Church of the Highlands moves fence blocking Irondale hiking trail

Church of the Highlands moves fence blocking Irondale hiking trail

Birmingham’s Church of the Highlands has removed a 6-foot-tall chain link fence from where it was previously blocking a popular hiking trail on Grants Mill Road in Irondale.

But one trail visitor says the fence has merely been relocated. While it no longer blocks the trail, outdoor enthusiast Ginny Brown says a new fence still affects visitors and wildlife.

The church removed the trail-blocking fence earlier this month after they were able to come to an “amicable” resolution with local nonprofit the Fresh Water Land Trust, said the trust’s Executive Director Rusha Smith.

Part of the trail that was blocked by the fencing ran across land owned by the nonprofit, and Smith told the Lede last month that Fresh Water Land Trust would be working with Church of the Highlands to find a solution.

“I am confident that we will be able to come up, in short order, with some kind of resolution that will be satisfactory to everyone involved. Including Freshwater Land Trust, the Church of the Highlands, and trail users,” Smith previously told the Lede.