"The
Certain Property"
The Land Trust Highlights 340 Preserved Acres on Green Mountain
HUNTSVILLE – The Land Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama
held a ribbon cutting for 340 acres on Green Mountain On November 6, 2006.
The newly preserved property serves as an addition to
tracts protected and managed by The Land Trust of Huntsville & North
Alabama, bringing the Blevins Gap Preserve to 895 acres. Purchased by
Forever Wild in cooperation with local groups, it is being managed
cooperatively between the City of Huntsville, The Land Trust and the State
Lands Division to provide the public with hiking trails and seasonal
interpretive programs.
According to Assistant State Lands Division Director
Greg Lein, some trails are already on the property. “Because of these
existing trails, the public will be able to immediately utilize the land for
activities such as hiking, bird watching and photography,” he said. “The
management goals for the acreage include habitat conservation, outdoor
recreation, scientific research and education.”
“The Certain family originally approached The Land
Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama because they wanted to create a legacy
for the community,” said Michael O’Connor, Land Trust Board president. “The
late William Lewis Certain III had instilled the love of the land in his two
sons, Drew and Jeff. They, along with his widow Marion, wanted to carry out
his wishes.”
“The Land Trust is thrilled that Forever Wild and local
financial partners of the city of Huntsville, The Land Trust, Madison County
Commission and Commissioner Mo Brooks, the Boeing Company and the North
Alabama Sierra Club found this property worthy of their consideration,”
O’Connor continued. “The spectacular views, unique rock features, rare
plants and what’s left of the old Boy Scout ‘Space Walk Trail’ will be
enjoyed by generations to come.”
The tract contains one of the only permanent springs in
that portion of Green Mountain. It also supports a small population of rare
plants. A new two-mile trail was completed in
October and connects to the beloved Sugar Tree Trail. The new trail, as yet
unnamed, allows for a four-mile loop trail. Most of the new trail runs
along a flat bench of North Green Mountain.
Since Forever Wild acquired its first tract in 1994,
the program has purchased more than 108,000 acres. The land is used for
wildlife management areas for public hunting, nature preserves, additions to
state parks and outdoor recreational areas.
The Forever Wild Program is funded by a percentage of
the interest earned from state royalties on offshore natural gas leases
belonging to Alabama.
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About the Certain Property...
Marion Certain Loughead is a petite, soft-spoken Southern lady. A gifted
storyteller, her conversations are accented with details and fond memories.
She met Bill Certain when they were both students at Auburn University.
"Bill was an Eagle Scout," she related. "I think you learn to appreciate the
outdoors early when one is a Scout. He loved nature and was a Forestry
major.
I wasn’t an outdoor person until I met him but quickly learned to fish and
camp."
They married in 1947 and made their home in Huntsville. Bill was a
liaison between TVA and the state of Alabama. ("He’d just explain to the
moonshiners that he wasn’t a Federal agent and they’d let him go on his
way.") Their growing family relished the Certain family property atop North
Green Mountain. Both of their sons, Drew and Jeff, enjoyed hiking on their
property.
"We used to practice shooting arrows into hay bales on Green Mountain,"
she said. "One day we were surprised by two hikers. Turns out they were some
of the first German rocket scientists. It was a very interesting afternoon."
Bill instilled a love of the land in his sons. According to Marion, he
would tell them that "There’s never going to be any more land made and that
we need to preserve what we have so that people can appreciate it." Even
though Bill’s grandfather bought the land for timber, she thinks that there
was only one time that he allowed some select cutting.
"We knew that Huntsville was a good place to raise our family," Marion
continued. "Drew came back from college and told me that he didn’t know how
good he had it - he thought all families hiked and camped. Apparently most
of his friends did not!"
From this family who love the land, Forever Wild and funding partners
purchased the 340 acres to create a legacy for all to enjoy. "Friends at my
church, the Episcopal Church of the Nativity, have just hugged my neck and
thanked me for going with The Land Trust to save this special property," she
smiled. "They tell me ‘this means a lot to me and my children.’"
"When Huntsville was a smaller town and our lives were slower," she
continued, "people would visit on front porches. By preserving our property
we’ve made a way for others to enjoy the outdoors and just take some time to
slow down - to get out and enjoy the view."
