Wildlife Walk to be Unveiled This Weekend

Yes, it's Monday, and the weekend is a long way away, but the weather's supposed to be beautiful all through Saturday's big event at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road.

The new Wildlife Walk and Woodland Trail Experience will be unveiled, with a ribbon-cutting starting at 10:30 a.m. CNC senior director of community relations Lynn McIntyre has more, and asks that you RSVP to her at atl.mcintyre@chattnaturecenter.org. or call 770-992-2055 x 224:

Thanks to funding by The James M. Cox Foundation and R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation, CNC will now be able to provide visitors and metro area students a place to gain a deeper understanding, where they can develop a more personal connection to the Chattahoochee River watershed through our interpretive and directional signage.  

This unique outdoor exhibit was planned, developed, designed and written by our staff. The designs were then finalized, fabricated and installed by 1220 Exhibits of Nashville.

DeAnn Fordham, the Development Director at CNC said, “The Wildlife Walk and Woodland trails experiences are designed to help visitors understand the connection between the plants, animals, non-living elements and humans that make up the Chattahoochee River watershed. We are grateful to the James M. Cox Foundation and the R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation for making this new interpretive signage possible. It will help visitors learn new ways to be more positively involved in their watershed by rethinking, restoring, conserving and enjoying the land, animals and plants they see in our locale.”

Rebecca Gilbert, Director of Community Programs, added, “In addition to the interpretive signage on the Wildlife Walk and Woodland Trails, directional signage will encourage visitors to get out and explore the Center’s woodlands. Helping people to break through the barriers of the unknown and get outside and on the woodland trails encourages them to become connected with this often forgotten, but very important, component of the watershed.” 

Following the ribbon cutting, CNC will host a community program “Taking Flight with Wings to S.O.A.R.” (Save Our American Raptors). This special free-flight birds of prey show at 11 am and 12:30 pm features native eagles, hawks, owls and even vultures.  S.O.A.R. will highlight the importance of conserving these important birds of prey as they rocket overhead.  

Throughout the day, CNC will offer wildlife tours with our Wildlife Director, Kathryn Dudeck. The nature center works to rehabilitate raptors.

Rachel Barton, CNC’s Museum Curator, explained the reason for the new Wildlife Walk, “We hope to encourage our visitors to hike and explore our woodland trails and discover real connections as they learn how they are a part of this watershed, even if it is in a very distant way. Visitors might also come up with new ways that they can be more positively involved in their watershed by rethinking, restoring, conserving and enjoying the land, animals and plants. Although the signage is meant to be an introduction, we are excited to give visitors more information. We anticipate including additional information such as life history, videos and more through smart phone applications starting in the spring of 2014.” 

Here is an example of one of the new signs:

Red-Tailed Hawk

Winners and Losers

“Red-tailed hawks prefer to hunt in open areas such as fields, roadways and backyards. When woodlands are cut down, new hunting habitat is created for these opportunistic birds of prey.

The day also includes:

• Children’s Book Reading: with local author Angela Muse at 1:30 pm of her new children’s book called “The Christmas Owl."
• Rockin’ Raptor Crafts (12 – 3pm) Lift off with your own wings and owl headwear. Make some cool raptor crafts to blend in with the birds of prey.
• Paper Airplane Fly-off and Contest at 3pm - Show how you take flight. Fly your best homemade paper airplane in the fly-off where everyone’s airplane is a high flyer. Prizes awarded for longest distance flight, best trick and largest paper airplane.
• Taking Flight featured in the Nature Exchange - Discover the science behind bird flight and how humans have used this in airplane design.