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Look, up in the sky
Treetop trail opens at Oxbow Meadows
BY ERIN SIMPSON
Staff Writer
John and Nancy Melkerson drove from Auburn, Ala., to Oxbow Meadows on Saturday so their two children could walk through the learning center's newest feature: the 192-foot-long TreeTop Trail.
"It was fun," said Becca, 9, who said she wasn't scared during the 20-minute scenic walk. Ian, 7, said, "It was exciting," but he accused Becca of trying to frighten him.
"She was making it scary," he said, pointing at his sister. "She was swinging it."
Ian was referring to the walkway suspended on cables and ropes 35 feet above the ground, giving visitors a bird's-eye view of wetlands, animals and plant life in the forest.
Becca admitted that she did swing the ropes a little. "I liked how the bridges moved," she said.
Columbus State University Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center's TreeTop Trail opened for the first time to the public Saturday, and there were hundreds of area residents who went to get a glimpse of the valley from atop a sweetgum or white oak.
The staff was offering tours to groups of 15 across a metal bridge that goes from the ground to the first tree's hanging platform. The bridge is held up by cables and ropes, with netting along the sides to keep children and adults from falling.
It can get a little wobbly when a few people walk along the suspension bridges at the same time.
Becky Champion, director of Oxbow Meadows, said the new trail, along with a new raptor housing area, opened as part of the center's 10th anniversary celebration.
"This was a neat way to kick off the next 10 years," she said.
MeadWestvaco donated the money to build the trail as part of CSU's capital campaign. Champion said the project cost about $200,000, including in-kind work. The trail is not open when the center is closed, and only guided tours are offered.
None of the trail interferes with the tree's growth. The suspended platforms aren't bolted into the tree but are hanging from cables strategically wrapped around the trunk.
Though only 15 people are allowed on a tour at a time -- it can get crowded -- it would hold more. "We could get as many people on here as we could pack, and it wouldn't fall down," Champion said.
The center is already looking at possibilities of expanding the TreeTop Trail, especially by adding an exit to the far side. Currently, groups walk up through the bridges to the third platform, then turn around and come back the same way to get off.
Eight-year-old Victoria Slaughter said the walk made her a little nervous, and her mom, Marlene Slaughter, was glad to get both feet back on the ground after the tour.
"I was a little bit frightened. I'm scared of heights," Victoria said.
"But I like the trees. I saw some squirrels climbing up there, and I saw some ladybugs. I saw the water and the trees. It was fun because you get to go and learn interesting stuff about nature."
Treetop trail opens at Oxbow Meadows
BY ERIN SIMPSON
Staff Writer
John and Nancy Melkerson drove from Auburn, Ala., to Oxbow Meadows on Saturday so their two children could walk through the learning center's newest feature: the 192-foot-long TreeTop Trail.
"It was fun," said Becca, 9, who said she wasn't scared during the 20-minute scenic walk. Ian, 7, said, "It was exciting," but he accused Becca of trying to frighten him.
"She was making it scary," he said, pointing at his sister. "She was swinging it."
Ian was referring to the walkway suspended on cables and ropes 35 feet above the ground, giving visitors a bird's-eye view of wetlands, animals and plant life in the forest.
Becca admitted that she did swing the ropes a little. "I liked how the bridges moved," she said.
Columbus State University Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center's TreeTop Trail opened for the first time to the public Saturday, and there were hundreds of area residents who went to get a glimpse of the valley from atop a sweetgum or white oak.
The staff was offering tours to groups of 15 across a metal bridge that goes from the ground to the first tree's hanging platform. The bridge is held up by cables and ropes, with netting along the sides to keep children and adults from falling.
It can get a little wobbly when a few people walk along the suspension bridges at the same time.
Becky Champion, director of Oxbow Meadows, said the new trail, along with a new raptor housing area, opened as part of the center's 10th anniversary celebration.
"This was a neat way to kick off the next 10 years," she said.
MeadWestvaco donated the money to build the trail as part of CSU's capital campaign. Champion said the project cost about $200,000, including in-kind work. The trail is not open when the center is closed, and only guided tours are offered.
None of the trail interferes with the tree's growth. The suspended platforms aren't bolted into the tree but are hanging from cables strategically wrapped around the trunk.
Though only 15 people are allowed on a tour at a time -- it can get crowded -- it would hold more. "We could get as many people on here as we could pack, and it wouldn't fall down," Champion said.
The center is already looking at possibilities of expanding the TreeTop Trail, especially by adding an exit to the far side. Currently, groups walk up through the bridges to the third platform, then turn around and come back the same way to get off.
Eight-year-old Victoria Slaughter said the walk made her a little nervous, and her mom, Marlene Slaughter, was glad to get both feet back on the ground after the tour.
"I was a little bit frightened. I'm scared of heights," Victoria said.
"But I like the trees. I saw some squirrels climbing up there, and I saw some ladybugs. I saw the water and the trees. It was fun because you get to go and learn interesting stuff about nature."
