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The Audubon Natural Area is 11
acres of woods, meadow and thick scrub snugged up against N. Buffalo Creek.
Dozens of species of songbirds have nested or visited, as have hawks and owls.
In the summer Yellow-bellied Sliders bask on rocks while Great Blue Herons and
Kingfishers work the creek for lunch. Deer and foxes are among the larger
critters that visit from time to time.
The history of the place makes
a
good story as well. In the early
1970s the Moses Cone Hospital
leased these 11
acres north of its
main campus to the City of Greensboro for 99 years. The property lies along Tankersley Dr., between N. Elm and N. Church
Sts., and south
of N. Buffalo Creek. The lease stipulates that the
property “...be maintained
for
parks, recreation and open space...for the benefit of the public
generally
as well as the convenience of the visitors and patients of the hospital...”.
At that
time the chapter saw an opportunity to preserve a bit of wildness just a mile
from downtown Greensboro, and negotiated a contract with the city to manage this
property as a natural area. The contract was signed by the city and chapter
President Dennis Burnette on February 27, 1976, and stipulates that the
chapter’s management “is to preserve the natural beauty, aesthetic environment,
and promote recreational uses appropriate with the lease”.
Greensboro’s Parks and Recreation Department has provided picnic tables, a bike
rack and trash receptacles, as well as the sign proclaiming that the Natural
Area honors Audubon North Carolina founder and chapter namesake T. Gilbert
Pearson. The city maintains a grassed entrance to the picnic area and empties
the trash containers. The chapter has constructed and maintains a loop trail for
public use, which in 2005 was officially designated the Tom Hillmer Trail in
honor of the chapter member who maintained and improved the trails for many
years until his untimely death several years ago. Recently the chapter
negotiated an agreement with the city on how it would manage the area under the
power lines in the Natural Area. The agreement stipulates that the area near the
entrance be mowed by the city every year or two in the winter so that it can be
maintained as a meadow for grassland birds and other meadow-loving wildlife.
While the
life of the city and the hospital goes on all around the Audubon Natural Area, it
is possible to walk into the woods behind the power lines and escape into a
quieter place, an oasis of nature within sight of downtown Greensboro.
The chapter has constructed
and maintains a loop trail for public use, which in 2005 was officially
designated the Tom Hillmer Trail in honor of the chapter member who maintained
and improved the trails for many years until his untimely death several years
ago. Due to the extensive and disruptive work on the sewer line that runs along
Buffalo Creek, the trail was never dedicated. Now that work is finished. TGPAS
members have spread mulch on the part of the trail that runs through the
disturbed area and placed a sign proclaiming that the trail is in honor of Tom.
So we are ready for the dedication. Please join us for a brief ceremony on May 3
at 4:00 pm at the picnic tables in the Natural Area. We’ll walk the trail, have
a few light refreshments, share some memories of Tom, and invite suggestions
about the future of the Natural Area.
 Photo Credits:
Tom Hillmer Trail - Ann Walter-Fromson
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