, Author at Chattahoochee Nature Center

About Tracy Begley

Posts by Tracy Begley:

Connecting with the Chattahoochee River

A Journey Down an Amazing River

Written by Larry Strott, Canoe Coordinator at the CNC
June 15, 2020

The Chattahoochee River starts as a small spring trickling out of an Appalachian Mountain hillside called Jack’s Knob, located about 10 miles north of Helen in Chattahoochee Gap. The tiny pool formed as water flows out of the ground is inhabited by tiny fish. The spring is also recorded as a reliable water source for hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Right from its modest start, the Chattahoochee River supports both natural and human lives. The water follows gravity down the mountain, across the state of Georgia, and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico about 550 miles south. Hundreds of tributaries make up the watershed that converges into the Chattahoochee River until it becomes large enough to support the needs of millions of people in 3 states. If you live in the vicinity of the Chattahoochee, there is a very good chance that the 60% of your body that is made of water, is in fact, Chattahoochee River water. The river is literally our life blood.

The transformation from the small trickle in the north Georgia mountains, to the beautiful river that flows past the Chattahoochee Nature Center, happens over many miles, growing in size from the many smaller tributaries along the way. The Chattahoochee Nature Center’s transformation from its own modest grassroots beginning back in 1976, to today’s 127-acre facility that touches the lives of more than 130,000 people each year, happened over many decades, thanks to thousands of members, sponsors, and volunteers, building a strong foundation. The river brings life-giving water to nourish our bodies and the Chattahoochee Nature Center provides unique natural experiences to enrich our minds. The Chattahoochee Nature Center Canoe Programs allow people to experience the natural world of the Chattahoochee River up close. In 2019 we had over 900 participants join us on the water through the CNC canoe programs!

Like many people here in Atlanta, the Chattahoochee Nature Center brought me together with the Chattahoochee River as a child back in 1979, when I took a canoe class on Kingfisher Pond. A decade later, still as a young man, I took a naturalist class at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. By this time, I had explored nearly every inch of Bull Sluice Lake in my canoe. My wife and I had our first date at Island Ford, sitting on a rock overlooking the river. We married on the same spot, and after which, I paddled my new bride 3 miles downriver to the Roswell River Landing where we held our reception. Not too many years later we would bring our own children back to the Chattahoochee Nature Center to let them start on their own path of natural discovery. Now I have come full circle and returned to the river and the Chattahoochee Nature Center, as a Canoe Guide. My journey with the Chattahoochee Nature Center has taken me down our amazing river for over 40 years. It has shown that the Chattahoochee Nature Center is not a resource just for children, but an invaluable source of natural experiences for all ages.

How to Invite Butterflies to Your Garden & Help Pollination

Planning is needed to invite pollinators

Edited by Henning von Schmeling, Senior Director of Operations
June 12, 2020

We have all heard the stories of bees and other insects dying out in large numbers. It’s a mysterious phenomenon, however our buzzing friends are not the only ones facing difficulties in populations.

Pollinators of all kinds – including bees and butterflies – are relied upon heavily in the plant world to, well, pollinate. The relationship between pollinators and flowers is one that most people understand. Butterflies rely on nectar, the sweet liquid found hidden within flowers. As a butterfly lands and sips nectar it unintentionally picks up pollen. By doing that it does the flower a favor by moving its pollen around the garden and ensuring another generation of blooms. While a butterfly may visit a variety of flowers for nourishment, they look for specific plants – called “host plants” – on which to lay eggs. A caterpillar is choosy; it will not munch the leaves of just any plant.

One famous example is the milkweed species of plant. Monarch Butterflies, those bright orange and black butterflies, will only lay their eggs on milkweed, making it essential to their survival. However, if the milkweed is not present when the Monarchs make their annual migration to Mexico, they cannot breed. Likewise, the Tiger Swallowtail, Georgia’s state butterfly, looks for tulip poplar trees, on which to lay their eggs.

Henning von Schmeling, with the Chattahoochee Nature Center, said planning is needed to invite pollinators into a garden.

“Everybody always says that you have to plant flowers since adult butterflies eat nectar, but you won’t raise butterflies unless you have the specific host plants that each species of adult butterfly needs to lay their eggs on,” said von Schmeling.

Even if you live in a subdivision where there are covenants with strict landscaping guidelines, von Schmeling suggests locating a section in the back for a natural garden. Butterflies are repelled, and often endangered, by herbicides and pesticides. They prefer overgrown areas, especially with native plants and flowers of the host and nectar plants they prefer and where they can lay their eggs where the caterpillars will thrive.

Protecting raptors and other wildlife near roads

Think about the food chain all around us

Written by Christie Hill, Naturalist Coordinator
June 9, 2020

It seems like we have come a long way since people casually tossed trash from cars. However, now that we understand more about what things are biodegradable we are prone to think less of tossing an apple core, banana peel, or french fry out of our moving vehicle.

Please don’t!

Think about the food chain all around us. Small mammals feed many of our snakes and raptors and even the insects feed amphibians, other reptiles, and songbirds.

Where can you find these small animals? Anywhere they can find food.

Hopefully we find all of these animals somewhere in our own habitats, to reveal that we live in a healthy ecosystem. Rodents, opossums, raccoons and many animals especially love people scraps, but we don’t want to encourage them to depend on us for food. Also, anytime they wander close to a road to find food there is a danger that they may be hit by a vehicle.

Raptors also depend on those animals for their prey. These birds typically do not hesitate to cross a road to capture a moving animal and are unaware of what is coming.

This is just one more small way we can help to protect the wildlife who share the areas around us.

>> If you suspect an animal is injured, you can call the CNC Wildlife Department at 770-992-2055, press 4. You may also visit AHNow.org to locate a licensed rehabilitator in your area. The Animal Help Now website and phone app covers the entire country so it is handy when travelling.

Other Resources:
How to assist wildlife and if it is needed

Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Wildlife Department

CNC’s Wildlife Department Facebook Page

What to do if you find a baby animal – Part 1

What to do if you find a baby animal – Part 2

Moving turtles safely across roads

What to do if you see a turtle on the road

Written by Christie Hill, Naturalist Coordinator and Kathryn Dudeck, Wildlife Director
June 9, 2020

Turtles are amazing animal ambassadors at the Chattahoochee Nature Center and in their honor we wanted to share what to do if you see a turtle trying to cross a road. The Wildlife Department at the Chattahoochee Nature Center saw 250 rehabilitation cases for turtles in 2019.

Turtles are often seen crossing roads as they move within their home range. It is best to not interfere with their progress, but if you see a turtle crossing the road what should you do?

Always make sure you pull over safely.
Pick up the turtle with 2 hands to support the top and bottom shells.
Move the turtle in the direction it is heading and well off the road. If you move the turtle to where it started, it will most likely turn around and cross the same road.
Wash your hands at the first opportunity.

Notes:

>> Do not remove a turtle from the area you found it. Many have excellent homing instincts and will try to return to their territory.

>>Do not attempt to pick up a snapping turtle. They, like other aquatic turtles, will often travel away from water to lay eggs or find new habitat. Using your car’s floor mat, they will often bite it and you can gently drag them in the direction they are facing.

>> If you suspect the turtle is injured, you can call the CNC Wildlife Department at 770-992-2055, press 4. You may also visit AHNow.org to locate a licensed reptile rehabilitator in your area. The Animal Help Now website and phone app covers the entire country so it is handy when travelling.

Other Resources:
How to assist wildlife and if it is needed

Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Wildlife Department

CNC’s Wildlife Department Facebook Page

What to do if you find a baby animal – Part 1

What to do if you find a baby animal – Part 2

The Unity Garden continues to provide fresh produce for local food bank

Unity Garden staff work hard to maintain garden without volunteer support

By Tracy Begley, Website and Marketing Specialist, and Julie Hollingsworth-Hogg, Horticulture Manager

As CNC begins the process of reopening to the public, we are happy to have visitors back on the property. There were too many quiet days, and we have enjoyed hearing kids laughing and enjoying the grounds the past week. The ticketing and reservation system, plus operational changes, will allow us to provide an outdoor, natural area for our guests to enjoy and also feel like we are taking their health and safety into consideration.

During our closure we still had many things happening around the property. The Operations Department worked hard on improvement projects, such as replacing decking and painting all of the metal railings. The Wildlife Department is providing care for the 100 resident animals that you see on exhibit, and those used for educational purposes. The Horticulture Department is still maintaining the native gardens and greenhouses, and the Unity Garden continues to provide fresh produce to the North Fulton Community Charities on a weekly basis.

Operations at the CNC has 3 departments – Maintenance, Horticulture, and Wildlife, and all 3 departments rely upon weekly volunteers to help with various tasks that support our mission at the nature center.

The Unity Garden has a group of dedicated volunteers that show up each week to help plant, weed, and harvest the 1/4 acre garden. In 2019 the horticulture department, which includes the Unity Garden, had 504 volunteers that provided 4,300 hours. The support of volunteers has been missed greatly. The largest obstacle over the last few months in the Unity Garden has been harvesting. It takes a considerable amount of time for Unity Garden Horticulturist, Christopher Horacek, to harvest alone each week, even with other horticulture staff helping him out.

I talked with Julie Hollingsworth-Hogg, Horticulture Manager, to find out what is currently happening in the Unity Garden.

What is being harvested right now?

The month of May will finish out the cool season crops. Lettuce, greens, carrots, and turnips will finish their growing and harvesting this month.

What is currently in the garden?

At this moment we still have lettuce, greens, carrots, turnips, radishes, and sugar snap peas, but the summer crops are going in. Tomatoes, peppers, carrots, green beans, eggplants, squash, and cucumbers have all been planted or will be going in soon.

How much has been harvested and donated to North Fulton Community Charities in 2020?

We have donated just over 1.5 tons of produce to North Fulton Community Charities to support their food bank for 2020. Last year we donated just over 4 tons. As you can imagine summer will produce larger harvests and donations, which is why it is so important right now to continue preparing the Unity Garden for summer crops even without the help of volunteers.

Just this last week Christopher took over 338 pounds of produce that included 5 varieties of lettuce, mustard greens, turnips, broccoli, and kale. North Fulton Community Charities is serving over 100 families right now. They supply food and personal needs and the families are very appreciative of the fresh produce, and the garden staff has planted specific crops to meet there preferences throughout the seasons.

Until we have volunteers return to the CNC the Horticulture Department and Unity Garden, staff will continue to take care of the garden and make sure that as the needs of families remain in Fulton County the Unity Garden at the Chattahoochee Nature Center will be there to provide fresh produce.

Want to learn more about the partnership between the Chattahoochee Nature Center and North Fulton Community Charities please visit the following:

CNC donates 340 lbs. to local food bank -April 15, 2020

CNC donates fresh produce to the NFCC food pantry – video

Partnering to Support the Communities of Atlanta to Thrive Outside

Download free app for scavenger hunt fun

By Kim Hakimian, Partnership Coordinator
May 22, 2020

For more than a year, the Chattahoochee Nature Center, The Trust for Public Land, Atlanta Audubon, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Trees Atlanta, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, and Greening Youth Foundation have been working together to get kids outdoors through The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Community initiative.

The Thrive Outside initiative is a multi-year grant awarded to diverse communities in order to create or strengthen partnerships between existing local organizations such as schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and nonprofit conservation and outdoor organizations that create repeat and reinforcing positive outdoor experiences for kids and families. The core goal of the Thrive Outside Community investments is to create healthy individuals, communities, and economies by making the outdoors a habit.

When COVID-19 forced the Thrive ATL partners at the YMCA and Boys & Girls Clubs to temporarily close their doors, we moved our programs on-line so that we could still reach their children. We are now making the programming available to everyone! We use the GooseChase App, available at the Mobile App Store, to share different challenges for young people to pursue. Every week, members of our network come up with dozens of engaging and educational challenges that get kids outside and into nature. Get GooseChase, access the Thrive Outside Atlanta channel, and let the games begin. It’s a fun, free way to get children from Atlanta and beyond to Thrive Outside.

How to join
1. Download the GooseChase iOS or Android app.
2. Choose to play as a guest, or register for a personal account with a username & password of your choice.
3. Search for and select the Thrive Create Challenge game, or search for game code VJ75P7.
4. Follow the prompts to select or create your player profile.

Complete Missions
To complete a mission, select it from the list and follow the instructions to receive the allotted points. Sometimes you’ll be submitting a photo or video, while other times you’ll be checking-in at a specific location or solving a puzzle or riddle. Missions change from game to game, but the fun and excitement will always be there.

Remember that while you receive the points right away, all submissions are subject to review by the organizer. Sometimes you’ll even get bonus points if your submission is extra impressive!

Achieve Glory
When time runs out, the game may be done, but the fun is definitely not over. That’s because Thrive ATL will still need to announce the final scores after they review the submissions.

As a final treat, Thrive ATL will often put together a slideshow of the best photos & videos. From our experience, this is often the best part and always results in non-stop laughter!

To learn more about Goosechase
https://www.goosechase.com/how-it-works/playing/

To learn more about Thrive ATL
https://outdoorindustry.org/participation/thrive-outside/thrive-outside-atlanta/

Georgians aid local nonprofits in time of need

#GivingTuesdayNow sees major donations

May 8, 2020 – NorthFulton.com, Appen Media Group
By Julia Grochowski

GEORGIA — The COVID-19 pandemic essentially severed many area nonprofits from their main sources of financial donations and volunteer’s support.

“The pandemic has been hard on the Chattahoochee Nature Center as two-thirds of our income is from earned revenue (ticket sales, program fees, rentals),” said Nature Center Senior Director of Development and Marketing DeAnn Fordham. “Closing to the public on March 17 devastated our operations.”

Click to view entire article

Kings of the Urban Jungle

The transition from backwoods to backyards

*The Eastern Kingsnake can often be distinguished by their black scales patterned with white or yellow chain-like bands*

By Samantha Kennett, Urban Kings Research Assistant and Previous CNC Wildlife Technician

When it comes to snakes, the National Wildlife Federation estimates at least 20% of the Georgia population carries a fear of snakes in some degree. If there is one snake species that people show a softer spot for, it is the harmless Eastern Kingsnake. Eastern Kingsnakes are Georgia native non-venomous snakes. Like many other snake species, Kingsnakes play a key role in managing rodent populations as your own natural form of pest control. But what Kingsnakes are really known for, and the reason they are called the “king,” is their ability and proclivity to prey on venomous snakes like rattlesnakes and copperheads. Though anything with a mouth can bite, Kingsnakes are general docile snakes not known to bite often.

Despite living in a wide range of areas across the Eastern United States, the Eastern Kingsnake has been going through a noticeable decline in population within the Florida and South Georgia areas of their range. According to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, one of the largest populations along their Savannah River site has almost entirely disappeared over the span of 20 years. However, this is not the case in the Metro-Atlanta area where Kingsnakes are spotted frequently and seem to be doing relatively well. It’s exciting to think that these snakes seem to have some survivability in urban environments, but what do these snakes need to survive? How much space do they need? What habitats within an urban setting are they utilizing? What might be limiting their survival? In future urban planning and development, how can we better coexist with wildlife and create livable habitats where they will not only survive, but thrive? These are just a few of the questions the Urban Kings Project is trying to answer.

In 2019, the Urban Kings Project, a citizen science endeavor, began working to understand just how these urban Kingsnakes seem to do so well in developed and developing urban landscapes. This research is focused on understanding how different levels of urban development are influencing Eastern Kingsnake movements, habitat use, health, and overall survival. Part of the goal is to create an evidence-based strategy to help future urban developers and planners create effective green space where wildlife can remain in areas with lots of people. To better understand how populations are changing over time, the researchers are creating a population distribution database filled with Kingsnake sightings reported by citizen scientists.

Being a citizen science project, there is a lot of community involvement. Though this project focuses on the survival and study of these incredible snakes, education and public outreach is another goal. Whether it’s working public community outreach programs or responding to Kingsnake house calls, the people behind this project work diligently to help community members understand the importance of Kingsnakes in their neighborhood. These outreach opportunities are pursued to encourage people to participate in reporting sightings, but also in hopes to alleviate some of those snake fears.

This project would not be possible without the continued support of community citizen scientists, and YOU can be one of them! To participate, please keep an eye out for your neighborhood Kingsnakes. If you see one:

Please call the Urban Kings Project immediately (Bryan Hudson 404-556-1863 or Samantha Kennett 678-315-2020). They need to examine the snakes to collect certain data, such as sex, weight, length, health screens, and to obtain a non-invasive DNA sample (clip a few belly scales, essentially the same thing as cutting your fingernails).
Keep an eye on the snake if possible until you have reached them on the phone.
Try to take a quick picture on your phone without disturbing the snake (trying to keep them from escaping before someone can respond).
And if you find a dead Kingsnake (road kill, cat/ dog kill, etc.) PLEASE collect the specimen by placing it in a few plastic bags. They can still gather lots of important data from these animals, so they do not go to waste! If you can’t collect the dead snake, please call the project immediately and they will try to get out to collect it before it disappears.

If you’re lucky enough to have a larger neighborhood Kingsnake, your snake might be a part of the movement aspect of the study. If the Kingsnake is a large enough individual, the partner team of veterinarians at the UGA veterinary school will implant a tiny radio transmitter just under the skin. This is a quick and easy procedure. The Kingsnake will then be released in the exact spot that it was found. This allows the researchers to follow the animal, which tells them what helps them survive in urban environments. This is the fun part, and the part that you can come out and observe.

We live in a time where it seems a new neighborhood is developing on every corner. As urban landscapes continue to expand, our choices in how to create them are more important than ever in how these actions will impact the world around us. Projects like this one help us take a step in the right direction for choices that support human-wildlife coexistence. For more information regarding the Urban Kings project or to report your Kingsnake sightings, please check out the project page here.

Bats in your backyard

It’s the perfect time of year to gather together on the back deck and watch for…bats! Often portrayed by media as blood-sucking and disease ridden pests, sometimes bats don’t always have the best reputation. What most people don’t realize though, is that bats are a great asset to any backyard. But why?

There are sixteen species of bats found in Georgia. All of these bats eat insects, including mosquitoes, stinkbugs, even moths and beetles that destroy your plants. Bats consume thousands of insects each night – pregnant and nursing females can eat their entire body weight. Can your tiki torch keep up with those numbers? Not only is this great news for us, but for farmers, too. Bats save upwards of one billion dollars each year for the agricultural industry in the United States. That means the more insects that bats eat, the less pesticides farmers need to use on crops!

Now that everyone is on board with the idea of bats in their backyard – how do you get them there? For starters, there are several species of bats that will roost together in tight spaces. For these bats, you can install a bat house in your backyard. For best results, make sure the bat house receives 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day, is installed 15-20 feet high, and is placed on a pole or the side of a building. Live trees are not the best location for bat houses as they typically receive less sunlight and make sleeping bats more vulnerable to predators. Additionally, you can garden for bats. Their favorite meals include moths and beetles; by planting flowers that bloom at night, you’ll help attract these larger insects and provide a nutritious meal for your backyard bats.

What about the guano (poop) or rabies bats may bring? Luckily for you, guano is a great fertilizer. Place a flower pot beneath your bat house and watch those flowers bloom! Talk about a mutualistic relationship. As far as rabies and bats go, you can rest assured that a very small percentage of bats have tested positive for rabies. That being said, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Don’t pick up a bat you see on the ground.

Bats face many threats every day, like White-Nosed Syndrome, pesticides, wind-mills, and habitat loss. You can help bats by limiting the use of pesticides and fertilizers in your yard, installing bat houses, and spreading the good word about bats to help combat fearful myths about them.

For more information on bats, join the Chattahoochee Nature Center on a Night Hike or visit a reliable website such as Bat Conservation International to learn more. Stay batty!