Blog Posts / Conservation
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Forever Wild to add 1,611 acres to Oak Mountain State Park
Big news! Earlier this week, Forever Wild voted to acquire 1,611 acres of forestland adjacent to Oak Mountain State Park.…
Blue Springs Bioblitz
Freshwater Land Trust’s Blue Springs Bioblitz was held May 22 – May 23 in Ragland, Alabama. A bioblitz is an organized event during which participants find and identify as many plant, animal, and fungi species as possible…
Letter from Our Executive Director
August 26, 2020 Dear FLT Community, Last July, I started my position as Executive Director of Freshwater Land Trust (FLT), and it has been a wonderful first year. I would…
Freshwater Land Trust receives accreditation renewal
We are excited to share that the Land Trust Accreditation Commission has renewed Freshwater Land Trust’s accreditation! Land trust accreditation promotes nation-wide quality standards for land trusts and land conservation.…
Five new litter gitters installed across four cities
Freshwater Land Trust is excited to officially launch Project Litter Gitter and install five new litter gitter devices in conjunction with the EPA’s Trash-Free Waters grant, recently awarded to Freshwater…
Homewood installs “litter gitter” in Griffin Brook
The City of Homewood installed a “litter gitter” device in Griffin Brook today near the intersection of Broadway Street and Redfern Street. Homewood is working with Osprey Initiative, Freshwater Land…
Now Hiring: Land Stewardship Director
Freshwater Land Trust is accepting applications for its Land Stewardship Director position. The successful candidate will lead the implementation of land conservation strategies on over 7,000 acres of fee-owned preserves…
Jeffrey Drummond accepts position with U.S. Fish and Wildlife
We are both excited and sad to share that Stewardship Director Jeffrey Drummond is leaving Freshwater Land Trust to accept a biologist position with U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Partners Program. In…
Freshwater Land Trust awarded EPA’s Trash-Free Waters grant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 23, 2020 BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA – Freshwater Land Trust and partners were recently awarded a $500,000 project grant over three years from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Trash-Free…
800 trees planted along Turkey Creek
For the past several years, Freshwater Land Trust has led stewardship projects along Jefferson County’s Turkey Creek in an effort to improve water quality and endangered species habitat. Past projects…
Data released from Litter Gitter pilot project
In December 2019, Osprey Initiative installed a Litter Gitter device at the headwaters of Valley Creek in downtown Birmingham as a pilot project. The adjustable device intercepts floating litter from…
108 acres conserved in Blount County
In December, a generous landowner donated a 108-acre conservation easement to Freshwater Land Trust. Located in Blount County in the Black Warrior River Basin, the easement includes rolling hills with…
"Litter Gitter" installed in Valley Creek
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA — Osprey Initiative, in partnership with River Network, Freshwater Land Trust, and the City of Birmingham, has installed an in-stream litter collection device in Valley Creek. The device,…
Culvert replaced, rush darter habitat improved at Turkey Creek
This fall, Freshwater Land Trust replaced two culverts near a Turkey Creek tributary with the goal of improving endangered species habitat, decreasing erosion, and improving overall water quality in the…
October 17: Continuing Education Seminar
Flora, Fauna, and Flow: Environmental and Legal Issues and What You Need To Know Join Freshwater Land Trust, Bradley, and a diversity of environmental, real estate, and legal experts as…
October 18: Endangered Species Tour
On Friday, October 18, Freshwater Land Trust and Alabama Tree Farms are hosting the second-annual Endangered Species Tour, highlighting locations across Jefferson County where endangered species have been protected. Through…
Land Monitoring in the Springtime
As a land trust, one of our core responsibilities is monitoring our conservation properties every year. When we monitor, we’re checking that the land and surrounding ecosystems are healthy and…
Job Opportunity: Land Stewardship Fellow
Position: Land Stewardship Fellow Location: Birmingham, AL Job Category: Temporary/Seasonal Position – 12 months Salary: $1,600/month stipend, 32 hours/week Start Date: 08/01/2019 Application Deadline: 06/01/2019 Freshwater Land Trust is looking…
Before & After: Spring Cleaning for Darter Habitat
Birmingham’s Roebuck Springs, home to the endangered watercress darter, is looking especially good after an intensive effort to remove invasive plants and undergrowth! Now, more sunlight will be able to…
155 Acres Conserved in Shelby County
In December, Grady and Dianne Swicord donated a 155-acre conservation easement to Freshwater Land Trust. The Swicord easement is located on Coosa Mountain in Shelby County. Home to a healthy, diverse…
Endangered Species Tour: Video & Photos
On Friday, October 12, Freshwater Land Trust and U.S. Fish and Wildlife hosted an all-day endangered species tour, highlighting six Jefferson County locations, stretching from Bessemer to Pinson, where endangered…
Bank stabilization, Sunday hike on Cahaba River
Yesterday we kicked off our seasonal Sunday hikes at Cahaba River Walk in Irondale! A popular spot for kayaking, tubing, and swimming, this short trail runs through Freshwater Land Trust…
Roebuck Springs restoration complete
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Freshwater Land Trust has completed its habitat restoration project at Roebuck Springs in Don Hawkins Park, in partnership with the City of Birmingham and U.S. Fish and…
Wildwood Preserve
Our Wildwood Preserve is now open to the public! The 51 acre nature preserve is nestled between I-65 and Shades Creek and is home to a variety of native wildflowers as…
Restoration at Roebuck Springs: home of the watercress darter
BIRMINGHAM, AL — This week, the Freshwater Land Trust breaks ground on a restoration project at Roebuck Springs in Don Hawkins Park, in partnership with the City of Birmingham and…
New Selma Dixon mitigation bank
In February, the Freshwater Land Trust closed on a conservation easement on a new mitigation bank in Dallas County, Alabama, in partnership with Goodwyn Mills and Cawood (GMC). As holder…
Nine New Acres Conserved in Trussville
In late December, Dennis and Dianne Dempsey donated a nine-acre conservation easement on their property in Trussville, Alabama to the Freshwater Land Trust. The Dempseys join a growing community of landowners…
Endangered Alabama fish found upstream of dam removal site
Four years after the Freshwater Land Trust and partners removed a 100-year-old dam, a critically-endangered fish species is making a new home in a section of Turkey Creek in north…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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,…
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…
20 Projects: Tapawingo Springs
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…
20 Projects: Double Oak Mountain
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Conserving the Cahaba
JAMES & OLIVIA HOWARD DONATE CAHABA RIVER PROPERTY TO FRESHWATER LAND TRUST Preserving a Way of Life At the Freshwater Land trust, we believe conservation work is more than preserving…
Partner Happenings
Father Nature Landscapes, one of our Corporate Partners for Conservation, recently revisited Turkey Creek for the final round of plantings on the newly formed streambank following our removal of Old Shadow Lake Dam.…
Donor Spotlight
BOB AND ANN TATE: MAKING A DIFFERENCE TODAY AND FOREVER Bob and Ann Tate have walked the woods of Alabama for as long as they can remember. Bob and Ann…