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Friday, July 14, 2006

Back to Un(Nature)


My pal Matt introduced me the Loop Island Wetlands a couple weeks ago. Since that time, I've been over to New Albany twice to visit the ponds and paths that wind from the foot of Silver Street to the Ohio River.

I have a weird history with the place. About 15 years or so ago, I did a newspaper story about possible health hazards created by the old Moser Leather Co., which was doing something pretty stinky back there (actually, it was using one of the ponds as a slurry dump, if I recall, and legally so). My reporting was not quite so legal; I'm pretty sure I trespassed on the leather plant's property to get my investigative whiff on.

Now the tannery is closed and the new owner (apparently a beaver-battling soul named Al Goodman) has kindly opened up the property as a semi-public wetlands. Goodman has even posted a little stand that promises MAPS, although I have never seen said maps. Still, it's a nice thought.

My pal Joe and I went for a walk at Loop Island yesterday.

The coolest part of the property by far is an abandoned rail trestle that spans Silver Creek as it heads down to the Ohio. For the pic above, I was actually standing in Clark County, having crossed over from New Albany.

The trestle is kinda up there. Joe got a little nervous (me too, to be honest -- it's catching), but I reminded him that we are both far too fat to fall through the ties of a rail trestle. He conceded, of course.

Here's Silver Creek as it empties into the Ohio. I'm standing on a landing that overlooks the creek and some shale beaches on the river -- they make for a nice spot when the water is down, as it was yesterday. You often bump into folks with fishing tackle in tow back on these trails.

Yesterday, Joe and I met a couple and their dog, which the gentleman described as being a Chow-Wolf mix that isn't always so good around people. The thing was on a leash, but I still grabbed a big stick on trek back to the car -- just in case.


This little gem lies at the Clark County end of the trestle, where Loop Island abuts a spat of auto salvage yards and other junk industrial properties that Indiana is trying to clean up with its greenway project. It's not clearly pictured, but what you have here is two rusted-out school buses on which sits a rotting thresher or combine of some sort.

Confronted with such a canvas, what's a hilljack moron supposed to do except spray paint even more evidence that there's no good reason he should be breathing?

Goodman reportedly wants Loop Island to be part of the greenway, and I for one hope he gets his wish, if for no other reason than to clean up this junk. Loop Island is very nice, despite the occasional hateful eyesore and unnatural canine threat.

2 comments:

Angela said...

The river images make me homesick.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for such a nice writeup on a unique place in New Albany.
As the Owner I think I have a copy of your newspaper article and would like to talk with you about it.
Can't keep the maps there because probably the same people that paint on the bus and bridge either steal them all or use them for litter.