by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Answer: “Without the painted tiger snail, we probably wouldn’t have a park,” Head of Crow Park Manager Bill Loewer told members and guests at the Nov. 3 Sewanee Civic Association dinner meeting. The Tennessee General Assembly has allocated $25 million dollars to the new park, designated as separate from the South Cumberland park system just over a year ago. The painted tiger snail is only found in a limited 10-mile radius within the park. Loewer shared highlights of the park’s features and plans for the four natural areas, Buggytop Cave, the Natural Bridge, Hawkins Cove, and the Sherwood Forest. “Building the park is going to be a long process,” Loewer acknowledged. “We have 20 years of trail construction ahead of us, 10 years to have all the parking lots and picnic areas finished, and five years for the visitors center to be fully operational.”

The challenges of managing a large park prompted the division of South Cumberland State Park into three parks, Savage Gulf, Head of the Crow, and Fiery Gizzard, Loewer explained. “South Cumberland as a park is no more. This is the South Cumberland area of parks now.” The park service is acquiring land to connect the four natural areas in Head of the Crow. Plans also call for trails connecting Crow to trail systems in the Franklin Forest and on the Domain — 45,000-acres combined, offering a two-week backpacking trip adventure. Connecting to the Mountain Goat Trail is also a possibility. The new Sewanee Welcome Center, the official Sewanee trailhead for the Mountain Goat, will serve as the Crow visitor center until a facility is constructed.

“The geology and terrain are the biggest challenges to trail building,” Loewer said. “We can construct 15 feet of trail on a good day.” Watch the Messenger for opportunities to volunteer to help with trail building.

A new trail to Buggy Top Cave will create a loop, with the new segment cutting the elevation gain in half, making for a less demanding hiking experience. The 80’ by 100’ cave entrance is one of the largest in the nation. The name of the water course in Lost Cove changes from Lost Creek to Crow Creek when it exits Buggy Top Cave, thus the park’s name, Head of the Crow. Caves are also a prominent feature in the Pack Hollow area of the park, with more than a dozen on record, according to Loewer. Park caves are closed Sept. 1 to April 30 to accommodate bat hibernation.

Another outstanding feature of the park are the trail overlooks. From one, Shelbyville is visible on a clear day. From another overlook, hikers can see the Tennessee River in Alabama. The park service embraces three goals: to conserve both the culture and pristine natural beauty of the parks; to increase resource-based recreation to stimulate stewardship and appreciation of the parks to help the park service protect them; and to help build up the rural areas of the state. “We want to conserve this property and manage it as close to natural as possible,” Loewer said. “None of us know exactly what this would have been like 200-plus years ago. We don’t know what the cultures were that were here then, but we know they left behind, and we can share that.”

Reporting on SCA business, President Kiki Beavers said the Community Chest fund drive had reached 30 percent of the $118,500 goal. The membership approved bylaws changes authorizing the SCA to manage the Welcome Center and a staff title change from Director of Sewanee Classifieds to Sewanee Classifieds Administrator.

Beavers called for nominations to serve on the Board of Directors. Nominations are due by Feb. 16. Area residents interested in serving on the board should email <sewaneecommunitychest@gmail.com>.

Beavers also called for nominations for the Community Service Award, recognizing those who have made outstanding contributions to the community, making Sewanee a better place to live and improving the quality of life. Send nominations to <sewaneecommunitychest@gmail.com> or SCC, P.O. Box 99, Sewanee, TN 37375. The deadline for submitting nominations is March 12. The awards ceremony is scheduled for May 4.

Beavers urged community members to make donations to the Community Action Committee’s food ministry, “Stock the Pantry.” Online contributions can be made through the Amazon Wish List https://a.co/f6TXKX4;.