Category: People, Places & Parks

By Michael Halicki, Executive Director of Park Pride  We know that parks bring people together; they’re where we gather with family, friends, and neighbors to play, explore, and relax. Park Pride’s vision is an Atlanta where every neighborhood has access to a great park because every community deserves to enjoy the health and wellness benefits […]

By Rob Brawner, Executive Director of Atlanta BeltLine Partnership Atlanta’s park system is on the rise.  This month marks the one-year anniversary of the opening of the first phase of Westside Park, which was made possible by a leadership gift from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and significant City of Atlanta investments to become […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Through our mission to build places where birds and people thrive, Georgia Audubon works to educate and engage Georgians of all ages. And we use birds as the lens through which we introduce youth and adults alike to birds, birding, and an overall conservation ethic. In the past year, Georgia […]

By Andrew White, Park Pride’s Director of Park Visioning  Parks and politics? Most people don’t see the natural connection between the two, but they are inextricably linked. Especially within the park planning process, which is something that I think a lot about in my role as the Director of Park Visioning at Park Pride.    As […]

In May, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) joined together to launch the South River Forest Consensus Building and Stakeholder Engagement process. As the largest untapped natural resource in metro Atlanta surrounded by historically disinvested neighborhoods, protecting and preserving the South River Forest has the potential to change thousands of lives […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Three billion birds … that is the number of birds that have been lost since 1970. A groundbreaking study published in the journal Science in 2019 revealed that more than one in four birds have disappeared from our landscape in the past 50 years, including common birds, like Barn Swallows […]

By Stacy Funderburke Atlanta rose in the ranks from 49th to 27th on the Trust for Public Land’s 2022 ParkScore Index®— the most complete and in-depth ranking of parks in our nation’s 100 largest cities. The rise is largely due to the recent increase of acres conserved for parks and greenspace in the last year. […]

By Michael Halicki, Executive Director of Park Pride It should be no surprise that I love parks. Parks are good for people and the communities of which they’re a part. They’re foundational for the health of local wildlife and habitats, and function as critical urban infrastructure by absorbing stormwater runoff, cooling ambient temperatures, providing the […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Both people and birds need healthy habitats to thrive. With that in mind, Georgia Audubon has been busy creating bird-friendly habitat across Georgia to fulfill our mission to build places where birds and people thrive. Through innovative partnerships and with the help of some amazing volunteers, Georgia Audubon is focused […]

By Andrew White, Park Pride’s Director of Park Visioning Atlanta’s relationship with the Chattahoochee has always been complicated and multifaceted. Historically a corridor of trade between the Cherokee and Muscogee people, the river was given over to industry after European colonization for manufacturing, power production, and disposal of waste. Some of these industries, notoriously Chattahoochee […]

Michael Halicki, Executive Director for Park Pride,  and George Dusenbury Georgia State Director for the Trust for Public Land Atlanta’s reputation for its parks and recreation system is getting a lot of attention. Last week The Trust for Public Land (TPL) released the 2022 ParkScore ranking, which compares the park systems of the 100 largest […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director The seventh annual Georgia Bird Fest kicked off last weekend with a virtual opening event featuring Rosemary Mosco, naturalist, science communicator, and creator of the award-winning Bird and Moon Comics. With more than 40 events between April 23 and May 15, Georgia Bird Fest offers something for nearly every nature […]

By Shannon Lee  Over the last 15 years, U-Haul and its customers have supported The Conservation Fund’s conservation efforts across the country, including key forests along the Georgia coast and local parks in the heart of Atlanta. The Bullard Creek Wildlife Management Area, a 14,200– acre coastal forest, is home to the gopher tortoise— a […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Spring is in the air and across metro Atlanta the trees and flowers are bursting into bloom. After the cold winter months, it’s a welcome treat to see green trees and flowers emerging from their winter stasis. If you’re in tune with the rhythms of nature, you’ve also noticed the […]

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 Michael Halicki, Park Pride’s Executive Director A few weeks ago, Park Pride announced its slate of grant awards for capital park improvements, championed by community advocates. This is an annual occurrence. However, this year was different.   The most apparent difference was the size of the total award made: $2.3 million! This grant cycle is […]

From Atlanta to Rural Maryland, learn about how African Americans have shaped America’s landscape.  By: Kelsi Eccles  Since 1985, The Conservation Fund has actively worked with partners to secure over 8.5 million acres of land to provide environmental, community and economic benefits. Those acres also include spaces that are culturally significant to Black history and […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Georgia is a diverse state, both in terms of its habitats and its people … from the mountains to the coast and everywhere in between. Georgia is also one of the fastest growing states in the nation, and metro Atlanta is at the epicenter of this growth. As people continue […]