Docents have an interest in the natural world and a passion to share it with others
By Christie Hill, Naturalist Manager
Docents come to us in all ages and stages of life. All have an interest in the natural world and a passion to share it with others. Our docents are CNC ambassadors whose role is to be here to interact with our visitors.They know how to light a spark in others’ imagination, giving just enough information to encourage the interest to learn more. There is so much to enjoy about nature and docents are skilled in helping others find a connection to it.
What are the rewards you gain from being a CNC docent?
One CNC docent had this to say: Associating with bright, lively, and interesting people! The interaction with guests, and the satisfaction of being able to answer questions and introduce others to the natural world. Seeing their pleasure in learning things and listening to what they have to share—that’s one of the main aspects of being a docent. Interacting with all age groups keeps you on your toes!
Why CNC?
CNC has been in operation for almost 50 years now and has grown with the community. The people here are professionals, generous with their knowledge, and fun to be around! This is an impressive docent program that gives one the flexibility to work within your own schedule.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Docent at CNC, check out our volunteer page and complete an application! Orientations are held twice a year and our next one is coming up soon in February 2023. We would love to welcome you to this rewarding opportunity to connect people with nature!
By Amy Meeker-Taylor, Member and Visitor Engagement Manager
Are you looking for ways to make your holiday a little green? Parties and celebrations are a fantastic way to reconnect and reflect on the past year. With minimal effort, your celebrations and gift giving can model sustainable practices for your guests. Check out these tips for creating a green holiday.
Green Gifting
Give experiences instead of material things. A CNC Membership makes a great gift and includes a year of adventure and learning in nature.
Donate money or other resources to a non-profit in a loved one’s name. The Chattahoochee Nature Center maintains an Amazon Wish List all year round. If you prefer to shop in person, check out the Wish Tree in our Nature Store. It’s filled with wish list items from all our departments.
Give gifts that help others keep it clean. Stainless steel water bottles, reusable straws, and cloth shopping bags are great ways to help someone take steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle and many of these items can be purchased in our Nature Store. If you are crafty, you can make reusable utensil rollsto make it easier to ditch single-use plastic silverware.
Use reusable materials to wrap gifts. Personalized Santa sacks work for younger kids and eliminate excess waste. Older kids and adults appreciate gifts presented in reusable bags or totes.
Sustainable Celebrations
Skip the disposables! If you do not have enough tableware, ask friends and relatives to lend you some. If your extended family regularly hosts large celebrations, purchase an inexpensive set (or find one at a resale shop) to share and reuse. If disposables are the only option, look for biodegradable alternatives.
Use natural items in your decorating. A table scattered with pinecones or acorns can be just as inviting as glitter or sequins.
Serve as much locally sourced, sustainable food as possible.
Cleaning your “Clean Up”
Involve the whole family in sorting things that can be reused or recycled. Plastic food containers can be reused for storage. Greeting cards can be saved for craft projects. Cardboard shipping boxes can be saved and reused or broken down and recycled.
When it’s time to take down your Christmas tree, don’t just put it on the curb (unless your municipality collects them for mulch). Chop it up to use for firewood or mulch. Click here to learn more about what you can do with your tree and to learn how Christmas trees are being used in habitat restoration projects!
Have lights that no longer work? Switching to LEDs? Don’t just throw out your old lights. They contain valuable materials that can be reused. Working lights can be donated to an organization like Goodwill. Some local municipalities may collect non-working lights for processing but they can also be shipped to HolidayLEDs. Check with your friends and neighbors before shipping to save on shipping costs.
Cultural Kaleidoscope Partnership with Fulton County Schools
By Sam Leaf, Partnership & Outreach Specialist
One of the perks of working at CNC is that at any moment, I can leave my office, step outside, and be immersed in nature. This includes not only the sights of nature but the sounds as well. You can enjoy the sounds of a hawk soaring in the sky, a chorus of frogs in our ponds, or the many melodies of songbirds in our trees. But there is one sound that can top all of those, the sound of a yellow school bus pulling into our parking lot. Throughout the fall season, I have been able to sharpen my bus listening skills to the point where I can now discern a school bus from a lumbering garbage truck or even a hasty delivery truck from inside my office. I owe this heightened awareness to a wonderful partnership with Fulton County Schools that has kept the buses coming day after day.
This fall, CNC partnered with Fulton County Schools to participate in the first year of the Cultural Kaleidoscope program, a component of the Bridge to Success/Expanded Programs Option for Fulton County Schools. The vision of Cultural Kaleidoscope is to enrich students’ educational experiences beyond the classroom and support enhanced field trip opportunities that are Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) based. The program offers a field trip opportunity for students in each grade level: CNC was selected as the field trip site for Fulton County second graders. The experience comes at no cost to the schools or students and is generously supported by Fulton County Arts and Culture.
From September to mid-November, CNC hosted 59 schools and approximately 6,000 second graders. As part of the experience, students participated in our Creek and Cherokee program, led by our team of staff naturalists. Students explored our trails to investigate how the Creek and Cherokee obtained food, clothing, shelter, and medicine from their natural environment. They learned about the importance of the Chattahoochee River and how it influenced the lives of the Creek and Cherokee. Additionally, they were challenged to think about how the Creek and Cherokee viewed nature and discussed ways they could live in harmony with nature and the environment in their lives.
CNC is proud to provide an out-of-classroom experience and to share nature with so many students. And we are incredibly grateful for partnerships, like Cultural Kaleidoscope, that help extend our reach throughout the Atlanta metro area. Up next, the buses will continue to boisterously roll in all winter long, as we welcome approximately 4,000 first grade students as part of our partnership with Atlanta Public Schools and the Cultural Experience Project.
The morning routine was underway in a windowless Brookview Elementary School classroom where strands of twinkle lights provided a soft glow. Then, the teacher announced it was time to line up.
Excitement bubbled as second graders at the Fulton County school stowed away science notebooks and waited in an increasingly boisterous cafeteria for buses to take them on the year’s first field trip. Their destination: The Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell, an hour-long drive north from the East Point school.
By Heather Buckner, Elizabeth Florio, Josh Green, Betsy Riley, Xavier Stevens, Lucinda Warnke, Kamille Whittaker, and Sam Worley
Discover 50 Ways to Play Outside in Atlanta and Beyond. One of the best ways is to explore the River Boardwalk trail. This spring, the Chattahoochee Nature Center opened its renovated 2,000-foot boardwalk along the Chattahoochee River. The most exciting part is the new, ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge over Willeo Road, which at long last connects the center to its river campus across the street.
Most years, Chattanooga wildlife rehabilitator Juniper Russo treats up to two box turtles suffering from upper respiratory infections. Since March of this year, she’s treated 22 turtles from the Chattanooga area with eye and ear infections at her wildlife rescue facility, For Fox Sake. She said when turtles are deficient in vitamin A, they develop inflammation in their eyes and especially in their ears, which can cause abscesses.
Talk about the tangled webs we weave. Those fake spiderwebs that give your house a creepy Halloween feel are even scarier than you might think for wildlife, because they can be a literal death trap.
Much like real spiderwebs trap insects, those fake ones do too. And it’s not just teeny, tiny insects that can get caught in the sticky strings. Birds can get entangled in the fake webs, and so can any small animals that are not strong enough to break free, Treehugger reports.
By Alicia Thompson, Senior Director of Learning and Engagement
On July 30, CNC was recognized at the Georgia Forestry Association’s annual conference with the Evergreen Award. The Award serves to recognize both the partnership between our organizations, as well as the talent and dedication of CNC staff to sharing the love of forests. CNC’s education staff has a true passion for interpreting the importance of Georgia’s forests. We are grateful to be able to pair CNC’s unique outdoor learning opportunities with all that Georgia Forestry Foundation (GFF) brings to our curriculum.
Since 2017 CNC and GFF have partnered to bring forest ecology and forest career education to thousands of students in the metro Atlanta area. In part of our program, a simple exercise allows students to reflect on what they’ve learned. Before we begin, 3rd-grade students are asked to draw or write about a Georgia forest. We get a tree, flower, maybe a cloud, perhaps a tiger, some may even use the word ‘scary’…
After our multi-part series, students are again asked to draw a forest – and their forests explode into true ecosystems! Where there was once a simple line under a tree to represent the ground now includes sketches underneath that line – the ground is filled with roots, soil, biotic and abiotic…the sun shines above their forest, they include native animals, fire, biodiversity, some even write the word ‘peaceful’…
We’ve also partnered with GFF as part of Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside program, providing foundational outdoor experiences for underserved youth during the summer and servings campers from both Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta and City of Atlanta’s Camp Best Friends. The Thrive Outside Atlanta Community is led by the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance together with a diverse network of partners in West Atlanta and along the Chattahoochee River. This summer, students visited CNC over 7 dates. One of our partners at the Boys and Girls Club recently shared “Parents are so thrilled that you all provide these recreational opportunities that enhance the kids’ summers. To get on a fancy charter bus and travel, to go out and hike, get out in nature, see the river, for these kids it’s been awesome.”
CNC thanks the GFF staff and board members who have supported our partnership through the years. We are proud to receive the Evergreen Award and are fired up for the school year ahead!
By Alicia Thompson, Senior Director of Learning and Engagement
Chattahoochee Nature Center’s multi-faceted partnership with Fulton County serves to support the center in many ways, one of which is to help connect Fulton County residents with nature. This summer, CNC worked closely with a few distinct groups in the county and served over 1,000 residents in these programs during Summer 2022. CNC is so very grateful for the longstanding support from Fulton County that allows CNC to reach thousands of individuals each year. Below are a few highlights from Fulton County supported summer programs and partnerships.
Los Niños Primero
The mission of Los Niños Primero is Empowering Latino students and their families from early childhood to college through holistic academic, leadership, and community programs. Working under the summer theme of “Cultivating kindness and gratitude”, CNC provided nature programs for students aging 3-8 years old. At the start of the summer, Los Niños Primero instructors met at CNC for a day of training and learning CNC’s 127 acres. As part of the program’s summer calendar, students experienced a guided nature program at CNC at the start of the summer program, and then returned to CNC toward the end of the program with their class to again experience CNC as an ‘outdoor classroom’. Los Niños Primero instructors were encouraged to use the outdoor setting to teach and to share lessons while immersed in nature. These programs provided almost 700 experiences for students during June and July.
CNC and Los Niños Primero also teamed up in July to host a Mayor’s Summer Reading Club event at the Ben Brady Lakeside Pavilion for the 2nd year in a row for 150 parents and children. As stated on the MSRC website, The Mayor’s Summer Reading Club (MSRC) is a program for children ages birth to five and their families that takes place in various locations throughout the City of Atlanta each summer. Every year, we announce a city-wide book choice for infants and children ages 2-5 to share with their families. We work with direct service programs to distribute copies of the books at no cost to children, and we encourage schools and early education programs to introduce the story and distribute the books to children they serve.
Throughout the summer, institutions in Atlanta hold “book club reads” to model research-based methods of reading books with children and host enrichment events based upon the stories. The books come to life as children enjoy arts and crafts activities, drama exercises, and other hands-on activities designed to make the language in the stories meaningful to children. This summer’s book for 3 to 5-year-olds is another collaboration between GEEARS’ Mayor’s Summer Reading Club, the Alliance Theatre, and the Atlanta Speech School, funded by our partners at PNC. The book, Atlanta, My Home, is written by local author Breanna J. McDaniel, and again illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.
Families and children enjoyed a Spanish-language animal encounter delivered by bilingual CNC Docent Frank Viera, as well as a magic show, and storybook reading with staff from the Alliance Theatre.
Los Niños Primero students enjoying storytime and an animal encounter at CNC this summer
Fulton County Libraries
CNC partnered with seven Fulton County libraries in the south district of the county to share our outreach programs with library patrons. This summer’s theme was “Oceans of Possibilities” and CNC naturalist shared live animals and interpretive environmental education. The photos say it all!
Students investigating owl pellets at a Fulton County Library program
Office of the Fulton County District Attorney
The Office of the Fulton County District Attorney is the largest and busiest prosecutor’s office in Georgia, led by Fani T. Willis, the first woman District Attorney for Fulton County. The Youth Program serves 6th to 9th graders attending Fulton County public schools that have been identified as high-crime/gang activity risk. The students meet weekly and are exposed to various components of the criminal justice system. According to Natalie Zellner, Deputy District Attorney – Programs, Grants, and Intergovernmental Relations, “The idea to incorporate the Center into Camp started with DA saying that everyone must learn tools to cope with fear and anxiety and nature is the best tool to do that.” CNC Hosted almost 100 students over the course of the summer.
Program students journaling at the top of the bridge on the River Boardwalk Trail
“We are so thankful for your partnership. Each week, many of the youth told Madame DA that the Chattahoochee Nature Center was their favorite part of the week!
Additionally, the engagement from the CNC Board and staff was phenomenal. We based our program on a youth program started in Los Angeles that has a pillar adult sharing their career path, hurdles overcome and long-term reward to contrast with the short term, fast money gains of crime. If we change the course of two youth a week, it’s worth it!
One group of over 100 students that visited CNC throughout the summer
Going forward, Fulton County Schools has asked the DA’s office to continue our partnership and create an in-school program for at risk youth in target middle and high schools in South Fulton. Superintendent Looney is really focused on redirecting these youth and helping them. Right now, many schools are beyond capacity and these youth really require more attention. The Center’s existing programs are a great fit for these youth.”
CNC looks forward to continuing to grow this partnership to help students connect with and tap into the physical and mental health benefits that nature has to offer.
Fulton County Community Services Program CAMP KINGFISHER
Fulton County selected CNC as one of several Community Services Program providers, where CNC partnered with STARHouse and Los Niños Primero to offer 100% scholarship-funded camp experiences for children who would not have traditionally been able to participate in Camp Kingfisher. Campers were fully immersed in the Camp K day, including canoeing, archery, science and art, hiking, and so much more.
Part traditional outdoor camp and part hands-on nature education, Camp Kingfisher offers something for everyone. Our goal is to provide a welcoming environment where campers connect to nature and each other. Outdoor adventuring and learning abound on CNC’s 127 incredible acres.
Camp Kingfisher provides a unique opportunity to connect to the outdoors, make strides in personal growth, and increase self-confidence. Through a combination of nature-based activities, outdoor play, a supportive community, and educators who teach to every learning style our campers are guided along the “growing-up” process. Our goal is to increase the children’s awareness of the world around them, nurture an interest in science and nature study, foster a sense of belonging and help every child understand and reach their full potential.
CNC is proud of the partnerships it has formed with Fulton County and looks forward to continuing to connect people with nature.
We have been experiencing a lot of summer storms lately. We know how rain affects us but have you ever wondered how rain affects wildlife? We talked to Wildlife Director, Kathryn Dudeck to find out some ways that the rain affects wildlife.
Nocturnal animals such as raccoons, opossums, and coyotes are seen more commonly during the day if it has been consistently raining the night before. Because prey (rabbits, rats, mice, etc.) does not often come out in the rain, the predators don’t come out to hunt. Once the rains clear, no matter what time of day or night, the animals will all come to forage and feed. This is similar to humans making a late-night run to the grocery store.
While some animals such as frogs and toads relish the rains (and in some cases are triggered by rainfall to mate), others such as songbirds and raptors usually lie low. The feathers of these birds weigh more than their skeleton so if they get drenched, they are unable to fly. Even some of our long-time resident raptors at CNC will not eat when it rains, despite having covered areas in their enclosures.
For large migratory species like Sandhill Cranes who navigate hundreds of miles each day, storms and their accompanying winds can blow them off course. Therefore, these birds find suitable wetlands, a pond, or a lake and wait it out until the weather improves. An additional plus to this tactic is that they are often able to ride the thermals behind the storm so they won’t have to extend as much energy as they would in calm air. You can find out more about Sandhill Cranes and their migration habits here.
The steady rains we can experience at times may be a bit depressing for some of us, but smaller migratory waterbirds like rails and wood ducks love it! The wetlands are recharged and full, allowing for numerous stop-overs for resting, foraging, and feeding.
