek area under the parks department’s stewardship.
Kathy described the wildscape as "a state certification program" and said the area includes Salt Branch Creek tributaries, an artesian well, habitat features, and community projects such as a monarch waystation and plantings by volunteers and students. She said volunteers — including university students who have done wetland and shoreline studies — and Google volunteers have helped with habitat work. She said the public uses parts of the property for walking and informal dog-walking and that the property historically was donated incrementally between 2005 and 2010 by Tom Giles.
Board members raised public-safety and access concerns discussed during the presentation. Kathy said a double gate at the curve near North Elliot Clayton Road is periodically locked, which she attributes to police efforts to keep trespassers and homeless encampments off the property; when locked, volunteers said it also prevents them from accessing and maintaining plantings. Board members and volunteers discussed existing signs, enforcement of "no unauthorized vehicles" notices, and the need for clearer signage that identifies the wildscape and explains permitted uses.
Speakers noted the site’s flood-prone topography and historical structures on the land, including small bridges and CCC-era features, and emphasized that designation as a city park would give the city regulatory tools to restrict vehicle use, enforce no-shooting rules on city property and better protect the habitat. Board members described the area as a potential outdoor classroom and a longer-term project that would be largely citizen-driven and dependent on incremental funding and donated labor and materials.
After discussion, a board member moved that the parks board recommend the city council recognize the area as an official city park and assign it to the parks department. The motion passed by roll call: Autumn Greenville — yes; Buffington — yes; Jackson — yes; Braves — yes; Shelby — yes. The board recorded the acreage as 179 and asked that formal signage and maps be included in future planning.
Board members asked staff to bring a recommendation and draft language to a future council agenda; volunteers and board members suggested forming or identifying a local organization to assist with long-term maintenance and fundraising.
The board’s recommendation does not itself change ownership or create a detailed development plan. The designation recommendation will go to the Pryor City Council for consideration at a future meeting.
