Field Trips
All field trips will take place on Sunday, June 1st
Photo by Robert Neff
Atlanta Beltline Arboretum Field Trip
The Atlanta Beltline is one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the United States. It is a sustainable redevelopment project that connects a network of public parks, multi-use trails, and light-rail transit along a main paved trail artery that reuses a historic 22-mile railroad corridor. This field trip will provide a tour of the Arboretum, a 13 mile stretch of linear greenspace along the Beltline corridor. This acreage is composed of approximately 46 acres of planted space, and the remaining 39 acres are natural areas under restoration management. Overall, the beltline provides an unprecedented opportunity to use the arboretum to educate the public about ecological restoration, utilizing native plants, and how urban ecology can reconnect fragmented communities. The arboretum serves as a component of Atlanta’s urban forest, acts as an ecological corridor, a place for education, community science, and scientific research, and a learning landscape.
Duration/Time: 1.5 - 2 hours, 9 - 11 AM
Accessibility considerations: Leisurely stroll
Transportation: Participants provide their own transportation (2 mi from hotel)
Max Participants: 25
Cost: $20 pp
Crayfish Creek Urban Fisheries Restoration Project
The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) was established when former President Jimmy Carter signed Public Law 95-344 on August 15, 1978. CRNRA is a unit of the National Park Service charged with the preservation and protection of 48-miles of the Chattahoochee River starting below Buford Dam and flows into the City of Atlanta. The river is released from Lake Lanier and controlled by Buford Dam, a hydro-electric facility managed by USACE. The Park serves over 3 million visitors annually and provides 7,000+ acres of forested greenspace which is approximately 20% of all greenspaces in the metro-Atlanta area. This field trip will tour a restored section of Crayfish Creek, a tributary to the Chattahoochee River within the park, which is impacted by the daily power generations by Buford Dam as well as a highly urbanized watershed. The restoration was completed through grassroots efforts by the local community and at no cost to the park. It was funded by grants and fundraising efforts of the local community and partially completed by volunteers. Attendees will get the opportunity to learn more about the partnership and discuss the successes and unique challenges of this project.
Duration/Time: 1 hour of travel both ways, 2 hours on site, 1 - 5 PM
Accessibility considerations: ~0.25 mile hike along an unpaved trail to the site
Transportation: Vans provided
Max Participants: 22
Cost: $30 pp
Urban Bats Using Transportation Structures
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources partners with the Georgia Department of Transportation to reduce impacts to wildlife species and their habitats in transportation right-of-ways. In recent years, we have developed a better understanding of how bats utilize transportation structures for roosting in Georgia. During this trip, we will visit a large culvert and a bridge that provide important roosts for bats along the I-75 corridor. We will inspect both structures for bat use, identify roosting bats and signs of bats and discuss the importance of each type of roost. Please note that we will be visiting bridge and culvert locations in an area of north Georgia that is assumed to be saturated with the causal fungal agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS). We encourage participants to decontaminate gear used at these sites following The National White-nose Syndrome Decontamination Protocol.
What to Bring: Reflective Vests, binoculars, headlamp/flashlight/spotlight, and extra shoes. We encourage participants to bring rubber boots or shoes that can get wet (we will provide bins for storing footwear between & after site visits) and a second pair of shoes to change into after site visits. DNR will have some extra but supplies are limited.
Duration/Time: 1 hour of travel both ways, 2 hours on site, 9 AM - 1 PM
Accessibility considerations: There is 0.25-0.5 mi of walking along a roadside to the culvert site, including a steep hill down to the culvert entrance. The culvert has about 6 inches of water in places, and includes slippery and uneven surfaces.
Transportation: Vans provided
Max Participants: 20
Cost: $30 pp
Cochran Shoals Habitat Restoration Field Trip with Birds Georgia
Join Birds Georgia for a unique field trip experience at Cochran Shoals! We'll explore the site of our exciting habitat restoration project, revitalizing meadows and wildlife corridors along the Chattahoochee River. Learn how we're working to restore the "sparrow field," a haven for a diverse array of sparrows, including the High Priority Henslow's and Grasshopper Sparrows. Discover how we're creating a bird-friendly habitat by removing invasive plants and fostering native species that support birds and pollinators like the Monarch butterfly.
See firsthand how this project is making a real difference for birds like the Indigo Bunting, Yellow Warbler, and Yellow-breasted Chat, all while contributing to the greater Chattahoochee RiverLands effort. Engage with Birds Georgia and partners from the National Park Service and Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy to understand the challenges and successes of restoring this vital ecosystem.
Duration/Time. 30 minute drive, 2 - 2.5 hours on site, 8 AM - Noon
Accessibility considerations: There is a ~ 0.75 mi walk to the restoration site on a wide, flat trail. There are no trails or paths in the restoration site.
Transportation: Vans provided
Max Participants: 22
Cost: $30 pp