Crow’s Nest: Eagle Scout project improves Creek Trail

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager.

Photo: Daniel Barringer

Eagle Scout candidate Francisco Cerda recently completed his project on our Creek Trail: the construction of another footbridge that will keep hikers out of the mud and allow French Creek to flood and recede more naturally. The bridge spans a swale where water flows out of the creek when it is in flood and allows the water to flow back as the water level goes down. The Creek Trail is, unsurprisingly, located in the floodplain of the creek, so it is a challenge to keep the trail usable under all weather conditions. This footbridge, the third Eagle Scout project footbridge on the Creek Trail, goes a long way toward managing the trail compatibly with the creek.

Photo: Daniel Barringer

The footbridge is mounted on a foundation of concrete piers, not to hold the bridge up so much as to hold it down when the creek floods. The bridge allows water to pass over it in extreme flood events. The deck is constructed of white oak and uses a design that has worked well for use on the preserve. We are grateful to Francisco (below, right) for choosing Crow’s Nest as a project site, and we hope everyone enjoys using the footbridge.

Photo: Daniel Barringer