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Shoals Environmental Alliance
SEA is an environmental activities and
watch-dog alliance established to promote the preservation
of the natural resources, scenic
beauty, and recreational opportunities
of the Shoals area of northwest
Alabama. .Our mailing address is:
Shoals Environmental Alliance
P.O. Box 699
Sheffield, AL 35660
SEA is partnering with TVA and other local groups to
enhance the recreational and educational values of TVA’s Muscle
Shoals
Reservation. Our first major project is the establishment of a Native
Plant Garden, located by the handicap-accessible trail in the TVA
Nature
Trails Area. The Native Plant Garden is a cooperative effort by
TVA, Shoals Environmental Alliance, Alabama Wildflower Society of the
Shoals, Shoals Master Gardeners and Men's Garden Club of the Shoals.
Other goals of the SEA partnership with TVA include removing invasive
pest species such as privet and kudzu that crowd out native plants,
sowing wildflower seed, picking up litter, helping maintain walking
trails and producing trail maps and brochures.
SEA also works to encourage responsible economic growth that preserves
the public green spaces, recreational opportunities, and wildlife
habitat
of the Shoals area. Other SEA programs will include the monitoring of
water quality in local waterways, historic preservation, and group
outings such as bird watching, camping, canoing, and hiking.
SEA meets monthly on the last Tuesday of each month at Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, 350 N. Wood Ave., Florence, AL. 5:30-7:00pm preceded by a social at 5:00pm.
Rogersville Special Interest Group (SIG) Elk River Marina Project/Status and The Pointe What are they, what we've done, what we are doing, how you can help.
Need more information or help in organizing to oppose an environmentally destructive project on public land? We can help. Contact us at: ShoalsEnvironmentalAlliance@yahoo.com
Thursday, April 10 --- Huntsville Botanical Garden Tour
Led by trillium researcher Harold Holmes for Shoals Wildflower Society. Meet 8:15am, Florence K-Mart parking lot (by Wachovia Bank) or 9:45am at the garden. Beautiful wildflower trail with many rare trillium species. One of the best botanical gardens in the state! Admittance: $10-Adults/$8-Seniors. Call 757-7064.
Saturday, April 12, 7:30am --- Birding the TVA Trail & Rockpile for Spring Migrants
Led by Damien Simbeck, sponsored by Shoals Audubon. Meet at TVA Nature Trails parking lot. 386-2543.
Saturday, April 12, 9:00am to 5:00pm --- Wilderness Wildflowers Day at Cane Creek Canyon
Jim & Faye Lacefield host this self-guided-tour day at their 423-acre Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve. Go at your own pace. Trail maps provided, guides posted at various locations. Cane Creek contains Ala.’s only known population of French’s Shooting Star. See Dwarf Crested Iris, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Showy Orchis, Fire Pink, Eastern Blue Star, native Azaleas, Yellow Lady’s Slipper, Orchids, Trillium. 10 miles of trails, canyons, scenic vistas, shelter bluffs, waterfalls, huge boulders. Directions to Cane Creek: From Muscle Shoals, take US-72 W. At the Colbert County Farmers’ Co-Op (3.4 miles west of US-43), turn left onto the access road, which takes you down the hill to Frankfort Rd. Turn left (south) on Frankfort Rd. & go 7.25 miles. After passing Piney Grove Church of Christ (on the right), go ¼ mile & turn right on Loop Rd. (CR 41). Go .1 mile, then veer left onto the gravel road as Loop Rd. bends to the right. Follow the gravel road past the chicken houses (on the left) to the Lacefield’s Spanish-style house. Call 381-6301 or 366-1937.
Sunday, April 13, 1:30pm --- Wildflower Hike, Shoal Creek Preserve
Led by Jan Midgley, author of Native Plant Propagation, & John Grinstead, who led the effort to save this lovely 300 acre tract, now part of Ala.’s Forever Wild Land Trust. See White Trillium, Virginia Bluebells,
Mountain Laurel, Squaw Root, Mayapple. Cascading creeks, 4.5 miles of walking trails, horse trails. (256) 366-1937. Directions: From Cox Creek Pkwy. in Florence, take Old Jackson Hwy. (CR 47) to St. Florian, turn left on Butler Creek Rd. (CR 61). Go 3 miles, turn right at Shoal Creek Preserve sign to the parking lot.
Saturday, April 19 --- Earth Day Celebration
All events meet at the Old Railroad Bridge in Sheffield (north end of Ash Blvd.)
8:00am---Spring Birding Walk - Led by Jeff Garner for Alabama Outdoors. Call 764-1809.
10:00am---Earth Day Ceremony --- Old Railroad Bridge. Call Alabama Outdoors at 767-2909.
10:30am---Explore the TVA Trails Hike - Led by Larry Wright for Alabama Outdoors. TVA’s trail system
(over 13 miles of paved & rustic trails) is one of the Shoals’ best kept secrets! 764-1809.
10:30am—Nature Hike - Led by Charles Rose. Come visit several lesser known sites at TVA. 366-1937.
Sunday, April 27, 1:00pm --- Wildflower Hike, Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve
Led by Jim Lacefield (381-6301) for Alabama Outdoors (764-1809). Spring wildflowers & rocks! Moderately rigorous: at least 2-mile walk with up-hills & down-hills. Directions & site description: See April 12 listing.
Saturday, May 3 --- Birding for Spring Migrants
Led by UNA’s Dr. Tom Haggerty for Shoals Audubon. Meeting place & time to be arranged. 765-4432.
Sunday, May 4, 1:30pm --- Nature Hike, Shoal Creek Preserve
Led by UNA’s Dr. Paul Davison, our expert on "all things small". Learn about Mosses, lichens, leaf litter arthropods & stream invertebrates. They’re cool! For Directions: See April 13 listing. Call (256) 366-1937.
Saturday, May 10, 9:00am --- Nature Walk at TVA’s Muscle Shoals Reservation
Meet at TVA Nature Trails parking lot. Led by master herbalist Darryl Patton, ND, author of Mountain Medicine, The Herbal Remedies of Tommie Bass, for Shoals Wildflower Society. Learn about the medicinal use of plants! Darryl is also doing the program at our May 9 Shoals Wildflower Society meeting. 757-7064.
Saturday, May 17 --- Sipsey Wilderness Day Hike
Led by Charles Rose for Alabama Outdoors. Meet 8:00am, Sheffield Holiday Inn, or 9:00am, Warrior Mtn.
Trading Company store, AL-33 at its junction w. AL-36. Take lunch, water. Moderate level. (256) 764-1809.
Saturday, May 31 Gee Creek Wilderness / John Muir Trail Hike
Led by the inimitable Leon Bates for Alabama Outdoors. For more details, call A.O. at (256) 764-1809.
Saturday, June 7 --- National Trails Day Hike, Devil’s Racetrack at Wade Mountain Preserve
Meet 8:00am at Sheffield Holiday Inn. See Indian Pink, Rose Vervain, Fringed Loosestrife, Downy Wood Mint, Wild Bergamot & Fire Pink. Led by Charles Rose (366-1937) for Alabama Outdoors (764-1809).
Email chuckrivers@comcast.net to receive updates and reminders about all Spring Nature Walks events.
Click the logo at left to visit WildSouth.org
If you are not on WildSouth’s e-mail list to receive
information about their September through May monthly hikes and would
like to be, contact
Janice at janice@wildsouth.org or 256-974-6166. For additional
information about WildSouth, please visit us at www.wildsouth.org
