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Collins Park prepped for trail opening
  
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By VAL CLIFTON
With anticipation building about the opening of a hike-and-bike trail that connects Meyers to Collins Park, some community members are prepping the amenity for its big debut.
The Bayou Preservation Association and members of Beneficial Financial recently made their way over to Collins Park to clean the bayous and remove invasive plant species.
BPA Board Vice President and Projects Chairman Bruce Heiberg said the two institutions joined forces to clear the area for the Dec. 4 dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for the 1.5-mile trail.
On Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., BPA members and Beneficial employees focused their efforts on the trail head where the dedication will take place.
A BPA staff botanist marked the invasive plants, which include Chinese tallow, Chinaberry and ligustrum for workers to remove, Heiberg said.
“The invasive plants basically choke out the natives,” Heiberg said, “which affects the food source for migratory birds and can have a devastating effect.”
The group discovered that Cypress Creek is within 50 feet of the parking area, making it an ideal area for water access. A trail was cut to allow kayakers and fisherman a quick trip to the bayou.
“A really neat thing about our natural creeks, Buffalo Bayou, Cypress Creek and Spring Creek, is that you’re about 20 feet below the surface level of the city,” Heiberg said. “When you’re down there, all you can see is nature and sometimes you’re not aware that you’re in the city.”
At the end of the day, the workers grabbed trash, looting about a dozen bags full of litter found along the bayou and trail.
Hearthstone resident Cullen Freeman, an account executive for the Beneficial Conroe office, was one of several working to take down Hurricane Ike-related debris and removing trash from the river.
“I think we only scratched the surface in the time we were out there,” Freeman said. “I think there’s a heck of a lot left to do. I think that’s probably a huge undertaking you can’t complete in one day.”
The Bayou Preservation Association and members of Beneficial Financial recently made their way over to Collins Park to clean the bayous and remove invasive plant species.
BPA Board Vice President and Projects Chairman Bruce Heiberg said the two institutions joined forces to clear the area for the Dec. 4 dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for the 1.5-mile trail.
On Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., BPA members and Beneficial employees focused their efforts on the trail head where the dedication will take place.
A BPA staff botanist marked the invasive plants, which include Chinese tallow, Chinaberry and ligustrum for workers to remove, Heiberg said.
“The invasive plants basically choke out the natives,” Heiberg said, “which affects the food source for migratory birds and can have a devastating effect.”
The group discovered that Cypress Creek is within 50 feet of the parking area, making it an ideal area for water access. A trail was cut to allow kayakers and fisherman a quick trip to the bayou.
“A really neat thing about our natural creeks, Buffalo Bayou, Cypress Creek and Spring Creek, is that you’re about 20 feet below the surface level of the city,” Heiberg said. “When you’re down there, all you can see is nature and sometimes you’re not aware that you’re in the city.”
At the end of the day, the workers grabbed trash, looting about a dozen bags full of litter found along the bayou and trail.
Hearthstone resident Cullen Freeman, an account executive for the Beneficial Conroe office, was one of several working to take down Hurricane Ike-related debris and removing trash from the river.
“I think we only scratched the surface in the time we were out there,” Freeman said. “I think there’s a heck of a lot left to do. I think that’s probably a huge undertaking you can’t complete in one day.”
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