Proctor Creek Watershed Awareness & Action Day

2013 Cox Conserves Hero Award Nomination by Imran Battla

Now a four year volunteer for the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, I am thrilled at the opportunity to be nominated for the 2013 Cox Conserves Hero Award. Created in partnership with The Trust for Public Land & Cox Enterprises, Cox Conserves Heroes recognizes local environmental volunteers and makes donations to local nonprofits on their behalf.

The national program takes place in cities across the county. The public nominates volunteers using a brief online form. Next, a panel of local environmental leaders selects three finalists who are profiled on video. The public then watches the videos, gets inspired and votes for their favorite. 

This is the 5th year the Cox Conserves Heroes program has taken place in Atlanta. In fact, WAWA's very own board chair Na'Taki Osborne-Jelks, was nominated and won in 2011!!! See below for her inspiring video.

 

As you can imagine, it is quite the honor for me to follow in her footsteps by continuing to advocate for a healthier, cleaner and greener West Atlanta community. For a chance to see my video and an opportunity to continue to support the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, click on this link. In the past four years I have facilitated in over $140,000 in direct improvements to over 300 acres of stewarded areas in West Atlanta by providing a suite of support services for WAWA, from concept design to project implementation, monitoring, reporting, and verification of data collected, to the procurement process for grant funding, social media outreach and volunteer orientation and staff management.

With this award, WAWA will be able to have an even bigger impact, especially when it comes to supporting frontline leaders in the Proctor Creek community. Stay tuned for more updates!

Urban Waters Federal Partnership Comes to Proctor Creek

The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) joins the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency along with additional federal and community partners to reconnect West Atlanta communities with their urban waterways, while improving the water quality and restoring the ecosystems of the Proctor Creek Watershed. Proctor Creek is one of only 11 communities nationwide to be selected for the partnership.

WAWA Board Chair Na'Taki Osborne Jelks will highlight how the partnership will help restore the troubled waterway plagued by illegally dumped tires, high bacteria levels, pollution, and flooding into an asset for the community--- led by efforts of the watershed’s residents. While the availability of funding through the Urban Waters Federal Partnership is unclear, it will seek to promote more-efficient use of federal resources through better coordination and targeting of support for local groups. The Proctor Creek Watershed Stewardship Council will leverage these resources to restore degraded habitat, address illegal dumping and other pollution, promote public access to the watershed, and help manage stormwater and flooding that impacts Northwest Atlanta communities.

Where: Maddox Park Pavilion:  1142 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway NW Atlanta, GA 30318

When:  Friday, May 17, 2013, 11:15-11:45 am.

 What: Proctor Creek Urban Waters Federal Partnership announcement.

Who: Na'Taki Osborne Jelks, Chair of the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance;

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed;

Nancy Stoner, Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Water;

Stan Meiburg, Deputy Regional Administrator, EPA Region 4.

Join WAWA & Partners at the 7th Annual Urban Forest Festival

Looking for some FREE, family fun to kick off Spring Break???

You don't want to miss the 7th Annual Urban Forest Festival at the Outdoor Activity Center on Saturday,  April 6, 2013 from 11 am - 4 pm.

WAWA, the USDA Forest Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Wildlife Federation invite you to celebrate Southwest Atlanta’s urban forests at this FREE, fun-filled event.

Families are invited to learn about Southwest Atlanta’s incredible urban forests and their wildlife inhabitants. We'll have educational and entertaining exhibits, live wildlife, 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 USDA Forest Service, 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 or send an e-mail to info@wawa-online.org.

Please RSVP at  http://2013urbanforestfestival.eventbrite.com
to be entered into a special drawing. You must be present to win.

School Field Trips to the Outdoor Activity Center

Visit the Outdoor Activity Center 

for your next field trip!!!

Our educational activities align to the Georgia Performance Standards & Common Core in fun and exciting ways!

Children get hands on experiences, which strengthen their understanding and aid in the achievement of the learning goals we cover.

They also make that all important connection to nature and the outdoors!

Our activities address the Major Concepts /Skills found in the K-8 life Sciences, the environmental science curriculum and many of the physical sciences:

Kindergarten concepts- living and non living things- differences between animals and plants

1^st grade concepts-Characteristics of living things and the basic needs of living things

2^nd grade concepts-life cycles

3^rd grade concepts-Habitats, features of Georgia’s organisms and pollution and conservation

4^th grade concepts-Ecosystems, food web/food chain and adaptation survival/extinction

5^th grade concepts-Classification of organisms, inherited traits/learned behaviors and cells & microorganisms

6th grade concepts-Impacts of weather climate on the earth, human impacts on the earth and energy sources

7th grade concepts- diversity of living organisms, ecosystems and fossils

8^th grade concepts-Nature of matter, Law of Conservation of Energy and Energy Transformation

High School Concepts address the concepts above in greater detail and with a focus on service learning!

Programs are facilitated by the 

West Atlanta Watershed Alliance

Act fast…Schools that register multiple grade levels may qualify for transportation assistance grants!

For more information contact us:

The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance

@ Outdoor Activity Center

1442 Richland Road Atlanta, GA 30310

404 7525385                        WWW.WAWAONLINE.ORG

Upcoming Meetings

Please make these important meetings on issues that effect our level of county representation. You need to understand the importance of House Bills 170, 171 and 172.  These Fulton County House and Senate Delegation Community Meetings are Scheduled:

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

6:30 P.M. 

Westlake High School

2400 Union Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30331

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

4:30 P.M. 

State Capitol – Room 341

Saturday, February 23, 2013

10:00 A.M. 

Cliftondale Arts Center Auditorium

4645 Butner Road, College Park, Georgia 30349

Monday, February 25, 2013

1:00 P.M. 

State Capitol – Room 341

Saturday, March 9, 2013

10:00 A.M. 

Welcome All Park Multipurpose Facility  

4255 Will Lee Road, College Park, Georgia 30349

WAWA is facilitating important meetings in the communities adjacent to Proctor Creek in North West Atlanta. The goal of these meetings is to establish a group of active and engaged community leaders to help educate other residents, work on beautification projects, encourage conservation and demonstrate stewardship ethics in several local parks and for Proctor Creek. 

Our first meeting in Atlanta City Council District 9/NPU G is February 28, 2013 6:00 PM at Springfield Missionary Baptist Church. For more information please call 404 752-5385! Other meetings in NPU's J, K and M are forthcoming!! 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join WAWA at the Inaugural Environmental Health Symposium

Join WAWA, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and the Atlanta Black Nurses Association at our Inaugural Social Justice, Environmental Justice and the Impact on Minority Health Symposium. We hope you will take this opportunity learn how social justice, public health, environmental justice and energy equity intersect and the impact it has on low income and communities of color. This event is free, but registration is required.

Friday, February 1, 2013 (8:45 am – 1pm)

Georgia State University Institute of Public Health

25 Park Place Atlanta, GA 30302 (located in the Suntrust Bank Building).

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Project @ the OAC

Join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by helping to restore and maintain habitat at the Outdoor Activity Center in Southwest Atlanta. Please wear warm clothes that you do not mind getting dirty. Working gloves will be provided.
Projects:
 Mulching trails
 Delineating/Marking trails
 Removing trash/debris
 Removing invasive species
 Planting native plants - a special Hemlock Tree planting activity will be facilitated by "Save Georgia's Hemlock's, Donna Shearer, the 2012 Cox Conserves Hero! 

January 21, 2013

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Outdoor Activity Center
1442 Richland Road, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30310

Accessible via MARTA

To RSVP for this service event, please contact:
Darryl Haddock at (404) 752-5385
or info.wawaonline@gmail.com

2012 Celebrating Native American Heritage & Cultures

 

WEST ATLANTA WATERSHED ALLIANCE (WAWA)
Outdoor Activity Center, 1442 Richland Road Atlanta, Georgia 30310

DISCOVERING & PROMOTING DIVERSITY SERIES PRESENTS:
2012 Celebrating Native American Heritage & Cultures
...

This gathering will showcase and highlight cultures of the Native Americas through authentic music, dance performances, craft demonstrations and cuisine sampling by Native American artists.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2012, 12:00 P.M - 3:00 P.M.

Opening Reception (Ground Blessing Ceremony)
Musical Solo (Flute)
Narrative Presentation (Story)
Performance (Dance)
Handmade Art Demonstration (Dream Catcher)
Closing Remarks (Prayer, Q & A)

ADMISSION AT THE DOOR
Children (All Ages) $1 & Adults $2 *Includes Food Sampling*

PLEASE JOIN THE EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/events/440312289337713/
*PLEASE BRING YOU OWN CHAIRS AND/OR BLANKETS.*

SPECIAL THANKS TO CONTRIBUTORS:
Keeping It Wild, Foundation for Youth Investment & Outside Atlanta, L.L.C. & Edge of Night Camping Club

For more information you may contact us at (404) 752-5385.

Please join the event on Facebook.

Rain Barrel Construction Workshop

Rain Barrels are a great way to use rain water in a productive way, keeping it from becoming stormwater! Water use from rain barrels helps us reduce our dependency on our municipal water supplies. Saving rain water in rain barrels can be used to water your lawn and plants. This is critical savings because residential irrigation can account for as much as 40% of household water consumption.

Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR) is an environmental advocacy organization with more than 5,000 members dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River Basin — drinking water source for 3.5 million people.

The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance works to improve the quality of life in West Atlanta’s watersheds by protecting, preserving and restoring our community’s natural resources. WAWA believes that a healthy environment = a healthy community.

Our next water conservation education program is

A Rain Barrel Construction Workshop

August 3, 2012 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM

Outdoor Activity Center 1442 Richland Road Atlanta, GA 30310

Please RSVP 404752-5385 ASAP barrels are in limited supply

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.

Ghetto Plainsman, Jarid Manos to Visit SW Atlanta, will Lead Hike & Presentation at the OAC on Friday, 1/20/12

Join the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) and Keeping It Wild for "Sharing the Journey" with Jarid Manos, Author of Ghetto Plainsman on Friday, January 20, 2012 at the Outdoor Activity Center (OAC) in SW Atlanta.

Jarid, will lead a hike of the 26-acre OAC urban forest from 4:30 - 5:45 pm. At 7:00 pm, he'll then share a bit of his journey and work with the Great Plains Restoration Council (GPRC) in Houtson, Texas and the group's 12 components of ecological health. A book signing will follow.

Don't miss this exciting opportunity! Jarid is touring the country and was gracious enough to squeeze in SW Atlanta as a part of his Atlanta trip.

The hike and presentation are free and open to the public. RSVPs are requested for both events by sending and e-mail message to info.wawaonline@gmail.com. For more information, please call, (404) 752-5385.

 

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Day of Service

Join the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance for our Annual Martin Luther King Jr. service project at  the Outdoor Activity Center
1442 Richland Road Atlanta, GA 30310

When: January 16, 2012 from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM


Tasks include:
1) Delineate existing trails w/ trail tools and flag a new trail leg
2) Invasive plant removal
3) Use Wheelbarrows to transport wood chip mulch, and shovels and rakes to spread mulch down
4) lots of fun in the spirit of service

Other activities will include a nature hike and historical tour including a visit to the Negro League's Atlanta Black Crackers baseball practice field.

WAWA's Na'Taki O. Jelks Named Atlanta's "Cox Conserves Hero"

After weeks of voting, WAWA Board Chair, Na’Taki Osborne Jelks, was named Atlanta's 2011 Cox Conserves Hero! Na'Taki accepted a check for $5,000 which will be donated to the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance to support community-based environmental education programs at the Outdoor Activity Center.

The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between TPL and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Channel 2 WSB-TV, to honor everyday conservationists. Since the program launched in 2008, nearly $180,000 has been donated to local environmental nonprofits. Cox Conserves Heroes also runs in Arizona, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Virginia.

We are so proud of Na’Taki and thankful to all of the WAWA members, friends, and supporters who helped make this important victory happen.

See Na’Taki’s Cox Conserves video below.