Bayou Land Conservancy is Awarded National Trail Fund Grant

Houston, TX – Bayou Land Conservancy (BLC) is one of nine non-profit organizations across the country to receive a trail grant from the American Hiking Society and their Charter Sponsor, L.L. Bean. BLC applied for the grant out of necessity to build additional bridges along the Spring Creek Nature Trail, a 13-mile unpaved natural surface trail located in The Woodlands.

“We are truly honored to be a recipient of the trail fund grant, said Jill Boullion, Executive Director. “This project is being built by community volunteers to serve our community, so it’s gratifying to have the support of a national organization dedicated to trails and hikers.”

The goal of this project is to construct and anchor a boardwalk that can be utilized by multiple user groups. BLC will engage trail volunteers in the design and build of the boardwalk. Suzanne Simpson, Land Stewardship Director and project manager for the trail explained, “Building boardwalks on the trail will prevent rutting, soil compaction, and degradation of wetland habitat resulting from trail traffic. This is a low-impact solution so that trail users can experience Houston’s forested wetlands without impacting them ecologically.”

BLC is a local land trust working in Montgomery and Harris County, focused on conserving land and protecting Houston’s primary water source, Lake Houston. The Spring Creek Nature Trail runs through both counties, generally following the contours of Spring Creek. The trail was completed and opened to the public during a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 1. “There is always more work to be done, and we still have a few more bridges and boardwalks to build,” said Simpson. “We are really excited to get started on this next phase; and we are grateful to have this support from American Hiking Society and L.L. Bean.”

About Bayou Land Conservancy: Bayou Land Conservancy is a community-sponsored land preservation organization working to permanently protect land in the Houston region since 1996. Bayou Land Conservancy preserves land along streams for flood control, clean water and wildlife. We envision a protected network of green spaces that connect people to nature.