Noah’s Wood + Two Guys + Friends $$ = Suwannee River Benches

There are now three slightly used, but newly placed benches at the very end of the River Trail board walk to enjoy.  Contributions of pressure treated wood came from former Board member Jay Bushnell who retrieved them from the river as they came past his home in Fowlers Bluff.  That wood is probably from Noah’s Ark,….or so Jay reports. The Two Guys, Jay and Board member John Thalacker spend about 8 hours preparing the wood and constructed the benches on site.  “They may not be pretty, but at least they’re unique” John announced. “It is a perfect place to see the migrating and leaping Gulf Sturgeon.”  Friends paid for the $4 for the decking screws.

Friends and staff efforts this year have included two other benches on the trail as well as seven truck loads of limestone to strengthen the surface and cover emerging roots and cypress knees.  For anyone with limited mobility, these were MAJOR improvements.  But the River Trail is not finished.

Ahead are preliminary plans for a kiosk at the end of the earthen trail that will provide shelter and tell, with a pictograph, the former days when that space was a logging deck for logs flowed down the Suwannee River.  More signs to identify plants and trees and perhaps a trail to an old giant cypress that escaped the loggers saw are also under consideration.

Friends Board and Refuge staff hope you enjoy the additions.