Years ago, I wrote a column in the Times-Dispatch about Tuckahoe Creek on the Henrico/Goochland line, describing it as a hidden gem more accessible for wildlife than humans. Well, it looks like that could change, although luckily not too much.

The T-D’s Laura Kebede wrote in Wednesday’s paper that 26 years after it was approved in a bond referendum, Tuckahoe Creek Park soon will become a reality. Construction of the park, about 20 acres along the creek at the end of Ridgefield Parkway in western Henrico, is slated to start in December and be completed in April, Kebede wrote. Several attempts to develop a larger swath of land suitable for parking, access to the creek and other amenities failed, said Neil Luther, director of the Division of Recreation and Parks.

I remember seeing mallards, wood ducks and other waterfowl when I visited for my column back in 2009. And the landowner talked about the beaver dams in the area and bass fishing from the bank. The creek in that area is wide, shallow and marshy, creating incredible wildlife habitat. Only after rains is it navigable for canoes and kayaks, but when it’s up, it’s a gorgeous float, I was told.