by Jacqueline Kochak
I first met Louise Kreher Turner when she was a white-haired 80-something, halfcrippled from her years as a dancer. She showed me her baby, the Forest Ecology Preserve in Auburn, in a motorized golf cart.
Turner and her husband, Frank, lived in an old dogtrot adjacent to the property. At one time, Frank Allen Turner raised cattle on the land, which at an earlier time was terraced for growing cotton. In 1993, however, the Turners established an endowment to protect the 110 acres and return the land to its natural state under the auspices of Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Management.
Dr. Turner managed the property herself from 1998 to 2000, but in January of 2001 the school took over management, with volunteer Margaret Holler in charge.
The preserve has come a long way since those early days, and is a perfect place to hike with children and include a little learning, too. The 15 walking trails generally are wide and well-maintained, although the Hidden Falls Trail narrows to almost nothing as it makes its way to a small splashing falls, where a bench is strategically place to rest. The slightly rough, narrow Barn Trace leads back to the dilapidated remains of an old barn on the property, but the Homestead Trail along Rt. 72 opens up as it passes the foundations of a house that burned in the 1940s.
Signs point out interesting sights, such as an overturned tree with a complex tree root ecosystem. And I learned that the fragrant sweet gum is often considered a “weed tree” on pine plantations. Young people can learn to use a compass on a special unmarked trail, and global positioning system markers are located along the paths.The preserve offers classes on using a GPS system, as well as a summer camp taught in two sessions, one for first through third graders and one for fourth through sixth graders.
The preserve has two entrances, one off Alabama Hwy. 147 (College Street) and one off Shelton Road. The College Street entrance is nearest the dramatic Frank A. Turner Memorial Canopy, designed by an architecture student and built in 1998. This meeting area is equipped with restrooms and bleachers.
The park offers a flat, wide trail for the handicapped, a fern viewing area, a “Lizard Loop,” a spring-fed pond, a native azalea and wildflower area and a butterfly garden.
There is no charge for visiting the park, and only a minimal charge for special programs. The preserve is largely funded by donations, however, and much of the work is done by volunteers. For more information, call the preserve at (334) 502-4553.
Essential Info:
Cost: Free
Hours: 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.eastern time on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays in the fall, winter and spring. The preserve stays open until 7 p.m. in the summer.
Location: On Rt. 147 (North College Street) a short way north of Shug Jordan Parkway. Take I-85 to the College Street exit, then go north all the way through town.
