Crow’s Nest: Creek Trail improvements

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager.

A couple projects are beginning which will improve conditions on the Creek Trail. In one, Eagle Scout candidate Dalton Meadows is replacing a broken concrete culvert pipe over which the trail has crossed (and which has been falling apart for years) with a footbridge that will span the flow of water draining from nearby farm fields.

Removing the old pipe was a huge job and I was really not sure how it would go. We can’t get heavy equipment close to the site along the creek, so it would have to be done by hand. Fortunately ingenuity won out over sheer strength, and the scouts built a “tetrapod”—a four-legged support from which they hung a chain hoist. After some digging and stabilizing the device it easily lifted the concrete pipes out, which have been cut up and set aside for recycling.

The next step for the project is building the new footbridge. Right now there is a temporary plank bridge spanning the opening. Look for the new bridge over the next few weeks.

In other work Aubrey is ordering new white oak planks to replace those that have rotted along the first section of boardwalk. This is an ongoing maintenance item and we’re many generations into decking this walkway. The bases are either black locust or plastic lumber and have held up well, but the shaded location and proximity to the ground means that this section of decking requires a lot of upkeep. Please bear with us while we make these repairs.