Georgia Raiford began planting flowers at her Sandersville home — about 30 miles east of Milledgeville — in 2014. She said she always felt like “you should have some fresh flowers in your house if you could.” Then she noticed they attracted butterflies.
A mom-to-be deserves a well-thought-out baby shower where she can kick back, relax and enjoy the party. Am I right?! And since you won’t want to throw your bestie just any ordinary baby shower — you’ve come to the right place!
All around Atlanta you’ll find fabulous places to host her baby shower that will suit her personal style.
Throughout metro Atlanta, nature centers provide the whimsey, education, and pure fun of being out in nature. Whether through field trips, special events or just informative and interactive exhibits, metro area nature centers are an oasis of learning and fun that celebrate the mysteries and joy of the outdoors.
As we reach National Volunteer Week 2022, we wanted to take the time to thank all of our dedicated volunteers who help keep CNC afloat. Our volunteers make it possible for us to have wonderful exhibits, care for our animals, give back to the community, and provide camp support, programs, and learning opportunities for all ages. Throughout the week, we will be recognizing different volunteer groups at CNC.
The first volunteer group we wanted to recognize is our Master Gardeners, who are an amazing team led by Cheryle Kerr and Mike Sumpter.
The opportunity for social interactions, to meet and make new friends with an element of surprise and delight as familiar plants come back up in springtime as well as the ones we forgot we planted. This is the driving force that brings a team of Master Gardeners to CNC weekly to maintain the Butterfly Gardens.
They say the constant flow of opportunities to learn more about “all things nature” as they work together at CNC can’t be beaten and they’ve been busy here since 2002! One member of this energetic group was the first-ever recruit to volunteer with Horticulture at CNC back 26 years ago – Go Sally Griffith!
There’s always something to work on and someone to work with in the Butterfly Garden. The nature center is thankful for their help with the hardscape too. You can also find the Master Gardener team at our Spring and Fall native plant sales too after working tirelessly in the days prior to set us all up for success.
Collectively this group is fulfilling a mission statement that includes continuing education and they’re simultaneously satisfying personal ambition as they go beyond garden maintenance. “This is more than gardening,” says one volunteer and the others agree while pulling weeds. Everyone agrees that seeing how the native Georgia plants we are growing fit in with the bugs and birds around us is a highlight. Creating a beautiful garden to inspire and delight CNC visitors is a side benefit!
In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week, we have been recognizing our volunteers and all of the great work that they do at CNC. Today we wanted to highlight the Unity Garden volunteers.
The Unity Garden provides a necessary service in its production and donation of fresh, healthy produce to members of our surrounding community through North Fulton Community Charities. The Unity Garden has supplied over 10 tons of produce since it began! In this article, Jacqueline McRae, Grounds Manager and Horticulturalist provide some insight into what being a Unity Garden volunteer is all about and how it benefits our community.
Big smiles as a longtime volunteer exclaimed “I just harvested my first ever cabbages!”.
This group of volunteers treasures their time working in the Unity Garden. They unanimously agree that nobody should go hungry and they are more than happy to give up a couple of hours a week to help with weeding, planting, and harvesting.
When asked why they volunteer with us they gave a million good reasons, including but not limited to:
“This is where I get my gardening fix”
“I needed to get out”
“I can’t wait to see the phenomenal summer harvest”
“The celebrity status when I arrive at the Foodbank with the produce we grew”.
One volunteer who was a former teacher shared that it is rewarding to see the visiting children get excited about the vegetable garden and to see their faces when they learn where the food is going. Opportunity abounds for learning and teaching as well as for getting dirt under your fingernails, which may not be possible at home.
These volunteers are proud of the super fresh food that is picked in the morning and on a dinner table by evening. Camaraderie is high on the list of reasons to be cheerful about volunteering, even in the hot summers and cold winter months.
We would like to thank the Unity Garden volunteers including those new to gardening and the seasoned gardeners for keeping the Unity Garden productive, tidy, educational, fun, and weed-free. The volunteers share a true sense of purpose and for some in retirement, a renewed sense of belonging to a meaningful and dedicated group.
New ADA accessible Boardwalk River Trail, ramp, and canoe launch
There is greater access to the river for populations with varying abilities on our new and improved River Boardwalk Trail which includes a new ADA accessible boardwalk and ramp as well as a canoe launch that is open for all to enjoy! We asked Rick Hirsekorn, Board Trustee and Project Manager, and Alicia Thompson, Senior Director of Learning and Engagement to fill us in on how accessibility is improved on the boardwalk, ramp, and canoe launch.
On the north side of Willeo Road, beginning at the Ben Brady Pavilion and proceeding towards the Pedestrian Bridge, the ramped slopes between 1:20 (5%) and 1:12 (8.33%) and have level 5‘ wide landings at no more than 30’ ramp run intervals. The remainder of the ramp leading up to the bridge is less than a 1:20 (5%) slope, so no need for any landings!
On the south side of Willeo Road, the ramp section immediately south of the Pedestrian Bridge (between the Pedestrian Bridge and the overlook platform) is greater than 1:20 (5%) slope but less than 30’ in length, and the Overlook Platform serves as a landing. From the Overlook Platform down to the boardwalk, the slope is less than 1:20 (5%), so there is no need for any landings.
Our supplementary ramp adjacent to and south of the Ben Brady Pavilion is NOT ADA-compliant, due to the slope of the concrete entrance ramp, and is to be utilized when not accessing the ramp from the Ben Brady Pavilion. The ADA-accessible concrete ramp from the area adjacent to the drinking fountain up to the pavilion is the beginning of our ADA-accessible path. One then enters the ramp to the bridge at the corner of the Ben Brady Pavilion and the pathway is then ADA-accessible all the way up to and across the bridge and then down to the boardwalk. The boardwalk itself is less than 1:20 (5%) slope at any point and so is ADA-accessible in its entirety.
On the riverfront side of the River Boardwalk Trail, CNC hosts a private canoe launch where all CNC river adventures begin. The updated, ADA-inspired accessible canoe launch features a deck from which all guests access the river. A wide ramp with grab bars allows canoes to slide into the river without having guests walk in the wetland mud. Should a guest have mobility issues or use a wheelchair, the ramp includes a transfer bench. The bench is designed to allow for ease of movement from a seated position down into a canoe. Guests use the overhead grab bar and ease themselves across 3 low steps and down into a canoe.
To exit the river, a mechanical winch provides an easy way to pull guests with limited mobility up the ramp and back to the main deck. We can’t wait for you to explore the new River Boardwalk Trail!
Volunteers work hard to provide service to the community and help make a difference in society’s many challenges. CNC is especially grateful to our many volunteers who help keep us going all through the year. They do it all by creating programs, assisting visitors, wearing costumes, mailing envelopes, tending to campers, leading hikes, and growing healthy food. During National Volunteer Week, April 17-23, we want to celebrate and honor the volunteers that give their time and talents to CNC!
In this volunteer spotlight, we would like to focus on our volunteers in the education department. Christie Hill, Naturalist Manager at CNC gave rave reviews for her volunteers, Lauren and Anna.
Read on to find out Christie’s thoughts on her talented volunteers.
Lauren and Anna have been amazing additions to our Education Team this school year! I have continued to be impressed by their innovation and commitment to sustainability. These young environmentalists are not just thinking or talking about these weighty concepts, but their chosen lifestyles make them role models for their peers.
Lauren is thoughtful, determined, and takes on any project with quiet fervor. She has researched many areas of consumerism and choices we could be making in our daily lives. She is up to date on the current best practices in recycling and has given us a game plan for improving our methods.
Anna has her own sandwich-making business to support needy communities. She is passionate about marine ecology, enjoys researching the wildlife here, and builds on her knowledge of sustainability for the earth and oceans.
It has been a pleasure to have their ideas and hopeful spirits here, in sync with the values of the Chattahoochee Nature Center.
Anna and Lauren have found their experiences as volunteers to be valuable and rewarding.
Find out how Lauren described her experience as a volunteer.
Spending every summer for the past decade at Camp Barney Medintz, an outdoor sleepaway camp in Cleveland, GA, provided me with many positive memories of nature. Free of phones and air conditioning, each summer I embarked on many adventures through the mountains – from creek hikes to a three-day hiking trip through the first stretch of the Appalachian trail to spending a full twenty-four hours alone on a campsite. These solidified my love of the outdoors. When I was thirteen, I had a counselor who came to every meal equipped with a metal bowl and cutlery, and she spent that entire summer spreading her passion for sustainability. Slowly but surely, the respect I had for her ignited my passion for the environment. I started to love nature not only for my memories of it but also for its tranquility and the safety it provided from the often-loud world; I started to question the overconsumption I had committed and the glutenous culture I had perpetuated; most importantly, I started a journey to save the environment, one small step at a time. Now, I am a senior in high school aspiring to further this mission through a career in Environmental Policy.
The logical first step for me was interning at CNC, so I could witness an organization that gets people to care about the environment. Interning at CNC has been my first time in a formal workplace, and I could not imagine a better first experience. I have experienced the workplace culture firsthand, introducing me to the inclusive, nature-focused environment the staff and volunteers create. I have learned about and interacted with the animals, plants, and ecosystems at CNC, while also exploring broader environmental concerns, like plastics, recycling, and pollution. Beyond this, I now understand the myriad of paths that brought the staff members and volunteers to CNC, their similar passions for the environment and educating others about it, and a variety of professional and life skills. This internship, which started as a method for cultivating my sustainability passion in a real-world setting, has equipped me with new knowledge and values that I know I will carry into my future pursuits. I am so grateful for the well-informed, kind people with whom I have had the privilege of interacting, and I cannot wait to learn even more throughout the rest of my internship.
Now we will learn more about Anna and what led her to become a volunteer here.
As a senior at North Springs High School, I am involved in the National Honors Society, National Spanish Honors Society, the Talented and Gifted program, the Environmental Awareness Club, and I am the president of the Sandwich Club. The Sandwich Club is an extension of the nonprofit The Sandwich Project in which people from the metro Atlanta area make sandwiches for those in need of hearty meals. I also enjoy being on the varsity swim and tennis team! All my life, I have been so interested in the natural world, and in recent years I have become interested in the concept of conservation and sustainability. The Chattahoochee Nature has been the perfect environment for me to explore my interests while also helping out with the nonprofit and giving back to the community! I get to learn about the different animals that we rehabilitate, work on programs for the scouts to learn about sustainability, and overall just be surrounded by people who focus on our local environment! It has been the best experience and I plan to continue learning about these topics at the University Of Georgia next year while I major in Environmental Economics and Management!
Thank you Lauren and Anna for giving so much to CNC and we cannot wait to celebrate your successes in life!
ROSWELL, Ga. — The Chattahoochee Nature Center held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting March 15 for its newly restored 2,000-foot River Boardwalk Trail and Connection Bridge.
Chattahoochee Nature Center staff, Roswell City Council members, and countless others attended the event to see the project first-hand.
Last week, the folks with the Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC), Fulton County officials, and residents gathered to unveil the Center’s new connection bridge and revamped River Boardwalk Trail.
Park-goers will notice one improvement pretty immediately — a new pedestrian bridge directly connecting the CNC main campus to the River Boardwalk Trail, rather than crossing Willeo Road when accessing the riverside.
ROSWELL, Ga. – Staffers at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell say their goal has always been to connect people with nature. Now, that connection is more literal than ever, thanks to the addition of some exciting new infrastructure.
This morning, the team at the Chattahoochee Nature Center is celebrating the grand opening of a new river boardwalk trail and connection bridge with a special ceremony and ribbon cutting.