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Courtesy of the Freshwater Land Trust
Smyer Ridge
A view from Smyer Ridge.
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Erica Techo
Shelby County Commission
Freshwater Land Trust Executive Director Wendy Jackson speaks at the Nov. 9 Shelby County Commission meeting.
A 2-mile stretch of property along Double Oak Mountain will now be owned and managed by the Freshwater Land Trust.
The property, called Smyer Ridge and located northwest of Shoal Creek, was recently purchased from Billy Smyer and his family. Freshwater Land Trust Executive Director Wendy Jackson announced the purchase at the Nov. 9 Shelby County Commission meeting.
The Freshwater Land Trust would have had to pay $1.5 million to purchase the property, according to an appraisal, but the Smyer family reduced the price by $565,000 as a gift, reducing the cost of the land to around $1 million.
“This project would not have happened without the generosity of the Smyer family,” Jackson said.
A grant from an anonymous donor in North Carolina brought the cost down by another $350,000.
“We are very pleased to say that we have been successful in raising the majority of the remaining funds,” Jackson said. “We are $200,000 from having the full funding for closing out this project.”
Jackson said the Freshwater Land Trust’s board is confident it will be able to raise the remaining $200,000, and they recently closed on the transaction.
“We are very, very excited to be here in Shelby County,” she said.
The decision to purchase the land at Double Oak Mountain came as a result of community feedback. Double Oak Mountain rose to be a high priority for conservation based off of citizen input, Jackson said.
“We had meetings here in Shelby County,” Jackson said. “We talked to your local citizens. We asked them, where are the places that matter? Because at Freshwater Land Trust, we like to preserve the places that matter.”
County development services manager Chad Scroggins said the Freshwater Land Trust’s project fits in with the community’s goals.
“It preserves the ridge top from development and allows a very unique area to be kept up for years to come,” Scroggins said.
Preservation of the ridge top will help with future storm water management as well, Scroggins said. Double Oak Mountain helps conserve Shoal Creek, a tributary to the Cahaba River, and divides the Cahaba River and Coosa River basins, which also contributes to its environmental significance in the area, Jackson said.
The property includes 225 acres of land and is not large enough for open public use, Jackson said. However, it will be open for educational research purposes and guided field trips for members of the community.
“We are very proud to now be a land owner in your community, and we understand from our partnership with (Shelby County Manager) Alex (Dudchock) that this was a very important area for Shelby County through your own planning processes,” Jackson said.
Dudchock noted there is potential for a partnership with the Freshwater Land Trust on other projects, and Jackson agreed.
“We’re very respectful of other land owners, and if they wish to have a conversation with us concerning their property, we would be happy to have those conversations,” Jackson said. “And I can say that in Shelby County this is not the only conversation we’re having.”
