Are you interested in the unique wildflowers and botanical variety of the South Cumberland Plateau bioregion? The South Cumberland Regional Land Trust (SCRLT) invites you to our annual Bluebell Island Ramble at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 22, and running until about noon. Bluebell Island was SCRLT’s first conservation initiative in the late 1990s and protects the unique habitat on Bluebell Island in the Elk River, home to trilliums, bluebells, and many other species of wildflower endemic to our area.

Accessing Bluebell Island requires a stream crossing over a temporary bridge and about a 1 mile round trip walk on a flat, but unimproved, trail along the Elk River. Please don’t let concerns about access deter you. We’ll have several volunteers on hand to assist, we’ll do everything we can to help you get across the bridge, and there are many of the same flowers along the riverbank to enjoy even if the stream crossing is not possible.

Meet and park alongside the driveway at 13811 David Crockett Pkwy. E, Decherd, adjacent to the Elk River. This location is about 1 mile southwest on Hwy 64 from the Interstate 24 Pelham exit. The “E” in the 13811 David Crockett Pkwy. E address is very important with GPS devices. Weather does sometimes impact this event in terms of the water level of the river. Should the island be inaccessible that morning due to high water, the event will go on and SCRLT will post notices on Sewanee Classifieds along with our Instagram (@southcumberlandlandtrust) and Facebook pages. You can contact SCRLT at <hello@scrlt.org>.