A new set of interpretive signs along the trails of Sherman Creek Park in the Eau Claire County Town of Union is a lasting memorial for Aylen Bain, an Altoona High School graduate who died unexpectedly while a first-year student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2024.
The Aylen Bain Sherman Creek Memorial will be dedicated near the park pavilion on Friday, August 21 at 1 p.m., with a short program followed by walking tours of the trails. Aylen grew up near Sherman Creek Park, which is located on West Vine Street just south of Sherman Elementary School in Eau Claire. The 30-acre woodland features walking trails and bridges crossing Sherman Creek, which meanders through the park.
Aylen’s mother, a fourth-grade teacher for the School District of Altoona, said she was humbled when she learned that friends from school, Altoona sports teams and their church had donated money to create a memorial for her child.
“From a young age, Aylen hiked through the park with family,” said Jennifer Bain. “Aylen observed the plants and animals in the park for school photo essays and science journals. Aylen had been a wildlife ecology major at UW-Madison, and it made sense to create signage as an interactive way for others to explore and appreciate Sherman Creek Park.”
Barb Kleist, chair of the Town of Union Park Commission, said what makes Sherman Creek Park special is that it is a preserved natural space that is surrounded by a residential neighborhood.
“With the proximity to Sherman School, we as a park commission had been wanting to develop an educational component to the park,” said Kleist. “When we were contacted by friends and family of Aylen, it seemed like a sign we needed to move forward with that plan. It’s my hope that visitors to the park will gain a better understanding of everything that relies on the park and how important it is to protect spaces like Sherman Creek Park.”
The task of what content should be on the signs fell to three of Aylen’s former middle school science teachers at Altoona. Scott Thiel, Heidi Colbert and Becky Navarre made several visits to the park at different times of the year to observe the terrain, vegetation and animal life for themselves.
“We know that Aylen loved the park for the flora and fauna, but it was also a spiritual place to connect with nature” said Heidi Colbert, who was Aylen’s 7th grade science teacher. “We discovered that the park is used by Sherman Elementary School, and we wanted to have signs that could enhance their lessons.”
The topics for the signs include titles such as Owls, Woodpeckers, White Pine and Poison Ivy, as well as Bird Migration, Vegetation, Stream Geomorphology, the Riparian Ecosystem and a Journey Through Time. Thiel, who taught Aylen in his middle school geology class, said the team wanted the signs to differ from typical trail signs.
“Rather than focusing only on familiar topics,” said Thiel, “we wanted to highlight some ideas visitors may not have considered, such as the history of the vegetation and the area’s local ecology and geology. We also wanted the signs to support different levels of learning. While the signs provide basic information, QR codes allow us to offer in-depth explanations for visitors who want to learn more.”
Aylen’s sixth grade science teacher Navarre says the frequent visits the trio made to the park gave them a deep appreciation for all the park has to offer, and that the work is not done.
“We will continue to visit the park and record information on the migratory birds and the changes in the stream,” said Navarre. “We have so many areas that we have not explored yet. The QR codes on the signs contain information that we can update as we learn more about the park.”
Sherman Creek Park is in a conservation easement through a partnership between the Town of Union and Landmark Conservancy. For those wishing to attend the dedication ceremony, parking will be available in the Sherman School lot.
Photo credits: Above photos of Aylen Bain — one standing beside Sherman Creek and another sitting in the grass — are credited to Jennifer Bain.
