4. Trail System: Feature Story | Specific Initiatives | Sustainability in Action
Feature Story: Trails expand under new master plan
Chainsaws, swing blades and shovels in hand, a dedicated and
sweaty group of university employees and summer school students joined with
a local Boy Scout group during the summer of 1995 to help carve out nearly four
miles of campus trails.
The winding wooded pathways—traversing streams and creeks—offer
a convenient respite from busy campus life. Immersed in foliage and wildlife,
they are an inviting place for quiet reflection or robust exercise.
In March 2003, Health and Exercise Science professor Julian
Reed and fellow HES professors Frank Powell, Veronica Yockey and Bill Pierce
teamed with Tyler Houke, a Furman graduate who is head ranger at Paris Mountain
State Park, to use funds from a $3,500 grant from the Associated Colleges of
the South to construct a one-mile addition to the university’s walking
trails. The grant money was also used for signage and promotional material.
While giving the trail system generally good marks, a trail
master plan completed last spring by Trail Dynamics of Cedar Mountain, North
Carolina, recommended several ways for the university to boost traffic, improve
the condition of the trails, and extend the trail network by several miles.
Due to soil erosion and recent flooding, the study said portions
of the trails should be rerouted and paths surfaced with wood chips and crushed
stone to improve footing.
The 20-page document also called for boardwalks to be constructed in floodplain
areas and for existing bridges to be strengthened and new ones added. It suggested
that campus clubs and outside sponsors share the “sweat equity”
needed to keep the trails in good condition.
The plan was submitted to a newly created Campus Trails Task Force early last fall. The 15-member group, comprised of employees, students and community members, is charged with brainstorming options to improve—and perhaps add to —the university’s trail network.
Reed says the university has applied for a $100,000 state grant ($20,000 of which would be matched by Furman). If approved, it would help fund some of the suggested improvements.
If funded, comprehensive trail improvements would be done in
phases. A section of trail behind the Bell Tower has been tentatively targeted
as a pilot area.
Reed says he would like student clubs, area businesses and members of the community
to take ownership in the trails and provide the labor needed to keep the paths
clear of debris.
“Our grounds crew has plenty on their plate,” says
Reed, who has cleared campus trails on the weekends. “There are very few
colleges that have organized trail systems. We should take great pride in the
one we have and work to both improve it and get the word out.”
A student-conducted study completed last October estimated that during a typical
fall week, more than 2,000 people used paved walkways behind the lake. Only
176 went trailing.
“We need to find a way to divert some of that traffic,” says Reed.
See Furman’s impressive system of trails, including campus jogging routes >
Specific Initiatives: How we're making a difference
Furman trails at a glance
The largest section of the university’s trail network is a perimeter path
that encircles the lake, picnic shelter, amphitheater and north intramural field.
A meditation garden and observation deck for the endangered bunched arrowhead
plant are accessible from this path. A smaller two-mile trail begins near the
front gate, parallels the university’s eastern property line and concludes
at Paladin Stadium.
During the summer of 1998, biology professor Joe Pollard and Furman students developed an arboretum around the lake and portions of the walking trail that includes 250 labels on trees and other foliage. One of the more interesting plants documented is the tiny colony of bunched arrowhead, an endangered species and one of the world’s rarest plants.
Moving toward a pedestrian-friendly campus
In 2004, the James B. Duke Library traffic circle was converted from a road
to a pedestrian way in conjunction with the renovation and addition to the library.
In addition, many new walks and other pedestrian ways (jogging lanes) have been
added to increase pedestrian use and reduce vehicular traffic.
Turning rails to trails
Furman is participating in a citizen effort to convert the abandoned “Swamp
Rabbit” rail line (which is approximately 13 miles long) into a trail
for hikers, runners and cyclists. The proposed rail-trail, which extends from
Linky Stone Park in downtown Greenville through the Furman campus to just north
of Travelers Rest, would be connected to Furman’s pre-existing trail system,
providing an easy flow of walkers both on and off Furman’s campus.
David Rutledge, professor of religion and rails-to-trails committee member,
sees the trail system as a means of increasing interaction with the community
“because Furman will be a natural rest stop.” The rail-trail could
also be linked to other trail systems such as the Reedy River trails, creating
new avenues for races.
Furman is partnering with Upstate Forever, Palmetto Conservation Foundation,
Greenville County Economic Development Corporation and other civic and governmental
agencies in this project. “Furman provides lots of purely internal operations
to increase sustainability,” says Rutledge, “but this would be different
in that it also accesses the community.”
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