Featured Image: Parks are critical infrastructure that build the resilience of cities and people, especially in times of crisis. By Michael Halicki, Park Pride’s Executive Director It’s June: the unofficial beginning of summer. In a normal year, we’d be looking forward to this season with excitement, with kids enjoying a break from school, families planning […]
Category: People, Places & Parks
Posted inThought Leadership
Atlanta Companies Can Fight Climate Change and Help Georgia’s Rural Economy
Deron Davis, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy in Georgia Georgia’s iconic forestlands are vital to the state’s economy and quality of life. These forests benefit us all by filtering air and water, harboring wildlife, and boosting local economies through the creation of jobs and domestically produced forest products. They also play a role in fighting […]
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A New National Park in Georgia?
A collaborative effort to establish a National Park & Preserve in Middle Georgia By Georgia Conservancy Communications Director Brian Foster and Georgia Conservancy Natural Resources Director Charles McMillan Millions of Americans travel annually through Middle Georgia’s Ocmulgee River corridor. While many stop to refuel or grab a bite to eat before heading to destinations north […]
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Showing Appreciation for All Parks and Recreation Workers
By Michael Halicki We know parks play a vital role in our wellness as places where we’re able to connect with nature close to home. During this COVID-19 pandemic, as more and more Atlantans visit neighborhood parks and trails to enjoy the benefits of sunshine and fresh air, the importance of parks has never been more […]
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Future Earth Days Will Be Different
By Ryan Gravel, founder and president, Sixpitch April 22 marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which began as a college teach-in and grew to become the most visible conservation and environmental awareness day in the world. Due to COVID-19, however, most Earth Day 2020 events were cancelled. We missed hundreds of celebrations of this […]
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Should you be visiting your local park?
By Michael Halicki, Park Pride Executive Director You know it’s a strange time when an empty neighborhood park playground brings me a measure of comfort. On Sunday morning, Ormond-Grant Park was silent and empty, except for the sounds of nature. Absent were the usual gaggle of children running to and fro, the peals of laughter […]
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Caring for Our People and the Mission: Conservation Continues in Georgia
By Deron Davis, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy We’ve never experienced a time like this before. Together with the many other organizations around the world – and all Georgians – The Nature Conservancy is actively adapting to the ever-changing reality of COVID-19 response. Through the adversity we are all facing, the Conservancy is focused on […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks, The Trust for Public Land, Thought Leadership
Hope Springs Eternal in our Neighborhood Parks
By George Dusenbury, Georgia state director for The Trust for Public Land Like you, my family is sheltering-in-place to safeguard our health and the wellbeing of our community. Yet, oblivious to the troubles of humankind, spring is happening around us. Through this crisis, my family has found that taking daily walks to observe this season […]
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Mattie Freeland Park: Placekeeping in a rapidly changing neighborhood
By Andrew White, Park Pride’s Director of Park Visioning Much has been written about the differences between placemaking and placekeeping. To the uninitiated, the two can appear very similar. Both use art and cultural activities to make high-quality changes to the physical environment. Both involve a participatory process with community and local organizations, and both […]
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Working with Nature to Keep Our Heads Above Water
By Ashby Nix Worley, Coastal Climate Adaptation Director, The Nature Conservancy Over the last several years, many Georgians suffered from the most costly and common of disasters in the nation—flooding. Fueled by warmer weather, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that 2019 was the wettest on record in the U.S., with historic flooding […]
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Start with Hope: Articulating a Shared Vision for Public Spaces
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]By Andrew White, Park Pride’s Director of Park Visioning Park planning can sometimes be messy work! As public spaces, parks are inherently political, each with its own hidden minefields of competing constituencies and entrenched interests. As a professional landscape architect and Director of Park Pride’s Park Visioning Program, it can sometimes feel like I’m […]
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Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program: Great Promise/Rocky Start
Featured Image: Copyright Mac Stone Photography By Deron Davis, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy in Georgia In 2018, when Georgia legislators almost unanimously approved putting the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Amendment on the ballot and voters approved by an 83% margin the creation of a land and water conservation fund, they knew that protecting and stewarding […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks, Thought Leadership
The Nature of Our City
by Teri Nye, Park Pride Project Manager At the beginning of each year, I take stock of the park planning projects in the year ahead. Atlanta is a small, small point of the planet, but with news of each storm, flood, drought, and raging fire around the world, I see that Park Pride’s work in […]
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Elected Officials Leading the Charge for Conservation
By: Deron Davis, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy in Georgia The retirement of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson has helped me look past my disappointment in the disfunction of Washington, D.C. to remember that people with compassion and integrity use the power of their political leadership to make positive change for our communities, the state and […]
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Resolutions for a Warm Winter and a Cool Summer
By Alex Beasley, Donor and Public Relations Manager, Trees Atlanta Talk of politics and climate change inundate our daily lives. If it feels like hope is lost, you’re not alone, but you can make a difference on an individual and community level. Collectively, we can create positive change for future generations. As you make your […]
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Nature for All – Atlanta
By Adriana Garcia, Nature Accessibility Advocate Over the next 20 years, Atlanta faces significant challenges: a growing population, tensions between new development and the need to preserve trees and urban greenspaces, and climate change. As the city grows denser, articulating and implementing a strong city planning framework that prioritizes urban ecology (a.k.a. nature) is critical […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Thankful for the Little Things that Lead to Results
By Mary Beth Jordan As the year draws to a close, it’s customary to reflect on the year’s milestones, successes and challenges while setting goals for the coming new year. As the Chair of the Board of Trustees for The Nature Conservancy in Georgia, I am particularly grateful to support work that preserves and protects […]
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Nature on Your Terms: Envisioning a Chattahoochee River that is Accessible to Everyone
By Walt Ray, Director of the Chattahoochee River Program with The Trust for Public Land On a recent sunny afternoon, a group of people with disabilities riding in motorized wheelchairs joined over a dozen members of the visually impaired community and their families to enjoy a nature walk and birding experience along the Chattahoochee River. Walk […]
