Alabama Gives Day is supported by the Razoo Foundation, the Alabama Press Association, Alabama Giving, Intermark Group and hundreds of nonprofits in our state. Alabama Gives Day aims to make history by connecting new and existing donors with hundreds of Alabama nonprofits in just 24 hours. The Freshwater Land Trust needs your support to ensure that the citizens of our community are aware of this day of giving. Only through your support can we together make history and raise much needed funding to support numerous nonprofits located in our community! Will you please help raise awareness of Alabama Gives Day on February 2?

Save the Date!

Regions Bank and the Freshwater Land Trust invite YOU to be a part of history and be the first to see the completed Our One Mile greenway master plan that this community has been so instrumental in creating.
With the input and community involvement of thousands of people, the final greenway master plan for Jefferson County has been completed. We will unveil the plan, announce the winner of the “Name Our Greenway System” contest, and celebrate everything that this community has accomplished. So bring your friends, family and coworkers and celebrate the completion of the Our One Mile Plan!

When: Tuesday, February 21
            5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Where: Birmingham Museum of Art Steiner Auditorium
             2000 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd
             Birmingham, Alabama 35203

*Doors will open at 5:00 p.m.

Parking: Park Behind the Museum using the Richard Arrington entrance on the north side. The entrance to the auditorium is on the north side of the building.

Light refreshments will be served.

Questions/RSVP: Heather Forbush – heather@clarusgroup.net           

When: Tuesday, January 17^th  

6:40 a.m. — 8:20 a.m. (Main public appearances at 7:20 and 7:50 a.m.)

Where: Downtown YMCA
2101 4^th Ave N
Birmingham, AL 35203

Parking: The YMCA is on the corner of 21^st (Richard Arrington) and 4^th Ave N. If you are traveling north on Richard Arrington, toward 4^th Ave N, the parking deck entrance is on your right, immediately before the YMCA. We will meet in the main lobby.

Please direct RSVP/questions to heather@clarusgroup.net or 205–254-0129

We hope to see you there!

For more info: http://www.freshwaterlandtrust.org/our-one-mile

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/our1mile

Twitter — @Our1Mile

Please call Mary Elizabeth Roberson at 205–417-2777 if you have any questions.

We hope to see you there!

Are you looking for a meaningful gift for that special someone? The Freshwater Land Trust has a variety of options for your holiday shopping ranging from $9 for our specialty coffee blend to $500 for honoring someone with a bench in one of our nature preserves to $10,000 for preserving an acre for all time in someone’s name.

Over the past fifteen years, we have helped to protect over 10,000 acres of land . Not only are these places diverse and beautiful, but they also represent some of the  most precious resources in our area. These special places that matter to us all are not only critical to the work we do but with each passing day that we do not act, we could lose a piece of land that can never be replaced.

Your holiday gift will not only be a wonderful surprise to your friend or loved one but will help us “Preserve the Places That Matter” and will help to ensure that our children will be able to experience life in an Alabama that has all the natural wonders and special places that we enjoyed when we were young. You can also give a tax-deductible monetary donation to help support our work.

You can purchase your gift online through our secure paypal link (link to donate page). However, we ask that you send an email or call us with your order in addition to your paypal donation, so that we know what the gift is for and if it is an honorarium. Please call us at 205–417-2777 to place your holiday gift order or donate today!

Individual Items Under $50.00

Individual items may be gift bagged for a $2 charge & are priced as follows:

• Hat: $12
• T-shirt: $12
• Water Bottle: $15
• FWLT Blend Higher Ground Coffee: $9

Gift Basket $50.00

• FWLT Hat
• FWLT T-shirt
• FWLT Water Bottle
• FWLT Blend Higher Ground Coffee
• FWLT Removable Car Decal Sticker

Butterfly and Hummingbird Sanctuary $50.00

Honor your special loved one by sponsoring our butterfly and hummingbird sanctuary across over an acre of scenic native wildflower meadow at our El Paso Nature Preserve. Your loved one will be honored on a plaque at the site of our wildflower field and you will give the gift of preserving this special place for generations to come.

Plant a Tree $100.00

Plant a tree in our Cherry Laurel Grove along the entrance to our El Paso Nature  Preserve. Your gift will be commemorated by a plaque at the entrance to the preserve.

Canoe Trip for Two $250.00

Take a five mile canoe trip for two down the scenic Cahaba River this Spring. This all inclusive trip will last approximately three hours and will include a lovely picnic lunch. Give the gift of a truly relaxing and wonderful experience that will be remembered for many years to come.

Bench $500.00

For your gift, you can donate a unique and beautiful bench created by Father Nature Landscapes at one of our nature preserves. The benches will be throughout the special places we protect and will have a plaque commemorating your gift.

Preserve an Acre $2,500 — $10,000

You can preserve land in honor of a friend, colleague, or family member — a meaningful and wonderful way to recognize someone who deserves it. In return for this symbolic gift, your honoree will not only help permanently protect land in their honor, but they will also receive a stunningly beautiful commemorative Beth Maynor Young print. Gift levels are $2,500 for ¼ acre, $5,000 for ½ acre, and $10,000 for one acre.

Join us as we join Jeh Jeh Pruitt in Trussville, Tuesday morning, Nov. 1, at Civitan Park! We will be walking with Mayor Melton and showing our support for the Our One Mile effort while on the air with Fox 6! This appearance is the seventh, once-a-month “Our One Mile Tuesday” segments on Good Day Alabama – we’ve had a good crowd out in Pinson, Tarrant, Homewood, Hoover, Birmingham, Gardendale and now it’s Trussville’s turn to showcase their beautiful parks and green space!

When: Tuesday, November 1
6:40 a.m. — 8:20 a.m. (Main public appearances at 7:20 and 7:50 a.m.)
Where: Civitan Park
Corner of Main Street and Parkway Dr.
Trussville, AL 35173

Directions: Traveling N on I-59 from Birmingham, take exit 137 to merge onto I-459 S. Take the immediate exit 32 for US-11 toward Trussville. Turn right onto US-11/Gadsen Hwy/Main Street. Travel about 3 miles and turn left on Parkway Dr. You can park at the Church across from the Veteran’s Monument (Corner of Parkway Dr. and Main St) or on the gravel part of the park. Please do not park on the street (it will interfere with school traffic). We will meet at Veteran’s Monument.

Please direct RSVP/questions to heather@clarusgroup.net or 205–254-0129

We hope to see you there!

Join us as we join Jeh Jeh Pruitt in Gardendale Tuesday morning, October 4th at Celebration Park! We will be walking with Mayor Phillips and showing our support for the Our One Mile effort while on the air with Fox 6! This appearance is the sixth, once-a-month “Our One Mile Tuesday” segment on Good Day Alabama – we’ve had a good crowd out in Pinson, Tarrant, Homewood, Hoover, Birmingham and now it’s Gardendale’s turn to showcase their beautiful parks and green space!

See below for details and check us out on Facebook and Twitter for future opportunities and happenings with Our One Mile…

When: Tuesday, October 4th
6:40 a.m. — 8:20 a.m. (Main public appearances at 7:20 and 7:50 a.m.)

Where: Celebration Park
2191 Fieldstown Rd.
Gardendale, AL 35071

Directions: Traveling North on I-65 from Birmingham, take exit 271 for Fieldstown Rd. and turn left onto Fieldstown Rd. Follow that for approx. 3 miles and then turn right onto Jew Hollow Rd, immediately before the soccer fields. Turn into the parking lot behind the soccer fields. We will meet near the splash pad behind the soccer fields.

Please direct RSVP/questions to heather@clarusgroup.net or 205–254-0129

We hope to see you there!

For more info: http://www.freshwaterlandtrust.org/our-one-mile

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/our1mile
Twitter — @Our1Mile

The Freshwater Land Trust is hosting an open house to give everyone one last
chance to give feedback to the Our One Mile Greenway Master Plan. The Our
One Mile team has been working diligently over the past several months to
compile all of the great input from the community and create the county-wide
master plan. We want to make sure everyone has a chance to tell us about
their “One Mile!” Join us Tuesday, September 27 from 4–6:30 p.m. at the Freshwater Land Trust. If you know anyone that may want to give their input – pass the word along!

Tuesday, September 27 from 4:00–6:30 PM
Freshwater Land Trust
2308 First Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203

What is Our One Mile?
Our One Mile is an effort funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Jefferson County Health Department’s Health Action Partnership. Led by the non-profit, the Freshwater Land Trust, the initiative seeks to make the healthy choice the easy choice by creating and connecting a system of greenways, trails, sidewalks and bike routes through a county-wide greenway master plan. The final greenway master plan will be unveiled in early 2012 and will be equipped with plans that can begin immediately. For more infor­ma­tion on walk­ing and exer­cise, please visit the Cham­pi­ons for Health web­site.

Why a contest?
With the potential to connect over 100 miles of trails, biking/pedestrian pathways, and greenways in Jefferson County, this greenway system needs a name to match the grandeur of its potential. This name will not replace any trail names, but will name the regional system of connected trails in the area (Like the Carolina Thread Trail, the Natchez Trace Trail, etc). The name should reflect the natural, historical, and geographical themes of the region.

When will the contest happen?
The contest will kick off on September 27, 2011 and will close November 7, 2011.

When will the winner be identified?
The winner will be chosen in November and the winning name will go to a design firm for logo development. The name and logo will be incorporated into the master plan to be unveiled in early 2012, where the winning individual will be recognized.

What will the winner receive?
The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000 and a bike donated by Cahaba Cycles. The winner will also be recognized at the master plan unveiling in early 2012.

Who is eligible to submit an entry?
The contest is open to individuals of all ages! Ineligible participants include the Freshwater Land Trust Board, and family and employees of the Freshwater Land Trust, Goodwyn Mills Cawood, Clarus Consulting Group and family of the judges.

What are the rules?

• Greenway system name should be 5 words or fewer
• Only one entry per person
• Submissions must be original (not the name of any existing trail systems)
• Decision of judges is final
• There will be blind judging – submissions will not be identified by entry person’s name during judging
• In the case of duplicate entries, the winner will be selecte by random draw
• The Freshwater Land Trust shall have sole ownership and use rights with respect to any name submitted

Enter the contest using the form below

WHAT: 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run Race benefiting the Freshwater Land Trust

WHERE: Turkey Creek Nature Preserve in Pinson, Alabama

WHEN: Saturday, October 22, 2011

START TIME: 8:30 a.m.

A Special Thank You to Our Wonderful Sponsors: