Friends of Shades Creek
Shades Creek Watershed Plan >Click here
Thank you to our members and donors in 2022.
>Sign up for weekly E-Messages – information, activities, hikes, videos: [email protected]
>2022 Salamander Migration Notes:
2023 Salamander Festival
The Salamander Festival is Coming! To a new venue: Homewood High School Gymnasium on January 28, 2023. From 1:30 to 4:30. With Salamanders, fish, turtles, fun, music, Mr. Shadey and much more: 2023 Festival Poster here.
2021 and 2022 virtual Salamander Festival videos can be found here. with fun, informative videos about salamanders, animals, the environment, and activities for kids. Visit the Virtual SALAMANDER FESTIVAL page here!
>Virtual Festival links from 2021 festival, plus photos from 2020
in-person festival are here.
Shades Creek Restoration
Learn about “live stakes” for restoration with Paul Freeman, which trees to plant for riparian restoration areas with forester, Henry Hughes and more. Zoom meeting was on 1-13-2022. YouTube video now available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffwfgEZa2pE
Protecting Our Natural Heritage is in Our Hands
Pat Byington takes us through some historic environmental wins over the years and leaves us the challenge to talk more to leaders and tell the story why saving our environment is important. https://youtu.be/jufjZsEqPds
Sign up for future meetings: [email protected]
>Link for past presentations:
Shades Creek book
(Lakeshore Drive in 1914)
Did you know Lakeshore Drive in the years around 1914 was envisioned to be part of a speedway like the Indianapolis Speedway? “Shades Creek: Flowing Through Time,” written by The Birmingham Historical Society tells this story and more with over 365 photos and 216 pages including the above photo and story. Books are still available for only $30. Above photo is from the Alvin Hudson Collection, BPL Archives.
>More book information and how to order a book:
Shades Creek Watershed Management Plan
The Management Plan is here! Shades Creek is beautiful, yet has challenges caused by urban runoff. The Nature Conservancy in Alabama (TNC) has taken leadership to develop a watershed plan to restore the Creek. The Shades Creek Watershed Management Plan uses EPA’s 9-step watershed planning process.
>Slides from the first stakeholder meeting in 2020.
2021 Shades Creek Fall Cleanup and Restoration Projects
The Fall 2021 Shades Creek Cleanup was held in person with small groups of time staggered volunteers, for social distancing. Thank you to everyone that helped with our creek cleanup, restoration projects and other activities. We had 140 people helping this year.
>Fall Cleanup photos for November 2021 – And more Clean-up photos:
>Mr. Shadey is telling us a lot about trash in Shades Creek – Find out more here:
2021 Tree Planting on Shades Creek with Centennial Trees
300 Centennial tree seedlings were planted on Shades Creek along the Shades Creek Greenway Trail on Saturday, Nov. 13. Nearly 100 participants helped representing several local groups.
>See more plus photos.
Centennial Tree seedlings are propagated from local seed sources of trees descended from the original native forest surrounding Shades Creek. The seedlings have been grown at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Friends of Shades Creek conducts annual tree plantings.
>See more details about seedlings: