2011 Urban Forestry Festival This Saturday, April 2nd - Outdoor Activity Center (11am-4pm)

After a rainy and chilly week, the clouds will break, the sky will clear, and the sun will come out again just in time for the weekend!

West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Leaders Network, Keeping It Wild, and Councilwoman Cleta Winslow invite you to celebrate Southwest Atlanta’s urban forests at the 2011 Urban Forestry Festival on this Saturday, April 2, 2011 from 11am - 4pm at the Outdoor Activity Center.

The festival is free to the public! Families are welcome to come learn more about Atlanta’s incredible urban forest and its wildlife inhabitants. The festival will feature educational and entertaining exhibits, guided hikes and tours of the 26-acre OAC urban forest, food, giveaways, and hands-on activities and demonstrations by WAWA, NWF’s Earth Tomorrow Program, the Children and Nature Network Natural Leaders, and other partners. Plans also include playing forestry and wildlife games, making fun crafts, and learning outdoor skills. This event is a great way to kick off Spring Break! 

The Outdoor Activity Center is located at 1442 Richland Rd. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310. For more information, call (404) 752-5385.

Please RSVP by sending an e-mail to info.wawaonline@gmail.com to be entered into a special drawing. You must be present to win.

Countdown to Earth Day 2011...Join WAWA's 422 Campaign and Help us Gain 422 NEW Members and Donors by 4/22/11

Spring is in the air! The days are getting longer, the flowers are blooming, brown is turning to green, and Earth Day is one month away.

For WAWA, every day is Earth Day, but this year, April 22nd will be even more special for us because we will celebrate the launch of our “422 Campaign”.

Be our partner, and help us gain 422 NEW members and donors by Earth Day on 4/22/11.

As a community-based organization, WAWA achieves it mission by employing hard work, passion, commitment, and competency while leveraging the service of volunteers, community partnerships, and financial support from our community and others who believe that every community should be healthy and sustainable.  

In honor of Earth Day 2011, give the gift that gives back…support the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance.  Your membership or tax-deductible donation will make a difference in helping WAWA to fulfill its mission.

Your support is needed to advance these programs and so many more:

·    Environmental Education Field Trips and programs for West Atlanta and Title I Schools at   the Outdoor Activity Center to connect children to nature;

·    Community and family programs for “kids of all ages” at the Outdoor Activity Center, Cascade Springs Nature Preserve, and the Hampton-Beecher Park;

·    Stream and forest restoration projects at the Outdoor Activity Center and Cascade Springs Nature Preserve; and

·    Water quality monitoring and watershed protection initiatives in NW Atlanta’s Proctor Creek Watershed.

You don’t have to be a resident of West Atlanta to join. If you are concerned about the health and sustainability of Metropolitan Atlanta, you know that everything is connected and that the status of West Atlanta affects the region.

Please stand up and be counted…join WAWA’s “422 Campaign” TODAY!

Click here to join WAWA or to make a secure, tax-deductible donation. Checks payable to West Atlanta Watershed Alliance can also be mailed to P.O. Box 50043, Atlanta, Georgia, 30302. 

Feel free to call us at the Outdoor Activity Center at (404) 752-5385 with any questions.

The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Thank you in advance for your support, and we look forward to working with you to build a cleaner, greener, healthier, and more sustainable future for West Atlanta!

Today is the Day...VOTE By 8pm EST to Help WAWA win $30K for West Atlanta Neighborhoods

The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) has been chosen as one of six finalists to receive a $30,000 national watershed grant from the River Network, a national non-profit working to improve the health of rivers and watersheds.

But, we NEED your VOTE online to win, and this is the LAST Day to be counted!

Vote for WAWA to receive the $30K grant at www.rivernetwork.org/2011-millercoors-watershed-grants-contest .

It's easy:

1) Go to the link above

2) Enter your e-mail address and your state

3) Select "West Atlanta Watershed Alliance"

4) Click on Vote!


WAWA will use the grant funds to engage low-income West Atlanta residents in water conservation initiatives to help them realize a cost savings for their water bills, and to conduct water quality monitoring, and creek clean-up/watershed restoration projects in some of the poorest and most polluted Atlanta neighborhoods.

WAWA is a community-based non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life within the West Atlanta Watershed by protecting, preserving and restoring the community’s natural resources. WAWA represents African American neighborhoods in Northwest and Southwest Atlanta that are most inundated with environmental stressors, but are often least represented at environmental decision-making tables.

Voting closes at 8:00 pm EST on Sunday, March 20, 2011. But why wait? DO IT NOW! Please pass this on!

Thanks for your help!
The WAWA Team

Last Call to Help WAWA win $30K to Help Build a Cleaner, Greener, Healthier & More Sustainable West Atlanta

 The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) has been chosen as one of six finalists to receive a $30,000 national watershed grant from MillerCoors, one of the nation's top brewers and The River Network, a national non-profit working to improve the health of rivers and watersheds. But, we NEED your VOTE on-line to win! It takes less than one minute, and only your e-mail address and state are required on the on-line form.

Vote for WAWA to receive the $30K grant at www.rivernetwork.org/2011-millercoors-watershed-grants-contest .
WAWA will use the grant funds to engage West Atlanta residents in water conservation initiatives to help them realize a cost savings for their water bills, and to conduct water quality monitoring, and creek clean-up/watershed restoration projects in some of the poorest and most polluted Atlanta neighborhoods.  The funds will also be used to support programs and restoration activities at the Outdoor Activity Center and the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve! 

Because we believe that a Healthy Environment = A Healthy Community, we are committed to achieving a Cleaner, Greener, Healthier & More Sustainable West Atlanta!

Voting closes at 8:00 pm EST on Sunday, March 20, 2011. But why wait? Don't delay...VOTE TODAY!

You can only vote once, so please pass this on to family and friends and encourage them to VOTE! Don't miss this opportunity to bring these NEEDED funds home to help restore our community!

Willing Workers Needed for OAC Day of Service this Saturday - March 19, 2011

Calling ALL volunteers for the service day at the Outdoor Activity Center on THIS Saturday, March 19th from 10 am to 1 pm! Volunteers will remove invasive plants from the grounds, mulch the trails, repair foot bridges,  prepare garden beds for the spring planting season, and prepare and hang bird feeders and bird houses throughout the 26-acre urban forest preserve.  Some indoor cleaning and organization projects will also be available. Work gloves, food, and beverages will be provided for all volunteers. This will be our last opportunity to spruce up the OAC before our 2011 Urban Forestry Festival on Saturday, April 2nd! Dress for the weather, and plan to get dirty!

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

RSVP is requested for planning purposes. To RSVP, send an e-mail to info.wawaonline@gmail.com or call 404-752-5385.


Less than a Week Left to Help WAWA Win Needed Grant Funds

Vote for WAWA to win a $30K grant from MillerCoors and the River Network at www.rivernetwork.org/2011-millercoors-watershed-grants-contest .  WAWA will use the grant funds to engage West Atlanta residents in water conservation initiatives, water quality monitoring, and creek clean-up/watershed restoration projects. Voting closes at 8:00 pm EST on Sunday, March 20, 2011. But why wait? Don't delay...VOTE TODAY!

WAWA Selected as One of Three Local Organizations in the Patagonia Voice Your Choice Awards Program

WAWA is one of three Georgia environmental organizations featured in the Patagonia third annual Voice Your Choice Awards Program. The Atlanta Patagonia store will collectively distribute $5,000 in grant funds to the three organizations.   

Patagonia patrons can cast their ballot for WAWA in the store from March 10-31, 2011. The top vote-getter will be awarded $2,500, with the second- and third-place organizations receiving $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.

Simply stop by the store March 10 - 31, 2011, to learn about the campaign and to vote. WAWA members will be in the store on Saturday, March 12th to talk about our work and to drum of support for our local environmental protection and restoration initiatives.

WAWA will use its grant funds awarded from this program to support our participation in the Neighborhood Water Watch program in collaboration with the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Through this initiative, WAWA monitors segment of Proctor Creek in Northwest Atlanta for E.coli and other bacteria. We have also trained over 35 Northwest Atlanta residents to monitor water quality in Proctor Creek over the last year.

The Atlanta Patagonia Store is located at 34 E Andrews Dr., Atlanta, GA 30305. We would appreciate your participation and your VOTE in the awards program. Voice Your Choice for WAWA!!!

Cascade Springs Hike for Today is Postponed!

Conditions are wet and soggy at the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve this morning, so the Guided Hike scheduled for this morning will be postponed to a later date this spring.  Although many folks may still be up for venturing out for the hike despite the forecast for steady showers, our concern is for the safety of all participants.  

Check our site at http://www.wawaonline.org/ for updates for the rescheduled date, or visit the property on your own between now and then. The Cascade Springs Nature Preserve is open during the winter on Monday - Friday from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:30 am - 6:00 pm.

WAWA opens the Springs on the weekends to facilitate public access to this beautiful 135-acre green oasis in the city that would otherwise be closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

 The Cascade Springs Nature Preserve is located at 2852 Cascade Rd. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30311.