One of the first people that we met when we got to Tuscaloosa who wasn’t affiliated with the city clean up was Russell. He has his hands full with a much different, yet equally important project; clean up of Hurricane Creek. He invited us out there for a beer and conversation after a day of hard labor so we could see another side of what the tornadoes destruction did to the area. It is mind blowing to know that within minutes, this entire forest was gone.
I also added a video provided by John Wathen who is leading this clean up and fighting to make sure this area stays as natural as possible. I have placed the link to John Wathen’s blog here so you can get to know a little more about him. He has been influential in the Waterkeeper Alliance, assisted greatly with the BP Oil Spill, and is currently keeping track of the coal in Alabama with his blog. He is definitely a man that has all of our interests, including our planets, in mind.
The pictures here are what I took while we were down in the area. Even though majority of the trees have been knocked down, you can still see saplings and new plants coming through quickly. Despite the wreckage, this area is still beautiful and is so monumental to Tuscaloosa’s history, as well as the history of the Appalachian Mountains. There are tons of volunteer opportunities to help out John and Russell. If you want to get out into the woods for a little while and save a remarkable piece of land, check out the Hurricane Creek Keepers website.
