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February 8, 2017

Turkey Creek Restoration Continues thanks to FLT partners

In a small watershed in northwest Jefferson County lives a tiny, vibrantly colored fish found nowhere else on earth. The Vermilion darter (Etheostoma chermocki), inhabits now a 9 mile stretch of Turkey Creek downstream from Shadow Lake. In the late 1990s, researchers noticed a precipitous drop in the population of these bottom-feeding fish. As a…

January 30, 2017

2017 Board of Directors

The Freshwater Land Trust is excited to welcome three new members to our Board of Directors this year: Thomas N. Carruthers, III Principal Owner Red Rock Realty Group Tom has an extensive background in commercial and residential real estate which began in 1986. He formed Carruthers Real Estate Company in 2001 and, in partnership with…

January 23, 2017

Freshwater Land Trust Hike Series

The Freshwater Land Trust is excited to announce its 2017 Seasonal Hike Series! Throughout the spring and fall seasons, we’re hosting monthly guided hikes so that you can see and learn about the places we’ve helped preserve thanks to your support. No need to RSVP—all you’ll need is your hiking shoes! Invite your friends and…

November 30, 2016

Why the Red Rock Trail matters

In 1925, renowned landscape architects Fredrick Law Olmsted, Jr. and John Charles Olmstead designed a plan for Birmingham that included parks within walking distance of every home. A planned network of open green spaces along low-lying creeks and high ridge lines would connect these parks to each other and their surrounding neighborhoods. Unfortunately, this plan…

November 14, 2016

12.5 acres of streamside property preserved for the Cahaba River in Mountain Brook & Vestavia.

In late September, Ed and Memily Colvin joined a growing group of landowners who have looked to the Freshwater Land Trust to help guide them in their conservation goals. The Colvins donated twelve and a half acres of land along the banks of the Cahaba River in the cities of Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills.…

October 28, 2016

20 for 20 Anniversary Challenge

Make your gift via paypal The Freshwater Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) organization therefore your contribution is tax deductible. A hiking trail. A fishing hole. A backyard creek. Why do these places matter? What are they worth to you? What if with just $20, you can ensure they are preserved forever? Over the past 20…

October 27, 2016

New Staff Q&A: Carolyn Buck

Carolyn Buck recently joined the Freshwater Land Trust team. We sat down with her to find out her plans for the future and learn what she is looking most forward to in her new role. Q: Where are you from? I am a native of Texas and graduated from Baylor University with a degree in…

October 25, 2016

Red Rock Tuesday Featuring Zyp Bikeshare Birmingham

Next Tuesday, November 1, we will be featuring Zyp Bikeshare Birmingham at its Smithfield station on our monthly segment of Red Rock Tuesday. Zyp Bikeshare comprises 40 kiosks and 400 bikes across the Birmingham area. This program began in October of 2015 and allows all residents and visitors 24-hour access to bikes every day of…

September 27, 2016

Red Rock Tuesday feat. Parks Rx

Next week, October 4, we will be filming our October segment of Red Rock Tuesday featuring Parks Rx. This new program was officially launched by Birmingham REACH for Better Health on September 22. The Parks Prescription program, which is led by the UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center, is an initiative to increase…

September 27, 2016

Parks Rx

Download Parks RX PDF…

September 23, 2016

Norwood Boulevard Blast 5k

This coming Saturday, September 24, the Norwood Resource Center (NRC), a non-profit organization founded as a grassroots initiative, will be hosting its third annual Boulevard Blast 5K and Fun Run/Walk. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Norwood Resource Center and the residents of the Norwood Community. Norwood is a critical connection to the…

August 29, 2016

Freshwater Land Trust Welcomes Libba Vaughan

This is an exciting year at the Freshwater Land Trust as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. Over the past two decades, we’ve accomplished great things for land conservation in Central Alabama through the support of our outstanding partners and supporters. While we continue to expand our footprint and take a step into the next…

August 23, 2016

Pete Yorn to Headline 8th Annual Land Aid Event at Avondale Brewery

Join us for our 8th Annual Land Aid concert featuring acclaimed indie singer/songwriter Pete Yorn. Land Aid 2016 will be held at Avondale Brewery Company on Friday, September 16. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. and the concert will start at 8:00 p.m. Currently touring for his new album, ArrangingTime, the Los Angeles (by way…

August 16, 2016

20 Species: Confederate Daisy

High on the secluded ridges of the Freshwater Land Trust’s private preserve on Double Oak Mountain, towering over suburban Shelby County, grows a hardy and rare flower. Sprouting from its sandstone outcrops, its yellow petals bloom in brilliant bursts of color against the opaque surfaces of the surrounding rocks. This flower is the Confederate daisy. Native to…

August 12, 2016

20 Projects: Civil Rights Trail

During the Civil Rights Movement, Birmingham, Alabama became the site of history. During the 1963 civil rights campaign, the Alabama metropolis was plunged into the national, televised spotlight as African-Americans, of all ages and genders and led by Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., staged non-violent protests against Birmingham’s segregation codes…

August 10, 2016

Q&A: Drew Pendleton

As summer comes to an end, we’re saying, “see you later” to several of our interns. We sat down with Drew Pendleton, our summer PR and communications intern thanks to the Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation, to reflect on his experience with the Freshwater Land Trust. Q: What is the most valuable lesson you learned…

August 5, 2016

20 Projects: Cosby Lake

Nearly 20 miles northeast of downtown Birmingham lies the city of Clay, Alabama. Part rural community, part Birmingham suburb, the city stretches from the edges of Center Point and Trussville into increasingly rural terrain. However, Clay has a special distinction for its location: it’s right in the sweet spot of the Turkey Creek watershed, a…

August 2, 2016

Q&A: Americorps VISTA Volunteers Adam & Evan

Q&A: Americorps Volunteers Adam & Evan As we move into the final stretch of summer, we’re taking the time to sit down with our outgoing team members. After joining the Freshwater Land Trust team in August 2015, Americorps VISTA volunteers Adam Greene and Evan Sznajderman have become valued members of the FWLT family. In their…

July 27, 2016

Freshwater Land Trust Announces Leadership Changes

After 15 years of leadership as Executive Director, “Mother Nature’s Real Estate Agent” Wendy Jackson is bidding farewell to the Freshwater Land Trust and has been named as Executive Vice President of the national Land Trust Alliance. The national Land Trust Alliance (LTA) is a land conservation organization that works with over 1,000 land trusts…

July 26, 2016

Upcoming Red Rock Tuesday in Homewood

It’s time again for another Red Rock Tuesday! On August 2, we will be filming the August installment of Red Rock Tuesday with Jeh Jeh Pruitt and the Good Day Alabama team at the Homewood Forest Preserve, a 65-acre tract of land tucked away behind Homewood High School. FWLT recently hosted a workday at this…

July 22, 2016

20 Projects: Village Creek

At the Freshwater Land Trust, we’re celebrating our 20th anniversary of helping preserve and conserve the landscape of central Alabama. Over the next few months, we’ll give you in-depth looks into some of our most prominent projects, from downtown Birmingham to rural Blount County and everywhere in between. From its humble headwaters outside the eastern…

July 21, 2016

Workday with Vulcan Materials at McCallum Park

In the early morning sunrise over Vestavia Hills, McCallum Park was bustling. Trucks and cars filled the red rock parking lot. On one end sat a mountain of gravel; on the lawn across the lot, a Ford F150 pickup and a Ford Taurus. This was the scene on July 14, when teams from the Freshwater…

July 20, 2016

20 Species: Pygmy Sculpin

Alabama’s biological diversity is frequently cited as one of the best in the nation. However, within that diversity, there are a few select species that make their home in Alabama, and in Alabama alone. One of these species resides in Coldwater Spring near the city of Anniston, rendering it in a way Calhoun County’s smallest…

July 19, 2016

20 Projects: High Ore Line & Trail

July 15, 2016

20 Champions: Bishop Johnson

Behind Faith Apostolic Church in Powderly, a neighborhood southwest of downtown Birmingham, weaves a peaceful gravel and rock path. This path leads to a concealed spring that houses the endangered watercress darter, a tiny, colorful fish found exclusively in five Jefferson County springs. After Dr. Mike Howell, who discovered the fish in 1964, found it…

July 13, 2016

20 Species: Rough Hornsnail

In the currents of the Lower Coosa River and Shelby County’s Yellow Leaf Creek, there is a small but sharp species making its way through the water. It’s a species all its own, completely unique from all other members of its genus. It has spike-like nodules within the spiral on its pyramid-like shell, with a…

July 8, 2016

20 Projects: Tapawingo Springs

July 6, 2016

Upcoming Red Rock Tuesday

It’s about that time to gear up for our next Red Rock Tuesday with Jeh Jeh Pruitt and the Good Day Alabama Team! On July 12, we will be filming our July edition of Red Rock Tuesday beginning at 7:00 a.m. at the Gardendale Soccer Complex, where there’s a new project taking its first steps…

July 1, 2016

20 Projects: Rotary Trail

June 30, 2016

20 Champions: Holli Watts

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary at the Freshwater Land Trust, we’re taking time to reflect on our past success stories, while also looking to the future as we take a step into the next era of conservation. Over the course of the next few months, we’ll give you interviews with the Land Trust’s leadership,…

June 24, 2016

20 Projects: Double Oak Mountain

June 22, 2016

20 Species: Cahaba Shiner

Free-flowing for 194 miles through the state of Alabama – the last river of its kind in the state – the Cahaba River plays home to a diverse population of various species. One of these species is an olive and silver fish that takes part of its name from its watery home: the Cahaba shiner.…

June 16, 2016

20 Years Ago: Wendy Jackson

June 15, 2016

20 Species: Black Warrior Waterdog

While it’s also referred to as a “mud puppy,” the Black Warrior waterdog is canine in name only. Rather, it’s a current candidate for the federal endangered species list that calls various forks of the upper Black Warrior River drainage home. Spread out over Blount, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston counties in central Alabama, the Black…

June 10, 2016

The Locust Fork Mitigation Bank

Northeast of the city of Birmingham in the rolling farmlands of Blount County, big days are ahead for a 111-acre swath of land in the Locust Fork Watershed. A new cooperative project between Westervelt Ecological Services and the Freshwater Land Trust, the Locust Fork mitigation bank will restore and rehabilitate this stretch of land in…

June 8, 2016

20 Species: The Rush Darter

In the Tombigbee-Black Warrior drainage in central Alabama lives one special little fish that calls three central Alabama watersheds and their cool, clear, shallow freshwater streams home. The rush darter (etheostoma phytophilum) can only be found in the Turkey Creek, Cove Creek and Clear Creek watersheds within Alabama’s Jefferson, Etowah and Winston counties, respectively. Once…

April 25, 2016

20 Species: Flattened Musk Turtle

At the Freshwater Land Trust, we protect more than just water and land; we protect many different species: plants and animals alike. In our 20th year, we are recognizing 20 species that we have protected and continue to protect today. One of those species is the flattened musk turtle. The flattened musk turtle (Sternotherus depressus)…

April 8, 2016

20 Donors – Bob and Ann Tate

Bob and Ann Tate, long-time wildflower and bird enthusiast, own 14-acres of beautiful property covered in wildflowers on the Cahaba River. After their two sons grew up and moved out-of-state, they built a home on their property nestled in the middle of the woods. In 2004, their love for their property and its memories encouraged…

March 31, 2016

Upcoming Red Rock Tuesday

It’s that time again! We’re kicking off the start of spring with a Red Rock Tuesday at Rotary Trail next week! On Tuesday, April 5th at 7:00 a.m., we will be filming our monthly Red Rock Tuesday with Fox 6 Good Day Alabama at the brand new Rotary Trail. The grand opening of the Rotary…

March 28, 2016

Yellow-Coated Cars Mean Beautiful Spring Flowers

It’s that time of year again when trees and flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing and our cars are continuously draped with a yellow coat of pollen. Although pollen triggers allergies for many, it is often misunderstood. Pollen is produced by all seed plants, not just flowering plants, and is released in the air all…

March 24, 2016

20 Species Worth Saving – The Cave Salamander

The brilliant orange color with black spots from head to tail makes the cave salamander a memorable species. Typically found in limestone caves, around natural springs or around rocky outcrops, cave salamanders have wide and flat heads, large eyes and long prehensile tails that give them exceptional balance when climbing about their rocky habitats. Their…

March 22, 2016

World Water Day

Today is an international observance day for water related issues. The United Nations General Assembly designated March 22 as World Water Day in 1993, and it has been held annually since then. Today, almost half of the world’s workers — 1.5 billion people — work in water related sectors and nearly all jobs depend on…

March 17, 2016

Good Water = Good Beer

Water is an essential part of beer — 90 percent to be exact. As local craft breweries have become more popular, local water quality has become ever more important. Water quality not only affects the flavor of the beer, but it also affects how it supports the yeast, which then eats sugar and turns into…

March 16, 2016

Irondale Riverwalk reopens for spring paddlers

The new and improved Irondale Riverwalk at Grants Mill Road was unveiled earlier this month and is now open to the public just in time for spring! This newly designed canoe launch provides easy access to the Cahaba River for outdoor enthusiasts of any skill level. With funding from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, the…

March 16, 2016

20 Donors – The Howards

At the Freshwater Land Trust, we believe conservation work is more than preserving the natural environment—it’s about preserving a way of life. James and Olivia Howard believe that, too. In the early 2000s, the Howards gave an outright fee simple donation to the Freshwater Land Trust, permanently preserving their 167 acres on the Cahaba River.…

March 10, 2016

20 Species Worth Saving – The Vermillion Darter

At the Freshwater Land Trust, we work to not only save greenspaces, but also save the natural habitats located on or around those greenspaces. Since this is our 20th year of conserving land in Central Alabama, we are celebrating 20 species whose habitats have been preserved over the past 20 years. First… the Vermillion darter…

March 2, 2016

Celebrating 20 Years in Conservation

In celebration of our 20th anniversary and the people, partners and places that have made our conservation work possible, the Freshwater Land Trust is excited to start off the next 20 years with a fresh look. The past few years have been monumental for the Land Trust, as our mission has grown in both scale…

March 1, 2016

Double Oak Mountain Acquisition

Two miles of ridgeline on Double Oak Mountain preserved forever. BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—For more than 60 years, Double Oak Mountain has represented a family’s legacy. Over the years, this family watched as dirt roads turned to asphalt and pine forests turned to brick homes. Although the mountain was changing in front of their eyes, their legacy…

March 1, 2016

Meet Kaitlin Goins

Kaitlin Goins is returning after two years (and a lot of experience in between) to head up communications efforts for the Freshwater Land Trust. She interned with FWLT in the summer of 2014. Originally from Ardmore, Alabama, Kaitlin is a senior, dual-degree student at the University of Alabama and will graduate in May with a…

March 1, 2016

2016 Pheasant Hunt

We’re gearing up for our annual Pheasant Shoot at Westevelt Lodge on February 26th! Join us and other conservation-minded partners and friends for a fun day of bird hunting and fellowship. Hunters will enjoy a continental style pheasant shoot and home-cooked Southern style lunch served at the beautiful, rustic, and historical Westervelt Lodge, one of…

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