POWERGRAMS

23 TALKIN' TURKEY ABC TRUST, COMPANY FUND IMPROVEMENTS AT PRESERVE by Erin Harney COMMUNITY T he cool, clear groundwater and stepped bedrock that form the shoals known as Turkey Creek Falls have been a summertime favorite for many in and around Pinson for more than a century. Historical accounts from the 1870s note the area's popularity for baptisms, fishing, picnicking and family fun. That enjoyment almost came to an end during the late 20th century when the creek became a dumping ground for trash and a haven of illicit activity, such as bootlegging and gangs. "It was private land with a public road going through it. It was a swimming hole – just a local swimming hole that no one paid aention to," said Charles Yeager, manager of the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve (TCNP). "There was a lot of dumping. Over 300 tons of trash pulled from the falls area alone. … It was a really, really bad place to be, but we cleaned it up, the community cleaned it up." The impetus for restoring the area began in the 1990s when Jefferson County considered constructing a prison near the creek. During evaluation of the site, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) found that the watershed was home to three endangered darter fish species. That discovery, combined with opposition from a community group called Society To Advance the Resources at Turkey Creek (START), ended plans to build the prison and began the process of renewing the area as a nature preserve. In 2000, START nominated the land to Alabama's Forever Wild Land Trust, but because the property had multiple landowners, the nomination was declined. START partnered with the nonprofit Freshwater Land Trust (FWLT) to purchase and combine the tracts of land. The area was again nominated to the Forever Wild program and was unanimously approved in 2003. The Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham- Photo by Phil Free

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