Shelby park Programs
The Park Explorers Program helps children at our partner schools discover the wonder, peace and fun of nature. Friends of Shelby brings park and nature-related content to students in school and, in turn, brings the students into Shelby Park and Bottoms to explore and learn.
At Shelby Bottoms Nature Play, kids climb, dig, build, balance, and discover—with no predetermined rules or outcomes. This kind of open-ended play fuels creativity, problem-solving, and resilience.
Shelby Bottoms is home to over a dozen beehives across three locations, cared for by volunteer beekeepers who help pollinate plants throughout the park and East Nashville. Stop by the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center to learn about pollinator-friendly plants, explore the garden, and pick up local honey while supplies last!
Shelby Park and Bottoms has an invasive plant species problem. Starting this winter, we are beginning efforts to remove these harmful plants from our forests, and we need your help!
In partnership with Bell & Associates Construction and Metro Parks and Recreation, Friends of Shelby will build a 1/3 mile section of trail creating a complete one-mile walking loop in Shelby Park. The project will be a catalyst for future investment in the wetland boardwalk and ADA-compliant trail called for in the park master plan.
Background
The 2009 Shelby Park Master Plan calls for a separated walking loop around Sevier Lake. In 2010, Friends of Shelby took the first step by working with Metro to close the road on the western edge of the lake reclaiming this space for cyclists and pedestrians. In 2012 Metro added walking paths around the newly constructed events lawn, and in 2014 these paths were connected to the lake path creating approximately 2/3 of a mile of separated trail. But the remaining route around the lake still requires people to mix with cars on the road, creating a dangerous situation for all park patrons.
The Project:
In partnership with Bell & Associates Construction and Metro Parks and Recreation, Friends of Shelby will build a 1/3 mile section of trail creating a complete one-mile walking loop in Shelby Park. The project will be a catalyst for future investment in the wetland boardwalk and ADA-compliant trail called for in the park master plan.
Progress 2020
Completed in fall 2020, the initial phase of the project includes a 900-foot section of gravel trail and a new bridge.
Planning 2021
The final section of the loop will be the striping of a pedestrian lane through the existing parking lot and along the road east of Lake Sevier. Friends of Shelby has begun this work by surveying the existing conditions and engaging a traffic engineer to help with a striping plan that will provide a safe route for walkers.
Thank you to our partners!
