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Providing for our local national park is our passion!

Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy (CNPC) is the official friends group for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA), a series of fifteen park units along 48 miles of the Chattahoochee River in metro Atlanta. Our mission is to build a community of support for the CRNRA and promote stewardship of its natural and cultural resources.

INSPIRING the Next Generation

Our children have moved indoors during the last twenty years, taking a mental and physical toll on their health and well-being. The negative impact of decreased time outdoors includes a doubling of the childhood obesity rate, as well as declining creativity, concentration and social skills. Studies show outdoor time helps children grow strong, enhances imaginations, decreases aggression and boosts classroom performance. In addition, children who spend time in nature regularly are shown to become better stewards of the environment (National Wildlife Federation).

Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy helps the National Park Service bring thousands of young people to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) every year by providing transportation, educational supplies, teacher fellowships, internships and volunteers. Our focus is on underserved schools and students who have rarely, if ever, had a chance to visit a park, get in a raft or observe wildlife.

Thanks to the National Park Foundation, corporate sponsors and our members/donors, we are able to help serve more than 3,000 young people annually in the CRNRA. If you would like to make a gift to the Sibley Pond Experience, click here and select 'I would like my donation to go toward: Transporting Underserved Children to the Park'. A donation of $100 will support five scholarships and a gift of $500 can support an entire class.



    

Creating a Legacy

Society grows great when men and women plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in – Greek Proverb

The people, organizations, businesses and foundations that helped create the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA), beginning in the 1970s, knew that they were taking on a task that would provide benefits to millions of people well into the future – people that they would never know.

Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy (CNPC) is committed to continuing the legacy of those inside and outside of the government agencies whose vision resulted in our national recreation area: a vibrant and growing public green space that also helps protect a river that is the drinking water source for millions of people. 

While nearly 7,000 acres of parkland are permanently protected as part of the CRNRA, the trails and facilities in the park are being loved almost to death, especially in high-use areas. CNPC is raising awareness and funds to restore and connect trails, improve park units and visitor facilities, acquire additional land and create a history of early park beginnings.

In alignment with National Park Service priorities, we are currently raising funds to support legacy projects that include:
  • A campaign to restore and connect CRNRA trails beginning with a comprehensive trail assessment and management study
  • Planning and implementation of improvements in the Paces Mill and Vickery Creek/Allenbrook units
  • Enhancements to the CRNRA’s National Water Trail, to include camping and launch sites
  • An administrative park history that includes video interviews with people who helped create the CRNRA.


Building a caring community

Along with the National Park Service and our partner organizations, Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy helps promote the outstanding opportunities offered in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) for recreation, learning and solitude to a larger and more diverse population.

We build a community of support to help protect the park’s natural and cultural resources and enrich visitor experience through events, recreational outings, volunteering, a speaker’s bureau, media outreach and our annual member celebration.

In 2016, CNPC celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service with a barbecue at the Island Ford Visitor Center attended by several hundred people including elected officials and members of Friends of the River (left photo): the group that advocated for the CRNRA in the 1970s. Working with the outfitter REI, we organized the first-ever paddle-camp outing at Abbotts Bridge in the CRNRA. Our volunteers supported the annual Sweep the Hooch cleanup, helped build and maintain trails, assisted NPS staff with education programs, participated in festivals and other tabling events and offered nature lectures.


Growing our Organization

Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy (CNPC) is membership-based and volunteer powered. We need your volunteer assistance and your membership/donations to help us make tangible improvements to the park we all love and enjoy.  

CNPC is led by a board of volunteers with expertise in nonprofit management, development, financial accounting, law, environmental education, trail management, communications, paddle sports and event planning. We host an annual membership celebration to report on the organization’s activities and to thank our volunteers.

In 2016, CNPC developed a strategic plan to significantly enhance our organizational capacity to achieve our mission with new branding, a strengthened presence in the community, new partnerships, a membership campaign and an expansion of our board. We also have improved our systems management and protocols and hired a part-time administrative assistant to help handle our growth.

In a short period of time, we have tripled our membership, increased our social media presence and strengthened our leadership team. But, we still have a long way to go to reach our goals – and we need your support TODAY!

Please visit our Join Us page to become a member, or our Volunteers page to get involved.


Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We are proud to support our Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, a unit of the national park system managed by the National Park Service.


www.chattahoocheeparks.org

info@chattahoocheeparks.org

PO Box 769332, Roswell GA 30076






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