One way that CNPC helps the Park is by providing funding for projects including restoring and connecting trails, improving park units and visitor facilities, and providing educational opportunities for the community. Please consider making a donation to help us complete one of below projects. Please contact Executive Director Brittany Jones (Brittany.Jones@ChattahoocheeParks.org) with any donation questions.  

East Palisades & Bowmans Island Bridge Project

We funded the repair of two bridges in East Palisades unit and one in the Bowmans Island unit. These two park units makeup 13% of total trail use across the CRNRA impacting trail access for an estimated 1,700 park visitors per year. The project cost $90,000.

Youth Trail Crew 

We funded, at a cost of $135,000, a four month full-time trail crew from the Student Conservation Association (SCA) that began working late summer of 2022. They helped rebuild and improve miles of badly erodedtrails that have been identified for immediate need. 

Lead the Pack: Bag & Bin It Initiative

During fall 2020, 37 new dog waste bins, funded by CNPC and NPS, were installed throughout the CRNRA. Bins can now be found in all 15 CRNRA park units, with additional bins in high-use areas. The new dog waste bins include free waste bags and disposal bins to encourage visitors to properly dispose of their dog’s waste at the park. 

The “Lead the Pack – Bag and Bin It” campaign was the culmination of three years of work by CNPC, CRNRA, and students from Atlanta’s Miami Ad School studying how to reduce inappropriate dog waste in the park and river and to encourage dog owners to pick up and properly dispose of their dogs’ waste. The partnership led to a creative campaign to educate visitors about the ecological importance of proper waste disposal and a goal to make dog waste stations more accessible in areas of high visitation throughout the Park. 

Benches for Overlooks 

The overlooks are directly on the Chattahoochee River and have been well-loved by park visitors for years.The park and CNPC installed benches to the newly rehabilitated river overlooks along the Cochran Shoals fitness loop. The fully accessible benches cost $10,000 and were funded by the support of our donors and members. 

New Cochran Shoals Overlooks 

Construction began in March 2021 to demolish and replace three overlooks in the Cochran Shoals unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. The project cost over $60,000 and will was phased over one year beginning with Pier #1 located closest to the Interstate North Parking Lot. The overlooks are directly on the Chattahoochee River and have been well-loved by park visitors for years. Link to press release

Jones Bridge Pier Replacement

The old observation deck in the Jones Bridge Unit was completely replaced in January 2021 and it is ready for visitors to enjoy one of the best views in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. The project was made possible by a $50,000 grant through the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. Our partner Upper Chattahoochee Chapter Trout Unlimited has designed and funded a spectacular interpretive sign about aquatic species that is installed at the deck.

Multi-Use Trail Upgrade

We have officially completed the restoration of the 6.7 miles of multi-use trails in the Sope Creek and Columns Drive areas of the Cochran Shoals Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA). These trails are popular with mountain bikers, trail runners, and walkers. This collaborative project was completed in February 2021 and was funded by the Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy (CNPC), REI, MTB Atlanta, and the CRNRA, spending more than $50,000 for trail improvements.