The newest crop of produce from the nature center’s Unity Garden — lettuces, kale, turnips — was dropped off April 3 at the food pantry of North Fulton Community Charities.
March 23, 2020- Saporta Report
By: David Pendered
The Chattahoochee Nature Center is conducting a capital campaign that is to be one of many gauges of the region’s philanthropic capacity as the economy responds to the pandemic of the coronavirus.
Across the state, non-profits such as the Madison-Morgan Conservancy are deferring fundraising events – including the conservancy’s only fundraiser of the year, a Kentucky Derby party. These non-profit managers are rethinking their balance sheets as contributions pledged in a better economy may not arrive.
The Chattahoochee Nature Center would not be able to care for its injured wildlife, educate thousands of schoolchildren, or hold exciting programming without community support. Recently, the community at Timber Ridge Elementary School, in Cobb County just down the road from CNC, showed CNC just how much they care for our work.
The students collected canned goods, gift cards, and more all to donate to CNC’s Wildlife Baby Shower, raising much needed funds for the wildlife department. The effort was organized by Michelle Bonsecour, whose children attend the school.
“This past year, I have made CNC a weekly (usually) trip with my son, William,” said Bonsecour. “When we saw the baby shower donation box on one of our rainy day visits, we knew we could help. We realized a lot of people only visit CNC once, and they were unlikely to bring canned goods with them, so we decided to take the fundraiser to Timber Ridge. Alison Dunford (Timber Ridge STEM teacher) was instrumental in letting us bring this to Timber Ridge.”
As a bonus, CNC had just received a large and generous donation of stuffed otters from the Roswell Rotary Club. Everyone who donated to the wildlife department during the month of February could take an otter home with them. For Bonsecour, these toys were a perfect fit for the school.
“The otters were a huge incentive for the kids, for sure, but we also made sure the kids were learning how close the center is and what you do every day,” she said. The school sold hundreds of the otters for donations.
“We personally LOVE going to CNC after school, no matter the weather, there is something to do and have fun while learning,” Bonseour said. “We absolutely don’t leave the center without having learned something new.”
As thanks for their donations, CNC paid a visit to the school, complete with CNC mascot, Kingfisher, and Sammy the Stork, the mascot of Northside Hospital, along with the entire Wildlife Department staff.
The need for donations and support at the Wildlife Department is constant. Over 600 injured animals come in every year and need food and medical supplies. To help out, click here.
ROSWELL, GA. – Visitors to the Chattahoochee Nature Center on February 29 played exciting baby-themed games, such as matching pictures of baby animals to their adults, or guess the animal scat in the diaper. Fun! The day was to support the CNC Wildlife Department’s efforts in rehabilitating injured animals. Check out some photos here.
All told, the Wildlife Department raised over $4,000 from community contributions throughout the month. Add in a dollar-for-dollar match from Northside Hospital and that number doubles. Donations included cash and gift cards, but also cans of wet cat food, bags of dry cat food, cans of various vegetables and bags of “Reptibark,” a reptile bedding. Also, plenty of bottles of laundry detergent.
The day was made possible thanks to a generous gift from Northside Hospital, which matched donations up to $5,000, all to go toward the Wildlife Department. Northside Hospital’s mascot, Sammy the Stork, also came to the event Feb. 29. As the nation’s largest provider of births in the nation, Northside was a perfect choice as partner on the day.
Students from nearby Timber Ridge Middle School also donated hundreds of canned goods and gift cards.
Kathryn Dudeck, CNC’s wildlife director, said she was pleased by the community support for the department.
“We had such an amazing turnout for this day all about wildlife,” said Dudeck. “Through the help of the visitors, donors, and sponsor Northside Hospital, the wildlife department will be well-stocked to help many injured raptors and reptiles this year.”
CN
C takes in hundreds of injured animals a year for rehab, with nearly 40 young birds of prey (raptors) and reptiles among them, and hundreds of calls a month from people who have found animals and are looking for advice. The majority of young raptor patients come in due to nest loss, such as from a storm or trees being cut down, and from good Samaritans who might not know when an animal is actually in need of help. Dudeck says it’s best to contact a local rehabber before attempting to “
rescue” any animal, especially babies.
With all three full time Wildlife Department staff members licensed for rehabilitation, CNC treats over 600 injured raptors and reptiles each year. If the animals can be released back into the wild, they will be; otherwise they may become resident animal ambassadors on CNC’s grounds for educational purposes. All resident animals at CNC are injured and non-releasable.
For more information about CNC’s wildlife department or to make donations, visit https://www.chattnaturecenter.org/visit/experience/wildlife/
For more information about CNC, visit www.chattnaturecenter.org.
For over 40 years, the Chattahoochee Nature Center prides itself on connecting metro Atlanta with nature, through education and experiences unlike anywhere else. Sitting on 127 wooded acres on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, CNC offers amazing access to this important water source through guided canoe trips on the river and a river boardwalk. CNC also forms connections in the wider community through animal encounters with rehabilitated wildlife, excitement on the new treetop zipline courses over our ponds, unique yearlong pollinator gardens, unparalleled family events, and more all year long.
To learn more about CNC, its mission and its programming, visit us online at www.chattnaturecenter.org.
ATLANTA, GA. – The Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC) and the Center for Puppetry Arts have partnered to present an exciting bat program to the Atlanta public.
CNC has provided its “Bats Incredible” program to the Center for Puppetry Arts to enhance educational opportunities around the world-premiere puppet show adaptation of the book Stellaluna by Janell Cannon. “Bats Incredible” is a traveling classroom filled with activities, information, and biofacts about the endangered Gray Bat. It has been used as springboard for an exciting, interactive learning activity in the Center for Puppetry Arts’ instructor-led Stellaluna Create-A-Puppet Workshops,™ inspiring students and teachers to be more aware of statewide habitat issues and opportunities for critical thinking relative to past, present, and future environmental actions, and connecting one of Georgia’s bats with the fruit bats in Stellaluna’s Africa.
“Kids can learn about bats and reduce some of the myths around bats,” said Emma Schell, Education Outreach Coordinator for CNC. “Bats are an important part of our environment but get such a bad reputation. The more we can educate people about bats, the healthier our ecosystem will be.”
CNC was approached by the Center for Puppetry Arts to coordinate on the program with the new show, “Stellaluna,” adding further education and activity to the event.
Stellaluna, the beloved book by Janell Cannon, is about a young fruit bat who finds herself dropped in a bird’s nest. This world premiere adaptation celebrates the self-discoveries and unlikely friendships that result. After falling unexpectedly into the middle of a bird family’s home, Stellaluna is graciously accepted as one of them—as long as she acts like a bird and doesn’t confuse her adoptive siblings – Flip, Flitter, and Flap. Stellaluna tries to adapt but finds herself doing all the wrong things. Lauded by the National Education Association as a “Teacher’s Top 100 Books for Children” Stellaluna explores how we can be so different yet feel so much the same.
“We’re happy to offer our fantastic traveling bat trunk program to the Center for Puppetry Arts as a part of their programming with the Stellaluna performance,” said DeAnn Fordham, Senior Director of Development and Marketing for CNC. “It’s a great example of two premier Atlanta educational institutions working together to educate in a fun and compelling way.”
“Stellaluna” runs January 21 through March 8 at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Click here for more info.
About the Chattahoochee Nature Center
With 127 acres of woodland along the river in Roswell, GA, the Chattahoochee Nature Center offers unparalleled access and opportunities to connect to nature. CNC provides a wide range of educational and conservation programs, such as wildlife rehabilitation, summer camps, and a community garden, teaching 40,000 students from more than 500 metro Atlanta schools to be good stewards of our natural resources. Learn more at www.chattnaturecenter.org.
About the Center for Puppetry Arts
The Center for Puppetry Arts is a unique cultural treasure — a magical place where children and adults are educated, enlightened and entertained. Since 1978, the Center has introduced millions of visitors to the wonder and art of puppetry and has touched the lives of many through enchanting performances, curriculum-based workshops, and the hands-on Museum, as well as Digital Learning and Outreach Programs. Learn more at puppet.org.
ROSWELL, GA – The Chattahoochee Nature Center was recently recognized by the Federal Highway Administration for efforts as part of building The Ray, “the sustainable road of the future.”
The director of horticulture for CNC, Henning von Schmeling, received the 2019 Environmental Excellence Award on behalf of CNC January 6. This award was given to CNC for its involvement in the pollinator habitat installation at the The Ray, in conjunction with the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and the Georgia Department of Transportation. The Ray is 18 miles of highway along I-85, near the Alabama border, billing itself as the sustainability highway of the future. As part of the project, von Schmeling and CNC joined with volunteers from Troup High School and Kia Motors in LaGrange, Ga., and the LaGrange visitor’s center, to plant two pollinator gardens. CNC grew the native pollinator plants that were planted in the gardens.
“The nature center is honored to be involved in this project, especially one of this size, magnitude, and success,” said von Schmeling. “Native pollinator plants make perfect sense for roadsides. They have deep roots and require little upkeep, prevent soil erosion, water pollution, and are drought resistant. And they provide food sources and homes to all kinds of insect pollinators such as bees and butterflies, while being beautiful to look at.”
Von Schmeling said this is the first pollinator garden along a Georgia highway.
December 20, 2019- 11 Alive
By Kaitlyn Ross, LaPorsche Thomas
Photo courtesy of Katie Newman
A Newnan family was in for a Christmas surprise when they found a live owl roosting in their tree.
Their 10-year-old daughter jumped when she saw what she thought was a Christmas ornament turn its head and look at her.
11Alive’s Kaitlyn Ross talked to the tech who delivered the owl back to its natural habitat. The wildlife technician told her that it would be easy to mistake one of these little owls for an ornament.
ROSWELL, GA. – Several local Girl Scouts have completed projects at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, enhancing the visitor experience.
Kyra Bard, Chloe Enderle, and Irene Palacios-Rodriguez of Troop 11763 selected CNC as the benefactor for their Silver Award Project. They created a Little Free Library inside CNC and filled it with books.
The girls designed, built, and decorated the library and sourced nature books for the initial collection. The library itself has a butterfly design, building off CNC’s efforts to support local butterflies and pollinators. 
The scouts have been together for the last nine years under the leadership of Michelle Bard, who also serves as the director of the Milton Service Unit. Together the scouts said they enjoyed the painting of the library and collecting the books. When asked if they had any advice for other scouts working toward their Silver Award, they said, “Don’t wait until the last minute, and be sure to plan ahead!” Do they have plans to earn their Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting? The answer was a resounding “Yes!”
The Silver Award is the highest award a Cadette (grades 6-8) scout can earn. Scouts are charged with identifying a need in their community, building a team of project members, selecting and developing the project, making plans and putting it in motion, and finally reflecting, sharing their story, and celebrating their success.
Similarly, a new ADA-compatible audio tour of the Watershed Gallery is available for public use thanks to a thoughtful scout.
The audio tour leads the visitor on an in-depth tour of the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s indoor museum, the Watershed Gallery. It educates visitors about the local watershed environment of the Chattahoochee River surrounding the nature center by leading them throughout the gallery’s many exhibits.
During the tour, the listener is informed about many different informative topics. For example, the visitor will learn about what makes a watershed and the myriad of flora and fauna that inhabit the ecosystems. One of the most important topics covered in the tour is why we must take responsibility for protecting and keeping the Chattahoochee River and its surrounding habitats clean.
The audio tour is ADA-compliant because it allows visually impaired visitors to the CNC to have equally fun and educational experiences. It does this by using specific locations and easy directions to help visitors navigate through the Watershed Gallery. It also uses descriptive language in order to describe each and every exhibit in detail.
Annie Hankamer, a Girl Scout Ambassador and senior at Alan C. Pope High School in Marietta, decided to take action after finding out that the Chattahoochee Nature Center did not have an ADA-compliant audio tour. For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Hankamer wrote, recorded, and edited the Watershed Gallery audio tour for the general public to use. She was also able to create an audio tour creation guide in the hopes that future scouts will continue her mission of providing the nature center with accessible, ADA-compliant audio tours.
“I wanted for everyone who visits the Chattahoochee Nature Center to have an equal opportunity to have fun and learn about nature,” said Hankamer. “In completing this project, I have discovered how to lead a team, be confident, solve difficult problems, but most importantly, discover a passion for making positive changes in my community.”
The Chattahoochee Nature Center values the projects done by scouts – both boy and girl scouts – throughout its 127 acres. Many of these projects help the visitor experience, connecting them with nature. For information on how to submit a scout project, click here.
ROSWELL, GA. – An international traveler recently came to the Chattahoochee Nature Center, in Roswell, Ga.. A Cope’s Gray Treefrog from Georgia went on a trip to Toronto, Canada, and back.
The treefrog was found by a truck driver from Sandersville, Georgia, near Milledgeville, who had crossed the border into Canada, arriving at Mississauga. The driver opened his truck to find the treefrog hopping about. He captured the wayward amphibian and turned it over to the Toronto Wildlife Centre, who identified it and sought a way to get it back home safely.
That’s where the Chattahoochee Nature Center comes in.
As a wildlife rehabilitation center specializing in amphibians (as well as raptor and reptiles), CNC was a perfect recipient of the tree frog. But being willing is one thing; actually transporting a little frog across state and national borders was tricky.
Kathryn Dudeck, CNC wildlife director, set about finding out how. For Dudeck, she had to get permission from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to bring the frog into the state.
“We have a good relationship with the DNR, so we were able to quickly get approval,” Dudeck said. She said she has never had an animal shipped internationally before. She worked with TWC to get the proper permits and papers approved to get the frog back home.
Three weeks after Dudeck received her approval, the Toronto Wildlife Centre informed her the frog was on its way back to Georgia, boarding a flight in New York for Atlanta, via a service just for animal transport, Reptile Express International. It took off June 18 and landed in Atlanta the next day, where he ended up at the Chattahoochee Nature Center.
Dudeck said the frog arrived safe and healthy after its travels and was returned home safely July 7.
