Community Corner

Survey Shows Morningside Residents Want More Nature Trails

Volunteers continue to draft plans to connect two large nature preserves

By Sally Sears

An large majority of Morningside and Virginia-Highland neighbors want more access to hiking trails close to home.

Preliminary results of a survey underway for Park Pride show 74-percent of the community agrees that access to more trails is needed.

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The answers encourage volunteers seeking to connect two large nature preserves with low-impact trails on public land along the South Fork of Peachtree Creek.

Park Pride Visioning leaders Walt Ray and Jesse Allen released the numbers yesterday, noting that 175 people took the survey, with the majority living in Morningside/Lenox Park.

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Hiking, keeping fit and seeing wildlife are the main reasons people say they want more nature trails.

The first public session to discuss creating the connections between Morningside Nature Preserve and Taylor-Johnson brought neighbors to Haygood Methodist Church last week.

Some residents whose houses back up to Taylor-Johnson opposed the idea of more people using their nature preserve, citing problems with off-leash dogs. Others said they feared more use would lower property values and increase crime.  

Supporters of connecting the nature preserves point to the survey results as confirmation of neighbors’ desire for more access to green space within walking distance of their homes. Several used Morningside Nature Preserve as an example of how improving access can increase use and generally improve issues with security, and suggest the same could happen in Taylor-Johnson.

Park Pride chose this project with the South Fork Conservancy, Inc. to help neighbors understand the benefits and challenges of linking public greenspace along a multi-mile corridor from Ga 400 to Emory University.

A second public meeting with maps to draw proposed trails is set for Tuesday, May 8, at 6 p.m. at Haygood Methodist Church.

Sally Sears is the Executive Director of South Fork Conservancy, a nonprofit that aims to restore and maintain urban creeks and trails. Visit the South Fork Conservancy website and Facebook Page for more about the group.

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