Life, Vitality, Brilliance, Humor, Creativity, and Wanderlust.

"His first Grade teacher pegged his lead intelligence as a naturalist, and he was happiest out in nature.  He loved exploring the St. Clair County Greenspace Preservation.  He fished every creek and pond in the area.  He once noodled a fish out of Richland creek.  Austin had a sixth sense for reptiles; snakes, lizards, and skinks seemingly came out to greet him."  

Memorial Trail  

The Austin Veile Nature Trail is both a destination and a passage.  Austin's love of nature and the Greenspace Nature Preserve offer a guide to his remembrance and the continued use of Greenspace as the spark that inspires exploration and love of the natural environment. 

Austin's trail represents the beginning of a new era for the Bluff Park Preserve and is a project around which additional trail development and park amenities will coalesce.  

A bridge that is both a destination and a passage.  A suspension bridge over a Bluff Park Ravine will create an exciting destination for hikers as they explore Greenspace.  

Elevated walkways invite pedestrians to enter and explore Austin's trail by formalizing entrances and difficult sections of trail creating accessibility for a broad range of age groups.      

Greenspace will continue to provide a place for young people to cultivate a love for the natural environment. Austin's trail will lead to the Ravine Field Station which will offer a simple place to gather and learn about the creatures of Bluff Park.  The field station can be a place of structured learning for kids or an invitation to turn over rocks and logs to discover for themselves.  

The storied girl scout camp is re-imagined by taking a cue from its past as a central point to gather, celebrate, and reflect on life outdoors.  The camp will feature a pavilion, picnic area, and camp fire ring.  

A cohesive graphic branding of Austin's trail and Bluff Park Preserve will enable the trail to function as a kind of formal learning environment through interpretive signage, way finding and a Field guide.