Posted on May 19, 2025
More than three dozen recreation sites across Green Country will be closed this summer.
ROGERS COUNTY – The Army Corps of Engineers will close or reduce services at more than three dozen recreation areas across Green Country this summer.
The Corps says they don’t have the staff to maintain all the sites, including parts of Keystone Lake, Lake Eufala, and Oologah Lake.
A lifetime of memories at Spencer Creek
For as long as she can remember, Nickia Davis has spent every summer at Spencer Creek on Oologah Lake making memories.
“Getting woke up early on a Friday morning, and it’s still dark outside, and my parents told me, my brothers, ‘Load up, we’re heading to Spencer Creek.’ And so, we had an overhead camper that went on the back of the truck, and we’d all squeeze in there, and we’d wake up and we’d be at Spencer Creek, ” said Nickia Davis, Claremore.
She continued her parents’ tradition with her own family. Nickia says she took her two daughters to Spencer Creek every summer, and now she goes with her two-year-old grandson.
“We went fishing and we did a lot of swimming, cookouts, so that’s three generations,” said Davis.
A bad break for the summer
Nickia said she was waiting for the severe weather season to pass before making any reservations this summer for her favorite campsite, but she never got the chance.
“I was devastated, heartbroken. Could not believe it. I told my parents, and I was like, they’re trying to shut down Spencer Creek due to lack of volunteers, and just, there’s no words for it,” said Davis.
The memories aren’t the only reason Spencer Creek is Nickia’s favorite spot
“There’s no drop-offs at all. It’s really big. And then the bathrooms were so clean,” said Davis.
Now Nickia says instead of driving just 10 minutes from her home to her favorite spot, she’ll have to find another campsite.
“Trying to find a different area and just be depressed about it, because I want to go to Spencer Creek,” said Davis.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Statement
“The Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not currently have the staffing to maintain all recreation sites at normal levels of service. These temporary adjustments are being made to ensure visitor safety, protection of environmental resources and safety of USACE employees and assets.
The Tulsa District Operations Division, which executes the Recreation mission and stewards our water resources, has lost approximately 50% of its staff that assists in carrying out the mission. Without staff, the parks cannot be safely operated.
Decisions about changes at recreation areas are not made lightly, and we understand those decisions will be disruptive to the public’s travel plans.”
What’s next?
Visitors with existing reservations at closed parks will receive a full refund automatically within 4 to 6 weeks. You can check on reservation status by calling Recreation.gov at 877-444-6777.
See the list of all Tulsa District closures here.
