Category: People, Places & Parks

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 […]

By Rachel Maher, Park Pride’s Director of Communications As we continue to live amid a global health crisis—and assuredly will continue to do so for the foreseeable future—the role of parks and other outdoor spaces has never been more important.   Since 2020, our need for parks has increased dramatically, and it’s become clear that parks […]

By Michael Halicki, Park Pride’s Executive Director Amidst the excitement (and stress) that accompanied the end of 2021—family gatherings, Mayoral Inauguration events, and the emergence of Omicron—the City of Atlanta issued a press release that likely flew under the radars of all but those whose job it is to pay attention to such matters. Posted […]

By Deron Davis, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy in Georgia The last year challenged us all to reevaluate our priorities and find new ways of getting things done. That’s certainly true for The Nature Conservancy in Georgia, and I’m amazed at what our teams and partnerships accomplished. Through the creativity of our science-driven staff working in […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Despite lingering concerns over the pandemic, 2022 is shaping up to be a great year for Georgia birds. At Georgia Audubon, birds are our 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 […]

By Rob Brawner, Executive Director of Atlanta BeltLine Partnership Over the past 15 years with the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, I have witnessed the Atlanta BeltLine transform from concept to concrete—both figuratively and literally – and the momentum has never been stronger. As our partners at Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) have captured in this year-end video, […]

By Shannon Lee  One year ago, in January 2021, The Conservation Fund launched the Working Farms Fund, a new program piloted in metro-Atlanta. This innovative program is conserving high value farmland under threat of development and urban sprawl, while also supporting diverse, next-generation farmers, and growing a more healthy and sustainable local food system. After […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director  Birds are one of the most accessible vehicles to connect with the living world around us. We take delight in their incredible diversity of colors, both subtle and gaudy, and their wide array of vocalizations, both strident and melodic. Birds connect people and spaces in ways that few living things […]

By Michael Halicki, Executive Director at Park Pride  Typically, December is a time to reflect over the last year and take stock of what we have done. This year is turning out to be quite different, however. With three major wins for Atlanta parks occurring in the past few weeks, Park Pride is now fully […]

Announcement made at gala honoring former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin On November 4th, Georgia Conservancy held its 27th annual ecoBenefête gala, honoring former Atlanta mayor Shirley Clarke Franklin with the organization’s prestigious Distinguished Conservationist Award. The evening brought together supporters of the Georgia Conservancy’s work to celebrate and reflect on Mayor Franklin’s legacy as a […]

by Nancy Clair Laird McInaney, Board Chair, The Nature Conservancy – Georgia The bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law by the president last week offers an extraordinary opportunity to address critical needs in communities across Georgia and the country.  Its investments in energy, transportation and natural infrastructure will support valuable jobs and economic development.  The […]