Image courtesy of the City of Homewood
Visitors to the Shades Creek Greenway can now learn more about the wildlife that calls the area home through three new educational kiosks installed along the trail.
The new signs highlight the barred owl, great blue heron and spotted salamander, three native species found throughout the Shades Creek ecosystem. Each kiosk includes a QR code that provides additional information, including Spanish-language translations.
The project grew out of a series of memorable encounters between early morning runners and a territorial barred owl nesting near the trail. After nesting boxes were installed to help curb that behavior, community partners turned the experience into an opportunity to educate visitors about local wildlife and encourage respectful coexistence.
The kiosks were created through a partnership among the Freshwater Land Trust, City of Homewood, Homewood Parks & Recreation, Alabama Wildlife Center, Friends of Shades Creek, Alabama Graphics and Samford University.
Samford University funded the project, while Dr. Kristin Bakkegard of Samford's Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences provided the species information featured on the signs. Freshwater Land Trust designed the kiosks to match existing Red Rock Trail System signage, and Birmingham wildlife photographer Damion Bankhead provided the bird photography.
The educational displays are now in place along the Shades Creek Greenway, giving walkers, runners and cyclists a new way to learn about the wildlife they may encounter while enjoying the trail.
