Hikers at Brushy Face Preserve may be in for a refreshing reroute thanks to volunteer trail work with Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust.
The Land Trust recently held a volunteer day at their Brushy Face Preserve hiking property to maintain the trail, do a reroute, and put a small bridge over a creek bed experiencing wear and tear and erosion.
“We decided it was time to put a bridge in to reduce and mitigate some of those hiking impacts,” said Andrew Renfro, Land Conservation Director with Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust.
A bridge was installed. The pre-existing trail will be rerouted and it must be closed in the future. The bridge was a relatively small and easy project, but Renfro thinks it will make the trail accessible for more people.
Renfro said the bridge is mostly finished, but some final steps need to be polished on the trail.
“Part of that process as well is closing the other trail so it can repair, recover, and grow some vegetation back,” Renfro said.
Brush will be stacked on the current banks. It can take years for vegetation to establish, so the tricky part is making sure it can do so peacefully.
“That’ll create a bit of a habitat, but over time it will hold and collect leaves,” Renfro said. “Then, in turn, it will begin to allow the vegetation to be repaired.”
The Land Trust holds work days on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 9:30 to noon. Volunteers join HCLT staff to help with the Trust’s strive for conservation and stewardship. Meetings typically rotate between the Cashiers and Highlands area with Highlands on the second Tuesday and Cashiers on the fourth.
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust doesn’t have as many public access properties in Cashiers as they do in Highlands so work days typically include trail maintenance and establishment at the Edward Baker Preserve.
Renfro said the Land Trust is open for volunteers of any skill level to engage with our special areas. No prior experience is needed. Renfro said most training is done on site. What matters is a community interested in caring for their land.
“The more [the community] wants to help us take care of these special places and steward them, the better we can do that,” Renfro said.
Renfro also said there are benefits for this sort of work. Hands-on work in the natural dirt can improve mental and physical health, plus completing group projects can instill pride, teamwork, and camaraderie.
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust works with youth groups as well, like Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau. They can be found at HCLTNC.org. Renfro also said HCLT is trying to connect with the community and advertise work days and other happenings better on Facebook.
