Tulsa Man Stands Up Tires In Arkansas River To Encourage Activism

TULSA, Okla. – 

Countless tires along the Arkansas River in Tulsa have been dug up and are standing up, leading to a lot of people asking questions.

News On 6 tracked down the man who has been working hard to send a message. Zane Bettis has been digging the last five days, but he is not tired. The 26-year-old Tulsan said he has always wanted to do something to help the environment, and now the rubber finally meets the road. He has walked at least half a mile through the river, rotating the tires and standing them up.

“It’s ready for somebody to roll it on out and take it where it needs to go,” said Bettis.

He said he did not do it for attention, but the topic has inflated.

“Standing them up has been a way that if I do get people to help, it’s much easier for people to see the tires as to where to go and grab it and bring it back,” explained Bettis.

Bettis also said he was pumped when he saw more tires standing up after a mysterious person helped. He hopes others feel the pressure to do their part to protect wildlife. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality told News On 6 that it has a tire recycling program but not enough staff to spare for tire dumps.

“That’s not something we have the resources for, so we’d certainly love to get any help we can from the public if they see a tire dump or they know of one, then we can figure out how to get out there and do something about it,” explained Erin Hatfield with Oklahoma DEQ.

Bettis said he will not tread lightly, promising to continue getting fresh air and rolling with whoever wants to stand up against flat-out tire dumping.

“I would hope that if people like what they see, then they would be inspired to try and go and instill in their community an example to follow,” said Bettis.

If you know of any illegal dumping, you are asked to contact your local authorities.