Nearly two years ago, staff at the MPO/BikeWalkBG starting working alongside partners from various departments within the City of Bowling Green to dream up ideas for an outdoor classroom along the Creekwood Greenway at Jennings Creek. This section of trail connects Jennings Creek Elementary and Moss Middle School to an older section of greenway extending from Creekwood Drive to Greenhill Street in the Whispering Hills subdivision. Altogether, the 0.7-mile trail provides connection and access between the nearby neighborhoods and the schools.
Why here you might ask? Many reasons! This section of greenway is one of our best stretches of paved, off-the-road, dedicated trails for walkers and cyclists. And it cuts right through a neighborhood, providing direct access to two nearby schools, who often frequent the greenway space. If you’ve been to this greenway, you might have noticed all the open space between the trail and creek. We did too, which is what spurred us to start dreaming about the future of the space. We wanted to create a space for kids to explore nature through creativity and free-play. We wanted to encourage a peaceful learning environment for the neighborhood kids and school classrooms alike – where hands-on lessons could be applied and some “playground” diversity could exist (only without an actual playground).
Fast forward and the December 11 tornados tore straight across the greenway, wreaking havoc on the neighborhoods, families, and community. Our dream for this space seemed evermore pertinent and we pursued opportunities to make something happen. BikeWalkBG worked collaboratively with the City of Bowling Green to receive a combined $20,000 by the Noon Rotary Club to provide necessary creek remediation and rehab, in addition to prep work for the future outdoor classroom. Some components of this funding will also include educational signage, creek access, and boulders. In addition to our awarded funds, WKU’s Center for Human GeoEnvironmental Studies (CHNGES) was also awarded Rotary funds to compliment our efforts in creating a sustainable and educational refuge for students and families alike. While work has not yet begun, we hope to make significant progress this summer for a ribbon cutting and open house later this summer. Together, we are continually seeking opportunities to fund the remainder of the outdoor classroom, but are hopeful see the full project come to fruition in the next few years.
Go check it out! Park at the back of Jennings Creek Elementary and hit the trail! View our BikeWalkBG web map for more details – zoom into the school and you’ll find the trail.