Category: People, Places & Parks

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Spring is here and across Georgia we are seeing signs of life in our gardens and landscapes. Those who pay attention to the sounds of the seasons will have also noticed a huge uptick in the amount of bird song each morning. There’s a cacophony of songs as our resident […]

By Monica Thornton Recently, I was named the Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy in Georgia, one of the world’s largest conservation organizations. We have been operating in this state for over 50 years and in that time, we have protected more than 400,000 acres of land, safeguarded countless waterways that traverse those lands, and […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director With February drawing to a close and the daylight hours getting longer, you may have noticed the dawn chorus has been growing louder as our resident and migratory birds begin to enter the breeding season. Some bird species, like owls, raptors, and cavity-nesters, like the Brown-headed Nuthatch and Eastern Bluebird, […]

By West Atlanta Watershed Alliance February is Black History Month, a month-long celebration and recognition of the accomplishments and the critical role that Black Americans have played in founding and shaping the United States. First celebrated as “Negro History Week” in 1926, Black History Month was founded by historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse […]

By Danielle Amarant, University of Georgia College of Public Health Masters Candidate and Atlanta BeltLine Partnership Intern Our health and the health of our communities are informed by everything we do. From our behaviors and choices to the policies that shape our systems and institutions, our well-being is also affected by where we live, learn, […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director 2023 is shaping up to be a great year for Georgia’s birds. At Georgia Audubon, birds are a catalyst for conservation—easy to see and hear wherever you are—and they provide an entry point into appreciating nature and understanding the challenges we all face to protect our parks and greenspaces, in […]

By Rachel Maher, Park Pride’s Director of Communications & Policy The past few years have affirmed the importance of parks for our physical and mental well-being. The healing power of parks, however, goes beyond personal health. Public greenspaces are also where community bonds are formed, diverse ideas are experienced, and where cultural enrichment flourishes. We […]

There’s a reason Georgia is nicknamed the Peach State. Every year, approximately 1.6 million peach trees bear over 130 million pounds of peaches, worth billions of dollars in farm gate value. And while Georgia’s peach production lags behind other land-rich states, the size and prominence of our agricultural sector speaks to a time-honored tradition of […]

The Nature Conservancy is one of the largest conservation organizations in the world, and we employ many different tools to accomplish our goals. We support the protection of endangered species, we rehabilitate and restore ecosystems, and we search for solutions to mitigate climate change. What may come as a surprise to some, however, is that […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director A bird that is heard far more often than seen, the Chuck-will’s-widow’s distinctive call may be heard singing its name at dusk across the Georgia landscape on spring and summer evenings. Very little is known about this elusive, nocturnal species, in part, because they are notoriously difficult to locate. Their […]

By Michael Halicki, Park Pride’s Executive Director   As is often the case, the end of the year is a time of reflection and to take stock of accomplishments. Of the nearly 10 years that I’ve been the Executive Director of Park Pride, 2022 has been the most memorable, due in equal parts to the work […]

By The Conservation Fund Did you know over 40% of farmland in the U.S. is rented? In a survey by the National Young Farmers Coalition, young farmers reported that buying affordable farmland is their top challenge in 2022. Farmland has become an attractive asset for national and international investors, driving the national average of farmland […]

By Rob Brawner, Executive Director of Atlanta BeltLine Partnership Through collaboration and collective investments of multiple public, private, and philanthropic entities, the BeltLine trail corridor is on schedule to be completed by 2030. Finishing other parts of the BeltLine – including the remaining parks – will require similar collaboration and investment.  There is an immediate […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Birds are all around us … outside windows, in yards, on beaches, in the woods … wherever we look we can find birds. The world has more than 10,000 bird species, and at least 350 species live or migrate through Georgia each year. So how do scientists keep track of […]

By Rachel Maher, Park Pride’s Director of Communications & Policy  There are few days more gratifying at Park Pride than when a neighborhood park, years in the making, is officially opened. And few ribbon-cutting celebrations have moved me as much as the one for Mattie Freeland Park in English Avenue that took place on October […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Bird migration is one of the most amazing feats in the natural world. Each fall and spring, billions of birds take to the skies, avoiding predators, and dodging turbulent weather as they travel between breeding grounds in the north and wintering grounds in the Caribbean or Central and South America. […]

Reflections on the power of parks after a week at the Regional Leadership Institute By Rachel Maher, Park Pride’s Director of Communications and Policy At Park Pride, we are motivated by the philosophy of the power of parks. That is “When parks meet the needs and reflect the unique character of the communities they serve, […]

The former Chattahoochee Brick Company site holds both environmental and historic importance, and we’re proud to have helped secure its protection. We could not accomplish this or any of our important conservation projects across the city without working in partnership with organizations and passionate individuals. Meet an Atlanta native and community champion we partnered with […]