Located east of the Publix Market at the corner of Hwy. 53 and Jeff Road in Northwest Madison County, the Harvest Square Recreational Preserve features two ponds (16.5 acres) and 2.3 miles of flat trails for hiking, biking, and running. The Dale W. Strong Community Pavilion for Environmental Education is a popular feature for picnics and outdoor meetings.
Montgomery-based Aronov Realty Management donated 69+ acres to the Land Trust in 2009 when they were creating the new Harvest Square Shopping Center for the Harvest community. A 33 acre portion continues to be used for farming. The remaining 36 acres of lowland is home to deer, turkey, raccoon, fox, beaver on Dry Creek, and a variety of amphibians and reptiles.
Two borrow pits created when the shopping center was created have become excellent features for migratory birds and fish. The "ponds" at Harvest Square (Terry Pond and Turner Pond) are now part of the Tennessee River Watershed. Dry Creek runs between the ponds and overflow sometimes floods into the ponds. Dry Creek confluences with Indian Creek, which feeds into the Tennessee River near the Redstone Arsenal. The Tennessee River is home to 178 documented species of fish. Longear Sunfish, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Small Mouth Bass have been noted in the Terry Pond.
Boy Scouts cleared the trails and installed benches for their Eagle Scout projects. The five Harvest Square trails include a 1/2 mile walk through oaks and pines (Dry Creek Trail); two trails that edge the holding ponds (Edge Trail and Pete's Trail); one that provides an excellent view of the agricultural lands (Pete's Trail), and one trail that goes very near the beaver home on Dry Creek (Beaver Dam Trail). The fifth trail is the longest (the one mile of Senators Trail) and has been developed and is maintained by Sparkman High School's cross country team. Plans are that cross country meets will be held at Harvest Preserve beginning in 2013.
The ribbon cutting for the Preserve was held in December of 2011. This new little jewel has quickly won the hearts of the community. Home school, church groups, and Scout troops rent the pavilion on the weekends. One Harvest resident has designated herself our "duck steward" and keeps tabs on the Wood Duck population. Shopping center employees use the Preserve for picnics. The Sparkman High Senators practice on their trail.
Our award-winning "Tuesdays on the Trail" summer program offered two sessions this past summer at Harvest Square. Elementary age children and their parents had the opportunity to learn about the importance of protecting ecosystems and how to use American Native Bamboo to make cane poles.
