New nature trail at Van de Graaff Park combines recreation with information

A new trail in the Tuscaloosa area allows people to dive deep into Mother Nature.

The Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority on Tuesday held a grand opening ceremony for the Eco Trail in Van de Graaff Arboretum and Historic Bridge Park, 3231 Robert Cardinal Airport Road, in Northport.

More:PARA adds second historic bridge to Van De Graaf park in Northport

The Eco Trail is a collaboration between PARA, the Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa Morning, the University of Alabama’s departments of art and art history biological sciences. The project adds four custom installations, which include trail signage with informational placards on metal sculpture stands, entrance signage and a pedestrian bridge.

Michael Crady, PARA's chief financial officer, said the success of the Van de Graaf Park has been made possible by PARA's longtime partnership with the Friends of Historic Northport Inc.

"We wouldn't have this beautiful park without you, so thank you," Crady said during Tuesday's ceremony.

Crady said this project has been many years in the making and he's happy to finally share the results with the public.

"We're proud of this Eco Trail for two main reasons. The first one being this is an intersection between recreation and education, which is something that drives our community and something that's important for us for many years to come. And then secondly, we're proud of this because it really signifies community partnership," Crady said.

Becky Booker, PARA's public relations and marketing manager, said the Eco Trail brings several unique qualities to the Tuscaloosa community, including beautiful native flora and fauna, ponds, and its closeness to the University of Alabama.

"The eco park is about nature. I mean, this is a little piece that hasn't been touched very much, so people can see what the true nature in Alabama looks like," Booker said.

The Van de Graaf Park is free and open to the public. It features many amenities, including fishing, hiking, camping and more. The most notable historical and architectural feature of the park is a single span of the 1882 King Bowstring Bridge. It is one of four spans that crossed the Black Warrior River from 1882 until 1896.

The Friends of Historic Northport Inc. leased the 141-acre property to PARA for $1 per year for 99 years in 2014 under the stipulation that PARA be responsible for developing and maintaining the land for recreational and educational use. 

“Each year the Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa Morning is able to match funds from our Rotary district to do projects in our local area. We chose PARA to assist them in updating the trail that was built and it was renamed the Eco Trail sponsored by the Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa Morning. The club hopes that this trail will enhance visitors’ understanding of what Mother Nature shows them throughout the trail for years to come,” said Rotary Club President Bill Petty in a news release.

The trail's new placards are on bronze stands and feature detailed information about birds, reptiles, insects and fungi that can be found at the park.

The bronze stands were designed and constructed by UA sculpture professor Craing Wedderspoon and students in UA's department of art and art history, while the information on the placards was researched and written by staff of the UA department of biological sciences.

“An Eco Trail brings environmental awareness by showcasing the unique aspects of your surroundings,” said Adrian Cleckler-Collins, PARA’s director of park operations and rotary club member, in a statement. “ 'Eco' refers to the park’s unique 141-acre wetland ecosystem which combines aspects of land and water to create a distinctive habitat where certain plant and animal species are protected and can flourish,” she said.

PARA welcomes visitors to the Van de Graaf Park from 6 a.m. to dusk every day. More information about the park can be found by visiting https://www.tcpara.org/p/van-de-graaff-arboretum.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.