Nature Trail Dedication at the Red Maple Boardwalk held on December 3, 1976. From left to right, Dr. Ray Bowman, President Thomas G. Carpenter, Sue Leger-Krall.

Dr. Ray Bowman, a UNF founding professor, was the first Director of the UNF Environmental Center, worked to create a self-guided nature trail system, was part of getting the trails recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior in the 1970s, and served as a faculty advisor to the Sawmill Slough Conservation Club.