The Palmetto Multi Sensory Trail
As a class project, Leadership Houston Class XXIX developed and built a quarter-mile, multi-sensory nature trail specifically designed for the blind or visually impaired on the grounds of the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. The trail gives the vision-impaired a rare opportunity to do what the sighted take for granted: experience and learn about nature in solitude. The trail is also a great educational tool for fully-sighted participants to learn about our natural environment and how to better utilize senses other than sight.
The trail transforms and give purpose to the currently under-utilized Palmetto Trail located directly across from the Nature Center building with easy access to the visitor parking lot. The Palmetto Multi-Sensory Trail incorporates a guide rope to lead visitors to a series of learning stations where information will be displayed in both Braille and large print. As visitors walk along the trail, the learning stations will inform them about the nature and history of the area through touching, feeling, hearing and smelling. The various learning stations will include descriptions of local flora and fauna, historical and geological facts, and tactile art pieces using natural and environmentally friendly materials.
The Palmetto Multi-Sensory Trail is the first of its kind in the southern United States, which has the largest visually impaired population at an estimated 10.2 million people. Benefiting people of all ages, genders and ethnicities, the trail will be more than just a trail for the blind. The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center will encourage school and family groups to use the trail to educate young and old people alike about nature, the environment, visual impairment and overcoming physical challenges using the other senses.
The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center has wholeheartedly endorsed this project. Located on the western edge of Memorial Park, the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center has nearly 200,000 visitors annually, offering an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and the opportunity to experience the natural world. This 155-acre non-profit urban nature sanctuary’s mission is to provide education about the natural environment to Houstonians of all ages. Free to the public, visitors can enjoy over 5 miles of nature trails, including forest, pond, wetland and meadow habitats.
The Palmetto Multi-Sensory Trail project has been endorsed by The Lighthouse of Houston, Taping for the Blind, Inc., Houston Council of the Blind, Texas Parents of Blind Children and the National Federation of the Blind.
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