It certainly wasn’t a first for Homestead Hollow. They’re used to hosting an outdoor festival drawing crowds from all around the region. But for newly opened Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve, its successful first venture looks like a gateway to an annual fundraiser.
Event was held to help fund the Big Canoe Creek Preserve
Creek Jam was an all-day, outdoor musical festival, featuring bands, entertainment and activities for the entire family and drawing 1,500 to 2,000 attendees. And Homestead Hollow provided the ideal setting on its main stage featuring: Winston Ramble, Jason Bailey Trio, The Stepdads, Love Rat, Len Park, Cottonmouth Creek, LeeJ The DJ and more.
An educational tent was run by two of the Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners, Jimmy Stiles and Jill Chambers. Jimmy brought creek critters, such as a baby alligator, snakes, turtles and other species. Jill brought microscopes for kids to view all sorts of things found in Nature. The Nature Conservancy, Forever Wild and the Coosa Riverkeeper also manned educational tents.
Camping was available, providing more time to listen to the bands and to explore the preserve.
“It was a good turnout,” said Preserve Manager Doug Morrison. “We’ve had good feedback. People came from Gadsden, Hoover, Locust Fork – from all over. We were real pleased.”
The feedback, he added, centered on how impressed they were with the venue and “how well put together the event was.”
It had a little something for everybody with artisans and makers as vendors, food galore and music of all genres – and plenty of it.
Festival goers spread blankets, set up camp and lawn chairs or strolled through the open fields to just enjoy the day and the outdoors.
After all, that’s what it was all about – the treasures found in simply getting outside – just like at the preserve.
Morrison thanked sponsors for their support:
A great day was had by people of all ages at the festival
St. Clair County Commission
City of Springville
Buffalo Rock/Pepsi, our Presenting Sponsor
Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners
APEX Roofing
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, The Caring Foundation
St. Clair EDC
AmFirst
Peritus Wealth Management
PPM Consultants
Hill, Gossett, Kemp, P.C.
Thompsons Tractor Rental
Schoel Engineering
Springville Dental
In-Kind Sponsors:
Cahaba Brewing Company
Ghost Train Brewery
Back Forty Beer Company
Steel Hall Brewing
Sweet Home Spirits
Creative Entertainment
Bob Tedrow of Homewood Music
Rusty’s BBQ
The Farm House
In addition, Morrison had high praise for:
Terri and Dean Goforth, who provided the venue space; Mayor Dave Thomas and Springville City Council; Commission Chairman Stan Batemon and the County Commission; all volunteers; Salient Projects, who organized the soundstage, bands and helped tremendously with planning; city employees from Parks and Rec; the planning committee – Terri & Dean Goforth, Mayor Thomas, Lucy Cleaver, Lee Jeffrey, Mandi Rae Trot, Candice Hill, Blair Goodgame and Morrison; Springville Parks and Rec Board; bands and individual musicians who played on the side stage and vendors.
Perseverance’s payoff: Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve ready for visitors
Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Mackenzie Free
It was a word repeated early and often in what would become a decade-long journey to Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve – “perseverance.”
But on a clear, Spring-like day in February, close to 400 people witnessed just how perseverance paid off.
It was billed as a ribbon cutting. What it became was testament to what can happen when visionaries don’t give up.
The much anticipated, much heralded Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve officially opened, marking the end of one journey and the beginning of many more. This 422-acre slice of Alabama nature tucked away alongside a pristine creek in Springville blends miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, birding and just plain enjoying nature.
Plants, flowers, trees of all descriptions dot the landscape. A crystal-clear creek meanders through the heart of it. Below its surface, rare aquatic species have found a home. Towering trees form the ideal canopy for the trails below.
It’s a scene no doubt played and replayed in the vision of people like Doug Morrison, whose passion to preserve, protect and share nature’s gem never ceased. Perseverance.
Posing with new sign, from left, Richie Gudzan, who designed the new logo, Preserve Manager Doug Morrison, Springville Mayor Dave Thomas and Granger Waid of Norris Paving, who played a major role in getting the Preserve open.
It’s a scene where one by one, a burgeoning army joined in the advocacy, embracing the vision. The Friends of Big Canoe Creek, Dean Goforth, St. Clair Economic Development Council, Springville City Council, St. Clair County Commission, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Lands Division, Freshwater Land Trust, Forever Wild, Nature Conservancy and Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners became an unstoppable coalition of noteworthy impact on generations to come. Perseverance.
And it’s a scene where a new journey began once those gates opened, drawing multitudes now and in the future to – as Morrison puts it – “explore and discover” the natural treasures found within its borders. Again, perseverance.
The day following the ribbon cutting, the gates opened officially to the public for its very first day, Feb. 3, and 731 streamed in throughout the day. That’s over 1,000 people in just two days, and the enthusiasm and allure have shown no signs of slowing since.
Springville Mayor Dave Thomas said he had not visited for about two weeks after the opening and decided to check in one morning. The upper parking lot was full, and the traffic kept coming. “It was 10 o’clock in the morning on a Thursday,” he said, the note of surprise evident in his voice.
At the opening, Morrison talked of the Alabama Forever Wild program and the wonder of its impact on the future. “They are taking this property and buying it to set aside for people forever. It will be for this community from now on.”
The abundance of biodiversity is now protected. “We really are blessed here,” Morrison said.
A main focus of the preserve, in addition to its recreational value, will be its education component. No sooner had the ribbon been cut than the first education outreach program was announced – a turkey call expo.
Youths from all over were invited for a day of learning all about turkey calls, making them and enjoying the outdoors. Outdoor classrooms will be a hallmark of the preserve.
Thomas called the preserve “a fantastic opportunity to protect the ecosystem and promote conservation education among students and parents. This will be generational. It will outlive us all.”
Surveying the map of the 422 acres that make up the preserve
Commission Chairman Stan Batemon, who was a game warden in his professional career, knows firsthand from both roles the benefits and potential of the preserve. “This is the ground level of economic development,” he told the crowd. He talked of young people and an emphasis on work ethic through groups like the Cattlemen’s Association and 4-H, which can use the preserve as a resource for “building up and creating a workforce.”
And Morrison centered on a community of people who came together around a common good. When skills and expertise were needed in each area along the journey’s way, he recounted, community stepped up to make it happen. Whether it was securing the land, building a website, painting, paving, addressing environmental needs, carpentry, trail design, providing funding or dozens of other issues, someone always came forward.
“People in this community care,” Morrison said as he reflected on years ago when he and wife, Joannie, moved to Springville, his home on the banks of Big Canoe Creek. “Destiny brought us here, honey,” he told her.
And perseverance brought the preserve to this moment.
Making it official with the cutting of the ribbon
Key Players
A project of this magnitude had to have a team. When their number was called over the past decade en route to opening day, these agencies all played a role in acquiring and transforming the Preserve into a winner:
City of Springville
St. Clair County Commission
St. Clair Economic Development Council
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Lands Division
Curiosity got the best of Granger Waid, and Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve is lucky it did. Same holds true for Joey Breighner. And again, the preserve was on the receiving end of this lucky charm.
Their names often pop up when Preserve Manager Doug Morrison recounts the contributions the pair made to transform the preserve into nature’s gift to all who visit.
“Early on, the preserve seemed to be some type of clandestine operation hidden behind poorly secured cattle gates,” Waid said, recalling his morning commute past the 422-acre site. “It always begged the question, ‘What is going on with this place?’
“One day my curiosity overtook me. I parked at the gate and started walking. Following the little iron ore-stained trickle upstream, I came across an old spring house with remnants of the old home place on the hill above. I thought to myself, “What is going on with this place?”
That was four years ago. Fast forward three years, and Waid was at a pre-bid conference for his company, Norris Paving. The conference was for a new parking lot being installed at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve. He finally asked his “nagging question” about Big Canoe Creek of Charles Yeager, Turkey Creek’s manager, and his response was, “You need to meet my buddy, Doug.”
Morrison and Waid met, he toured the property and saw the potential. “Doug shared his vision for the preserve, and I saw that it could be something truly special. I knew right then I wanted to be a part of it.”
It is much the same story for Breighner. He came. He saw. He got involved.
“I was familiar with the preserve, but when Doug invited me to the preserve and seeing his passion for the project, I immediately became interested and seeing where I may be able to contribute,” said Breighner, an engineer by trade. “After a tour of the preserve, I saw quickly where there were land surveying and engineering needs where we could jump in and help.”
Joey Breighner of Schoel Engineering joins Doug Morrison at the new sign. Breighner is credited as a major force in the project.
Lucky for the preserve, both men’s expertise matched their enthusiasm, and they went to work. “I had no idea that it would turn into a full-blown passion project,” said Waid, who also holds degrees in landscape and horticulture. “My wife would call it an obsession, but she gets me, and is one of the few who sees that it’s more to me than building a parking lot and putting plants in the ground,” he said.
“Nature is a necessity for me,” he continued. “There is a healing power in the sound of running water, and sometimes a sturdy oak’s trunk is the best shoulder to cry on. So, I’m all for the preservation of wild lands, because a quiet walk in the woods may be the only under-prescribed medication in America.”
Breighner, too, talks of the healing effect of this particular project. “It’s always gratifying to look back – and forward in this case – on a project where you may have had an impact or feel you have made some contribution.
“The vision had already been cast; we came in and helped where we could, working directly with Doug, the City of Springville, and the site contractor,” Breighner recalled. “As professionals, we are often cautious about projects we support and involve ourselves with. However, after an in-depth introduction to the preserve and an understanding of the short-and long-term vision, it became quickly obvious that this was a project that I wanted to be part of and contribute to.”
The skills Schoel possesses as a company in the field of engineering and land surveying was “a great fit,” Breighner said. “There will be a life-long connection to both the preserve and the people we have been able to work with.”
Waid’s personal philosophy melded with his professional ability, he said, sharing a story of his own. “At our wedding, we gave away tiny ‘Snowflake’ Hydrangeas and said, ‘Let love Grow.’ You can’t take a building seed and plant it to share,” he said.
“Buildings don’t grow with age, they don’t change colors in the fall, or bloom in the spring. You can’t eat them – well, maybe gingerbread houses – and they certainly don’t get to be 100 feet tall all by themselves. Landscapes evolve. They are four dimensional. Having the ability to see a space that doesn’t exist, from every angle, at all times of the year, imagining its future, and combining it with paving, concrete, stone, and steel is a unique skill set that I guess I have.”
He had to have a little help, of course. He likens it to a recipe, adding “a fleet of GPS machine-controlled heavy equipment, a little AutoCAD, sprinkle on some engineering, and for something a lot bigger than shovel and wheelbarrow can produce. Just add diesel fuel and long hours.”
Waid noted that some of the earthwork had been done by the county, but it was clear there was not nearly enough parking. “We donated the men and equipment for a couple weeks and built the lower parking lot and expanded the upper parking lot.”
With Breighner’s help in engineering, “that led to the design and installation of the upper parking, roads and bioswale.”
What will be the preserve’s greatest impact going forward? “Some will say the economic impact in the community, an amenity for the city, others, the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, hiking, biking, horseback riding, etc.,” Breighner said.
“I see the primary impact as having a nature preserve in St. Clair County, that will be held undeveloped, in perpetuity, with unimaginable diversity available for public enjoyment. The Big Canoe Creek in itself, stands alone in the country with its biodiversity.”
He wants others to have an opportunity to share his appreciation of what can be discovered and enjoyed there. “I have met some incredible folks and made some lifelong friends,” Waid said. “I’ve learned to appreciate the little critters that often get overlooked because they’re not on your hunting and fishing license. Like mussels and darters or sculpins, and salamanders.”
And there’s more, he said. “Surrounding wooded areas filled with flora and fauna unique only to our region will be available to families and children forever. The diversity of the preserve will provide education opportunities for our children, research opportunities for academia that are available only in this region.”
Breighner talked of the trails with varied elevations providing different challenges for hikers, bikers and horseback riders.
“With the preserve in its infancy, and much work left to be done, I don’t know if I can fully imagine the current and future impact the Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve will have on this community and the surrounding areas.” He looks forward to the future as it continues to grow, add amenities for visitors and, lucky for the preserve itself, “where I can work with the Nature preserve team.”
Waid captures his glimpse of the future like this: “My hope is to keep people curious. Wandering and wondering is important. Maybe they’ll take a moment to stop, lean against a tree and just soak it all in.
“I also hope that the Preserve will impact some kids and will recruit some apostles to go and spread the clean water gospel. We could use some more Loraxes in the future. The world has enough Oncelers,” he said, referring to Dr. Suess’ fictional characters in chronicling the plight of the environment.
“More than anything else, I hope people take a memory with them,” Waid said. “I grew up playing and fishing in Big Canoe Creek. I’m grateful for my dad, grandad, and uncle taking me to ‘the creek.’ I’ve watched my girls play in the creek. Hopefully I’m fortunate enough to take my future grandchildren to dip their feet in Big Canoe Creek, just like mine took me.”
When you pass through the gates at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve, know that many hands built it – maybe not physically, but nevertheless formed the foundation of it all.
Manager Doug Morrison is quick to tip his hat to a long list of people and organizations, who along the way, had a hand in making the preserve a reality.
Springville Mayor Dave Thomas, who encouraged the nonprofit formation, advocates for support of the preserve and the education component.
Commission Chairman Stan Batemon, consistent advocate during Forever Wild nomination process and through present day.
The Friends of Big Canoe Creek, the supporting organization at the beginning to preserve the land and nominated the acreage to Forever Wild.
Wendy Jackson, former executive director Freshwater Land Trust, pitched the idea of greenspace economic value to former Springville Mayor Butch Isley, Batemon and St. Clair Commission, who supported the effort that laid the groundwork.
Isley and Recreation Director Ashley Hay, secured grant from Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, which enabled original master plan.
Dean Goforth, businessman and owner of Homestead Hollow, facilitated navigation of governmental agencies to get the project moving through the process.
Richie Gudzan, a board member with Coosa Riverkeeper, who designed the new logo at no charge.
G.T. Laborde, a major contributor whose donations funded the website and other projects during construction.
Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners, the preserve’s board that has guided the process through to success.
Granger Waid/Norris Paving, prepared road for tar and gravel and raised the idea of reshaping the original plan and incorporating the bioswale in the upper parking area.
Joey Breighner/Schoel Engineering, created new master plan and map for free. Also worked closely with Granger Waid during reshaping of original plan.
Beau Jordan, painted the gate and information board for free.
Jaresiah Banks, major volunteer.
Lee Jeffrey, major volunteer.
Jill Chambers, major volunteer.
Bill Fuqua, who lives close to the Preserve, built and donated 25 bluebird houses.
Drexel Rafford, major volunteer who has helped on many projects and is the Park & Rec liaison for the Preserve worked closely with Jake Tucker, maintenance tech to build the information board at the gate.
Parks and Rec staff – Rick Hopkins, Austin Brower, Justin Parkman and Josh Miller – helped on many occasions.
Discover St. Clair Magazine, St. Clair Times and Trussville Tribune, consistent supporters that covered the journey since its first steps to raise awareness.
Organizations which contributed either through grants or donations:
EBSCO
BCBS of Alabama
Coosa Riverkeeper
KEBCO
United Way of Central Alabama
Amerex
Walmart
Lovejoy Realty
All American Ford
Sherwin Williams, which donated paint for the gate and info board at the entrance
Story by Roxann Edsall Photos by Mackenzie Free and Roxann Edsall Submitted photos
It may look like just an ordinary landscaping job to many who park at the Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville. There, in the middle of the parking area, is an island of landscaping. Lovely, but on the surface, unremarkable. It is, however, quite remarkable.
This is a bioswale, a highly efficient and aesthetically pleasing landscape engineering tool, whose job is to control stormwater and its resulting erosion and to limit the transference of pollutants. It functions a bit like a stormwater detention basin, but it looks far better.
Why is it needed? In areas with solid surfaces, like roads, driveways, and like BCCNP’s parking lot, storm water is not able to soak in, so it runs off, taking pollutants like oils, pesticides, micro garbage and cigarette butts with it. With enough rain, the volume of water takes these pollutants to grassy areas and to creeks.
Now landscaped, the bioswale underneath is unnoticeable, but its environmental impact looms large
Enter the bioswale. Graded to be lower than the rest of the parking area, it is essentially a trench, into which all the rainwater funnels. The trench contains perforated drainage pipes and layers of gravel, sand and organic materials to filter the pollutants before they are absorbed into the ground soil.
Flood and drought resistant plants are then placed into the area to keep the filter materials in place. Domed metal grates are tucked into planting areas on either end of the planting area to handle extreme volumes of water.
Granger Waid, vice president of Norris Paving and Excavating, worked with Joey Breighner and Schoel Engineering on the design and installation of BCCNP’s bioswale.
Waid used both his work experience with concrete and asphalt surfacing and his degree in Horticulture and Landscape Design to come up with a different design for the parking lot that would be both attractive and functional. “I drew it up with the help of Joey,” explains Waid. “We then were able to make my two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional one, so we could just plug it into a bulldozer, and it automatically graded the parking lot that way.”
Breighner and his crew gave Waid detailed specifications for the soil mixture to put on top of all the drainage layers. This “dirt recipe” was designed specifically for the native redbuds, sweet bay magnolias and pink muhly grass. Because it is a Forever Wild property, only plants approved as native to the state by a botanist from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources were allowed.
Since this bioswale is in the middle of a parking area in a remote setting, the plants had to be drought tolerant, but be able to survive in standing water. And they had to look good from all angles and in all seasons.
They do look good, but understanding the greater purpose makes them even more interesting.
Waid and the team at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve are working on a documentary on the bioswale and its function. Soon, visitors will be able to scan a QR code on a sign to connect to that information.
This landscape area is definitely not just a pretty space.
The most entertaining way to showcase watercraft and more
Story by Linda Long Submitted photos
Brand new and tech ready. Tech ready? Yes, indeed. Seems boating has gone computer in a big way. From pontoons to fishing boats, today’s vessels are equipped, with everything from big screen monitors to stereo systems to USB charging ports and even cruise control.
In a word, boats today are just plain “smart.”
Boats showcased at this year’s Logan Martin LakeFest and Boat Show are no exception. The 14th annual, admission free event is set for May 10-12 at Lakeside Park.
Logan Martin is the perfect lake to host an on-water boat show
Though LakeFest features music, fireworks and a lot more, Eric Housh, event coordinator said, “the boat show, of course, is the centerpiece. Folks come out to see the boats because of the latest and greatest technology out there. Brand new boats do all sorts of stuff now.”
Lee Holmes, one of the LakeFest founders, and co-owner of Sylacauga Marina and ATV, agreed, saying he “never thought he’d see the day” when boats would be computerized. But, they have conquered it, and it seems to be working real well.”
Some boats today “basically have a touchscreen that, with the push of a button, controls everything on the boat. They’ve got new systems now and the water and fuel gauges are all digital.”
The hottest new thing in pleasure boats these days is the Wake Boat. “They create waves for people to ride wake boards. That’s where they can do flips and turns and all that kind of stuff. You can control the size of the wake. You can make it bigger or smaller,” Holmes said.
“It’s controlled through touchscreens, and if you’ve got four or five people in your family, you can set a profile for each. That profile gets copied every time so it can go 8 miles an hour or 18 miles an hour, whatever the speed that was copied. So, it automatically knows which guy is fixing to ride and at what speed to set. It repeats exactly what it has done before,” he explained.
Rodney Humphries, owner of Rodney’s Marine Center in Cropwell, cited “all the amenities” on pontoons and tri-toons these days, from Bluetooth stereo to LED lighting. “We sell one that even has USB chargers on all the seats. I guess that shows how dependent we all are on our phones these days,” he smiled.
Beachside view of the festival
But it’s in fishing boats where he sees, perhaps, the most innovative technology. “Most of them are equipped with a trolling motor which can actually hold its position and the electronics and depth finders are very advanced from just five years ago.”
Humphries, who has lived on Logan Martin “all my life,” marvels at some of today’s technical enhancements, particularly the depth finders that anglers are using. It’s so advanced it seems almost unfair to the fish.
“A lot of them have three depth finders on the boat,” Humphries said. “The depth finders have 12- to 16-inch screens. This means they can see where the fish are, actually see them on the screen. People really seem to enjoy this technology.”
As well they should, but do the fish have even a fighting chance? “Yes,” laughed Humphries. “They’re still pretty hard to catch.”
It’s not all about technology, as Housh points out. “Every year, manufacturers are coming out with more and more things that are more comfortable and useful. For example, the pontoon boat seats don’t get hot anymore. They’re covered in a special fabric that’s easier to maintain. It doesn’t fade, and it’s more comfortable to sit on.”
Among the pontoons featured at LakeFest, “we’re going to see these luxury brands, and they’re going to have state-of-the-art entertainment packages on them from speakers, GPS systems, cruise control, things of that nature. Every year, you’ll see a couple boats out there that are just decked out with the latest and greatest. It’s interesting to see how these manufacturers keep innovating to deliver just world-class products.”
How big of a dent will these “world class products” put in your pocketbook?
“Honestly, you can spend as much as you want to spend,” Humphries stated, from $20,000 to $200,000. “There are different price points for everybody.”
Holmes concurred. “We sell $100,000 boats. We sell $200,000 boats, and we sell $20,000 boats. We got fishing boats that start at $14,000 and we’ve got fishing boats at $110,000. There’s really a boat out there for everybody.”
And that’s where LakeFest comes in.
As a mega, in-water boat show, boat dealers will be on hand to demonstrate all the latest innovative technology. With over a dozen lines of watercraft and more than 80 models, there’s going to be plenty to see.
“The ability to put product in the water and to put somebody behind the wheel of a boat to test drive it is special,” Housh said. “You can’t do that in a dealer showroom. It’s a try it before you buy it sort of plan. It’s really a great opportunity to see how the boat feels while it’s actually on the lake.
Housh has been with LakeFest since its beginning. “I was volunteered by a friend,” he chuckled. That means he’s been planning, organizing, handling communications and coordinating it for over a decade. During that time, he has seen the event’s mushrooming popularity. This this year’s attendance could top 50,000.
“I never thought I’d see the day that 40,000 people would show up. That first year, we sat down there on the lake in front of those condos (Horizons), it was just me and Jerry (the late Jerry Woods, Woods Surfside Marine) Maybe, we had two or three vendors. There was hardly anybody out there, but we had a good sale, and it just started growing and more and more people wanted to participate.
“It was all Jerry’s idea. All I did was answer the phone when he called to see if I wanted to participate.”
As he does on every LakeFest weekend, Housh is hoping for fair skies and good weather.
“Luckily, we’ve never had a bad thunderstorm. We’ve never had to shut the event down. But, he admits, he’s come mighty close.
“One year, I remember, we were watching the radar, and this real gnarly looking storm was bearing down on us. We were certain we were going to have to call the event – to shut it down. But, that that storm broke up and went right around us, on either side like you just parted the waves.”
“And, I remember another year on Saturday, we were watching the forecast for what was coming down on Sunday,” Housh said. “The team that puts LakeFest together, we are exhausted by this time. Now, the forecast called for 100% chance of rain. So, we made the call just to shut down a day early. We made the announcement and took all the precautions, and I want you to know it did not rain a drop.”
But, whatever the weather, Housh says “We’ll deal with it. We always do. It’s just the magic of that weekend.”
In addition to boats and financing on the spot by America’s First Federal Credit Union, other activities include dozens of vendors with food, arts and crafts, home goods, apparel, lake lifestyle items, home services and more. Other activities are a fireworks show, a salute to veterans, music all weekend, including a concert by the Velcro Pygmies on stage Saturday night. Mother’s Day is that weekend, so there are free Mimosas for Moms on Sunday.
“We’re trying to design it so it will be family friendly and offer a little bit of something for everybody. It’s also a pet friendly event. I know some of the vendors actually set up little pet friendly areas providing water bowls and a little shade so they can get out of the sunlight.”
While folks are encouraged to bring their pets, “we also encourage them to bring plastic bags to pick up after them and to keep them on a leash.”
