By Gary Lloyd
PINSON — The Forever Wild Board on Dec. 18 approved a motion to move forward with the second appraisal and purchase a 242-acre Shepherd addition for Turkey Creek Nature Preserve in Pinson.
Preserve Manager Charles Yeager said this is a “major achievement” for the preserve.
After the second appraisal is conducted, Forever Wild will submit an offer to purchase the property from its current owners for the fair market value, Yeager said. That value will remain undisclosed until after an arrangement is met, he said.
One of the large sandstone rock outcrops that are common on the property
photo courtesy of Turkey Creek Nature Preserve
“I have worked very closely with the Shepherd family on arranging this nomination, and I feel very confident that within the next year this property will become a part of the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve,” Yeager said.
Yeager said the 242-acre addition would mean a wider variety of outdoor opportunities to the public, including hiking, mountain biking, running and rock climbing.
The property is located adjacent to the preserve’s current southern border along Narrows Road.
“This tract of land is absolutely stunning,” Yeager said. “It contains massive old growth hardwood pines and long stretches of rock outcrops.”
Yeager said plans are already being worked on for an 11-mile, multi-use trail system that will likely bring in tourists.
“It will take time to raise the funds we need to accomplish this, so nothing will happen overnight,” he said. “But regardless, it is a major step in the right direction for the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve.”
A project two years in the making was recently completed at the preserve. The National Wildlife Federation 5-Star Stream Bank Restoration project’s goal was to restore the habitat for the endangered vermillion darter and protect a historic bridge that has spanned the creek since 1919. Yeager said the creek through the 100-foot by 75-foot work area used to be deep enough to dive into from the bridge, but sediment from development upstream has filled the creek and caused banks to erode. The water is about 6 inches deep in this area now. A gravel bar visible near the bridge wasn’t present a year ago.
The restoration effort also includes a new set of stone steps from the bank to the water’s edge, in an area that’s currently not open to the public, but might be sometime in the future.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
