On June 23, 2012, the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, National Wildlife Federation, and REI are hosting a FREE community camping event at the Outdoor Activity Center in Southwest Atlanta.  This Campout is a part of NWF’s nation-wide Great American Backyard Campout, which aims to engage children and families with nature to discover the health benefits of being active outdoors.

The Great American Backyard Campout is intended to be a fun introduction to camping and the outdoors and we have many activities planned.  Campers will enjoy scavenger hunts, storytelling for children, fun and educational hikes, face painting, a bug safari, geo-caching, a drum circle, camping cooking demonstrations, a hula hoop contest and sleeping bag stuffing contest, and many other fun activities.  In addition, dinner and breakfast will be provided.

The Outdoor Activity Center is located at 1442 Richland Rd. SW
                                                                    Atlanta, GA  30310

The Campout begins at 3:00 PM on Saturday, June 23 and ends at 9:00 AM the next day.

To register for this event:

1) Go to www.backyardcampout.org

2) Select 'Sign Me Up' on the right-hand side of the page

3) Select 'Join Existing Team'

4) Search for the REI - OAC team

5) Select 'Join' and answer the questions that follow

After you have registered, you will have the opportunity to register to borrow camping gear from REI.  We have a limited supply of gear, however, and those who need it should register as soon as possible.

Please direct any questions to pintol@nwf.org

Celebrate National Trails Day at the OAC - Saturday, June 2, 2012

Join WAWA on Saturday, June 2nd for National Trails Day! Roll up your sleeves in service with volunteers of all ages to help restore the 26-acre Outdoor Activity Center urban forest by delineating and maintaining trails, identifying and removing invasive plants, helping with indoor cleaning projects, and helping to maintain the community garden on-site.

Activities start at 10:00 am and last until 1:00 pm.
Dress for the outdoors, and bring water, a snack and insect repellent.

The Outdoor Activity Center is located at 1442 Richland Road SW Atlanta, Georgia 30310. For questions of additional information, please call: 404-752-5385.

The Alliance Theatre's "Tranquil Tortoise and the Hoppity Hare" Headlines Spring Break Week at the OAC - 4/4/12 @ 11am

Join WAWA for our first "Toddler Time" program at the Outdoor Activity Center on Wednesday, April 4th at 11:00 am! We have partnered up with the Alliance's Theatre for the Very Young production of the "The Tranquil Tortoise and the Hoppity Hare. 

The race is on Wednesday! Join in the fun and excitement as the tortoise and the hare hit the starting line. The audience is invited into the center of the race track to experience action all around them. Through dance, movement, music, and storytelling, young children will engage in this classic folk tale in wholly imaginative and new ways. The show will delight "kids" of all ages, but especially those ages 18 months to five years old!

The cost to attend is $7/person (including adults). Cash and check only! RSVP to reserve your space by sending an e-mail to info.wawaonline@gmail.com.

Forest Friends - Spring Break Enrichment Activities @ the Outdoor Activity Center

How would you like to watch in your children take a hike through one of Atlanta’s oldest untouched forests? Watch them listen to stories while trees bud and flowers bloom around them.

By calling now these activities and so many more are theirs to experience!

West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) is planning a series of enrichment activities each day April 2-6, 2012.  We would like your participation by registering and transporting your children out for one or more of our 90 minute sessions during Spring Break week!

Increasing public access and involvement in urban community forests is a fundamental goal for WAWA. To that end we continue to engage local youth in environmental education focusing on urban forestry, watershed protection and natural ecosystems.

The activities WAWA will facilitate or host during the week are:

·        Monday - Discovering Bioponica exploring our unique garden system, repeats morning and afternoon

·        Tuesday - Arts and Crafts discovering nature through art, repeats morning and afternoon

·        Wednesday- Alliance Theatre's “Hoppity Hare and the Tranquil Tortoise”Play during morning and Georgia State University's Biobus for the afternoon

·        Thursday Activities-Water/Water Everywhere, Enviroscape model & water pollution demonstration and Edge of Night Camping Clubs-Bug Safari,  repeats morning and afternoon

·        Friday Activities-Friday morning April 6, 2012, 10:00 AM Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper's floating classroom at Lake Lanier, morning session only. There is still room room for 20 more!

 

Programs run for 90 minutes and repeat except for Wednesdays Alliance Theatre's play “The Tranquil Tortoise and the Hoppity Hare”, which begins at 11:00 AM and Friday’s trip to Lake Lanier which requires transportation leaving from Metro Atlanta at 9:00 AM to make the boat departure at 10:00 AM.  Children are $7.00 each per session. Depending on the number of participants our morning program has activities running from 10:00 AM-11:30 AM. The afternoon activities run times are from approximately 1:00 PM 2:30 PM.  

Reservations are needed for all programs and space is reserved in a first come, first serve basis.

You are encouraged to bring boxed lunches and eat under the trees!

For more information on WAWA go to: http://www.wawaonline.org/

or call Darryl Haddock or Evonne Bythers at 404 752-5385

Green Thumb Day of Service at the Outdoor Activity Center - Saturday, March 3rd

Join WAWA, Keeping It Wild, and the National Wildlife Federation's Earth Tomorrow Program to prepare the OAC's Pollinator Habitat, Bioponica Sustainable Farming System, and UGRO Community Garden for spring planting and to mulch the trails, remove invasive plants, and spruce up the nature center. This activity is family friendly and a great option for youth who need community service hours! 

RSVP Requested at 404-752-5385 or via e-mail at: info.wawaonline@gmail.com.

The Outdoor Activity Center is located at 1442 Richland Rd. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310.  

The Outdoors is for Everyone - Rue Mapp, Founder of Outdoor Afro to Speak at OAC - 2/21/12

Join WAWA and Keeping It Wild, Inc. for an evening with Rue Mapp, Founder of the California-based organization, Outdoor Afro. Rue will speak on "The Future of Partnerships to Support Diverse Outdoor Engagement". The event will take place on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 @ 7:00 pm at the Outdoor Activity Center (OAC).

Rue Mapp is the founder of California-based Outdoor Afro, a community that reconnects African-Americans with natural spaces and one another through recreational activities such as camping, hiking, biking, fishing, gardening, and skiing, using social media to create interest and to partner with regional and national organizations that support diverse participation in the great outdoors.


She has participated in President Obama’s conference on America's Great Outdoors and Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. She serves on the Board of Advisors for the Children and Nature Network, and is a fellow with the Center for Whole Communities.


RSVP for this free event by sending an e-mail to info.wawaonline@gmail.com or by calling: (404) 752-5385. The OAC is located at 1442 Richland Rd. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310.

Sharing the Journey: Ghetto Plainsmain, Jarid Manos Visits OAC

What was a cloudy, rainy day didn't discourage an inter-generational group of outdoor and environmental enthusiasts who came to the Outdoor Activity Center (OAC) to spend time walking through the woods and engaging in thought-provoking conversation about the importance of ecological health, the interconnectedness of all life, and our responsibility in restoring the earth.

WAWA is grateful that Jarid Manos made the OAC a part of his Atlanta tour! Those who attended will never be the same. Thanks also to Keeping It Wild for co-sponsoring the event.