Brookhaven Courier

Issue date: 4/30/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Phil Shelp Developer clears trees on a 16-mile trail near Lake Lewisville.

Near his home in Corinth, Texas, Brookhaven College biology and botany professor Phil Shelp helped developers build a 16-mile trail around the Elm Fork branch of Lake Lewisville so lake visitors could enjoy nature.

Shelp said he has always had an interest in nature, and wanted to share his passion with others.

Shelp said while construction workers worked on the trail, he collaborated with the Army Corps of Engineers to make sure not to disturb historic sites, endangered plant or animal life or the aesthetics of the surrounding environment.

The 16-mile trail took four years to complete and connects Old Alton Bridge on both sides making it possible for citizens to have recreational use of the area.

Leslie Neal, Brookhaven professor of English as a Second Language, visited the trail and walked along part of it a little over a year ago.

"We [she and her husband, Dr. John Neal, Brookhaven journalism professor] exercise regularly, usually on a treadmill, so it was nice to go out and walk in nature," she said.

Shelp said he also gets his students involved by scheduling field trips to the trail each semester. He said they mow the grass, note changes in the ecology of the trail and set up biology exhibits.

"I take my students to the trail so they can enjoy nature and learn," he said. "The area is a historic site and provides Brookhaven students with the opportunity to do community service each semester."

She said she and her husband went out on the trail before any of the current changes occurred.

Shelp said recently the ecology of the trail changed when a land developer visited the area and cut down trees.

He said the changing environment has adversely affected the water supply by draining polluted water onto public property.

He said the Army Corps of Engineers stopped the developer's progress and fined him for cutting down the trees and polluting the water supply.

Shelp said he is still involved with the project by chairing the trails committee and by working with the Army Corps of Engineers as a trail officer. He said he also polices the trail on horseback.

"Trails are like highways, they need constant improvements, upgrading and maintenance," he said.

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