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FEATURES
Charles Yeager: Protecting an ecological treasure
Not many campuses in the middle of
a city can also lay claim to hundreds of
acres of wild land—and a responsibility
to protect it.
But Birmingham-Southern has deep
connections to Turkey Creek Nature
Preserve, which is located off U.S.-79
in Pinson, about 15 miles north of
Birmingham’s urban core. The Southern
Environmental Center co-manages
the preserve—which is home to three
endangered fish, including one, the
Vermilion Darter, that lives only in
Turkey Creek—in partnership with
Alabama’s Forever Wild Program and
the Freshwater Land Trust. The SEC also
runs an environmental education center
there, providing hands-on programming
to school groups, scout groups, and other
visitors.
And the man who manages it all
is Charles Yeager ’10, one of the first
graduates of BSC’s Urban Environmental
Studies Program. Yeager—who lives in
a home on the preserve with his wife,
Rebecca Yeager ’06, and the newest
addition to their family, baby Charlie
Ann—worked to map the land at Turkey
Creek as an intern with the Freshwater
Land Trust when he was a student.
He also helped the SEC construct its
North Birmingham and Seven Springs
EcoScapes.
More than that, Yeager has helped
turn Turkey Creek into a community
attraction. Before becoming a preserve
under the state’s public land conservation
program, it served as a dumping ground
for much of northern Jefferson County.
Today, some 100,000 visitors arrive to
swim in the falls, picnic nearby, or hike
in the woods. The trails were recently
added to the National Trails System by
the U.S. Department of the Interior, the
preserve’s “Float Your Boat” festival is
Pinson’s most popular, and this summer
al.com named Turkey Creek one of its
“Don’t Miss Alabama Swimming Holes.”
“We have worked very hard to develop
an experience for our guests that is
unique in the state, and we’re constantly
working to add new features,” said
Yeager.
The preserve, which contains some
of the most biologically rich habitats in
central Alabama, also provides fertile
ground for Birmingham-Southern
students and faculty. Each year, biology
and UES students and professors join
local field biologists for a “BioBlitz,” a
24-hour species survey that gives students
hands-on field techniques. Yeager has
hosted student interns from various
fields, including UES and history. And
BSC students regularly volunteer at the
preserve for service-learning projects.
“As a student, I was provided many
unique experiences by Birmingham-
Southern’s amazing faculty that helped
me develop a deep appreciation for our
native landscape,” Yeager said. “Today, I
feel honored to not only be a part of the
BSC family, but also to help enhance the
student experience by sharing the beauty
of Turkey Creek with them and the
broader community.”