The Saga of the Cresswind Nature Trails
By Bill Dickey, February 2022
In 2006 and 2007 Levitt cleared wooded areas for 3 trails behind White Magnolia, Noble Fir, and Scarlet Oak. Black cloth was used to mark what is now Bluebird, Cardinal, and part of Swallow trails. The Levitt bankruptcy occurred in the fall of 2007 and the trails were neglected for 2+ years, until Kolter purchased the property in early 2010.
In early 2011, some residents got together and had the property designated by the Audubon Society as a Community Wildlife Sanctuary. To accomplish this, the diferent bird and animal species found on the property had to be counted, which required going into the wooded areas - this was dificult due to the poor trail conditions. As a result, it was decided that the trails needed to be cleared of the overgrowth and made safe for all to use. (Naturalists from the Elachee Wildlife Preserve visited the Cresswind property and said it was an “old growth forest” full of large chestnut, oak, hickory, and beech trees.)
An informal alliance of Cresswind volunteers was formed in 2012 by Bill Dickey, including himself, Frank Kardian, Rolf Grimm, Daryl Goetz, Dave Galshack, Charlie Bassham, and Ed Proctor. Later Paul Fisher and David Jones joined the group. After several meetings with the Kolter property manager, the volunteers convinced him of the value of hiking trails as a selling point for the Cresswind community. (There were many residents who bought homes in Cresswind because of the nature/hiking trails.)
Before work was started on the Cresswind trails, Bill Dickey, Rolf Grimm, and Frank Kardian helped Gainesville’s new Linwood Nature Preserve of Thompson Bridge Road in the construction of their hiking trails. They used a “professional trailblazer“ from Elachee Nature Center to lay out their trails. Youth from the AmeriCorps then did the work to clear the paths and build a bridge. The Cresswind volunteers helped in this efort and later used what they learned there to lay out the trails at Cresswind.
When the Kolter property manager and the owner of the landscaping company at Cresswind saw what was done at the Linwood Nature Preserve, they agreed to start work on our trails. The “Trailblazers,” as they were called, got to work and first determined what had to be done to make the original Levitt “Seasons on Lake Lanier” trails usable. Strips of plastic orange tape were used to show the landscapers where to clear the fallen trees, briers, vines, weeds, and trip hazards to make the original trails safe to hike. The orange tape method was also used to lay out the new trails - Goldfinch, Robin, and extensions to Swallow. Bluebird was the first trail opened in Spring of 2013, followed by Cardinal. Funding for the last* trail – Robin - was approved by Kolter and the trail was completed in 2016. All trails were named after local bird species. (* The HOA added a new trail – Hummingbird - in 2018, located in Phase III.)
The Trailblazers installed the trail signs and a list of trail guidelines at each trail entrance. They added wooden benches along the trails for “rest stops.” The sign posts included a unique rack for walking sticks. Saunder Hutchinson used his computerized wood cutting tool to professionally letter the signs.
That's the history behind the nature trails that Cresswind residents and their families enjoy hiking today.