March 21, 2018 | Bayou Land Conservancy
It’s been a long year since the Bayou Land Conservancy Trail Crew began constructing the Spring Creek Nature Trail. Countless hours spent in the brutal Houston summer, cold winter, and everything in between. When completed, we will have 14 miles of natural surface trail to enjoy on the Spring Creek Greenway. We couldn’t be more thankful for our Trail Crew, who have dedicated over 1,700 hours of volunteer time to the trail in the past 12 months alone! To date, they have built over 5 miles of trail and designed and built 8 different bridges. This may sound like all work and no play, but let it be known that this crew knows how to have a good time outdoors. In fact, a cold craft beer to tell stories over is almost mandatory at the end of a long work day spent on the trail.
John Stacy sums up the experience over the past year. “I've been volunteering with BLC for many years, so when the construction of the Spring Creek Nature Trail started, it seemed like a great opportunity to have some fun and do something ‘constructive’. The work itself is, well, it's ’work’. But at the end of a workday, I can look at a stretch of new trail, or a finished bridge, and I feel like I actually accomplished something tangible. The other thing I really enjoy is spending time with the other volunteers, who are a really interesting and entertaining group of hard-working people”.
This seems to be the sentiment of the crew as a whole. They will leave a legacy for future generations to get outdoors and enjoy nature. “I feel like I've gotten to know the creek and trail in a very special way. I think I'll be able to share the trail with family and friends with pride, knowing that I had a bit part in its creation,” said Steve Murray.
There is one crew member that the trail crew as a whole believes stands out amongst the group. As David Holloway said, “All of the volunteers have been very dedicated and I’ve made some great friends along the way. One volunteer who is most impressive is Bob Goode. He designed and directed the building of many bridges along the trail. Bob’s leadership was outstanding and it was always a pleasure to work with him. I truly learned a lot working with Bob.”
Managed by our Land Stewardship Director, Suzanne Simpson, the Spring Creek Nature Trail is the first time BLC has engaged the community in a project like this. Suzanne couldn’t be more proud of the quality of work done by the crew. “The dedication and skill of our Trail Crew blows me away. These folks give thousands of hours of their time to create an outdoor amenity that their friends and neighbors will enjoy for years to come. People can only connect to nature when they experience it, and the Trail Crew is helping to foster the next generation of nature lovers and land stewards.”
You will continue to see this amazing group of volunteers out on the trail as we build the next 8 miles. Regulars John Stacy, Bob Goode, Steve Murray, Rosemary Rhodes, David Holloway, Frank Halter, and Peter Jensen, along with a fistful of other amazingly dedicated trail builders all started out as volunteers, and have built lifelong friendships on the trail. To them, we say, THANK YOU!
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