About

 WHO?

This blog is created by citizens that live, work, and play at Ebenezer Swamp Ecological Preserve. The preserve is owned and maintained by the University of Montevallo and is located on the corner of County Road 24 and Stage Coach Road in Shelby County, Alabama. 

The preserve is open seven days a week during daylight hours. It features sculptures created by UM students, an outdoor classroom, and interpretive signs along their 0.6 mile trail and boardwalk. The boardwalk and trail are ADA-accessible. The University offers educational programming, like guided hikes, field trips, and workshops for learners of all ages.

There is an estimated 4,400+ annual passive visitors to the swamp and a capacity to host 7,500 participants through programs. 

WHERE?

Ebenezer Swamp is a wetland that falls in the Cahaba River Watershed. The Cahaba River Watershed is also part of the larger, Mobile Bay Basin, which has earned the nickname of "The Amazon of North America" due to its high biodiversity of plants and animal species. Ebenezer Swamp Ecological Preserve is located in Shelby County, Alabama a little over 6 miles north of Montevallo's city center. 

This wetland site is also recognized as an Alabama birding site as many native and migratory bird species can find ample food and shelter here.

HOW?

Ebenezer Swamp is spring-fed through groundwater recharge, and a minimum of 90 springs have been identified in the 70 acres maintained as a nature preserve. Ebenezer Swamp as a whole covers 160 acres. To be considered a "swamp" a wetland must be permanently saturated year-round and the primary vegetation is trees. According to the U.S. EPA, a single acre of wetland can hold up to 1.5 million gallons of water! Wetland ecosystems act similarly to human's kidneys- they filter out toxins and protect our environment from flooding and from drought. Ebenezer Swamp is vital to our community as it provides these ecological services to the Alabaster, Montevallo, and Calera communities.


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