The hiking trails of Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve in Hall County were back open this week after over 330 hours of labor to clear them.
While Elachee Nature Science Center sustained no major facility damage from Tropical Storm Irma, the 12 miles of trails it manages in the preserve were covered by downed trees and debris.
Elachee Director of Development and Communications Kim Marks said the trails got the all clear on Tuesday.
"We had a professional come in and take care of the last several dangerous situations on Monday the 2nd, and the owner of that business was able to then give us some sense of calm that everything was fine," Marks said in an interview with AccessWDUN.
The center's volunteer trail crew was joined by nearly 3-dozen new recruits in what a center blogger described as, "herculean efforts" to clear the trails from the September 11th storm.
According to the blog, 35 volunteers put in the labor clearing the preserve's 7 trails. The downed trees left after trails were cleared will remain for wildlife habitat.
While the facilities did not sustain significant damage, they were closed for 3 days after the storm. The center phones were out for a week and trails closed for 22 days.
As things were returning to normal after Irma, Marks said officials were keeping a close eye on the storm Nate, expected to impact the region over the next several days.
She said walkers in the preserve should exercise caution, particularly on windy days.
"Everything is kind of up in the air until we get through next probably Tuesday or Wednesday, because trees that may have been compromised, but were deemed safe, may come down," Marks said.
