A Fresh Take on a Familiar Place: Working with the Freshwater Land Trust

Katherine Glenn grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, but went to college out of state and lived in Atlanta for several years before moving back in 2019. It was then, after becoming a landscape architect, that she realized she had a new perspective on her hometown. Her professional training allowed her to see the bigger picture and understand how she could make a lasting impact on the place she called “home.” 

Katherine’s desire to make Birmingham a healthier and happier city led her to get involved with the Freshwater Land Trust, an organization that helps conserve land and build trails to connect central Alabama’s communities. Known as the Red Rock Trail System, this network is made up of over 115 miles of trails, bike lanes, sidewalks and parks, largely following Birmingham’s waterways and allowing for educational opportunities along the way. 

As a junior board member of the trust, Katherine has helped with fundraising and coordinating volunteer activities. In addition, she volunteers to analyze new trail opportunities. 

“It’s been really gratifying to return to my community with a new set of skills. I’m just getting started in my work with Freshwater Land Trust, but I hope I’m able to continue applying my training and experience as a landscape architect to aid this important organization and its mission. It feels good to share what I know!” 

Her volunteer activities captured the attention of several of her co-workers at Dix.Hite, which has since then gotten involved with the trust as a company. We're proud to share that we’ve even adopted a half-mile section of the Red Rock Trail. The Birmingham team spends a few hours a month cleaning up trash, removing invasive plants, and checking on the overall health of the trail. We get to help make Birmingham a better place to live and enjoy being out on the trail at the same time, which is a real win-win situation for us. 

Protecting our natural environments is a balancing act. In order to conserve and protect, we must also offer access for people to enjoy and learn to love these spaces. Supporting conservation organizations like the Freshwater Land Trust give us the opportunity to meet other likeminded people, explore our cities, and lend our skills to an important cause.