Celebrating the New Jones Bridge Overlook! |
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On Friday, February 26, the Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy (CNPC) and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of a new river overlook at the Jones Bridge North unit. Offering beautiful views of the Chattahoochee River, the new pier overlooks the Jones Bridge shoals, an area popular with fly fishermen and paddlers. Last year CNPC was awarded a $50,000 grant through the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to replace the deteriorating deck, which was a top priority for the park. The new overlook includes a colorful interpretive panel about local aquatic species funded by CNPC partner the Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Construction on the pier replacement was completed by contractor Link Welding. The proximity to the Jones Bridge shoals and nearby rock outcrops has made the overlook location a favorite spot for park visitors for over four decades. With the new pier completed, visitors can once again frequent the overlook to enjoy expansive river views, observe numerous bird species, and fish for trout from the accessible pier. The overlook is easily reached from the west end parking lot by walking straight into the park towards the Chattahoochee and taking a left on the flat trail that runs along the river. CNPC is currently working on replacing the three Cochran Shoals river overlooks and are actively fundraising for the $50,000 project slated to begin this March. For information on how you can support the Cochran Shoals overlooks go to www.chattahoocheeparks.org/join-donate |
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Kickoff Spring with HikeCRNRA |
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Experience the excitement of exploring new trails and the beauty of diverse ecosystems. Through its HikeCRNRA program, CNPC is recognizing hikers who hike all 66 miles of designated trails throughout various park units. With trail maps and forms available on the CNPC website, you can start tracking your trails today!
To join the program, participants can go to www.chattahoocheeparks.org/hikecrnra. Park unit trail maps and trail segment tracking forms are available for downloading. Additionally, a summary form is available to submit to CNPC once all trail segments have been completed. Credit will be given for trail segments completed after December 1, 2020, and hikers will have a lifetime to complete all trail segments.
“We hope HikeCRNRA will encourage people to see all that the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area has to offer,” said CNPC board member Ray Steed. “Hiking all 66 miles of maintained hiking trails along the Chattahoochee River throughout the various park units should lead to a greater appreciation of this beautiful greenspace within our metro area.”
Individuals who hike all designated CRNRA trails will receive a special HikeCRNRA patch, an annual membership to CNPC, and recognition at the annual CNPC members meeting. The HikeCRNRA challenge encourages and rewards trail exploration throughout the CRNRA.
For information on the HikeCRNRA program, maps, and forms, go to: www.chattahoocheeparks.org/hikecrnra
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Celebrating a National Park Hero for Women's History Month
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Everglades National Park was established in 1947. That same year, journalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote The Everglades: River of Grass about the need to protect the natural ecosystems of south Florida from human interference. Douglas long understood and advocated for the importance of natural water flow for preservation of the wetlands and wildlife and fought against the destructive effects of agricultural and real estate development on natural land areas. Her dedication to the conservation of the Everglades' scenic wetlands and rivers led to her founding the Friends of the Everglades, an organization dedicated to preservation and restoration of the Everglades. To learn more about Marjorie Stoneman Douglas and other women who have played a significant role in U.S. history, download the National Park Trust's mobile app of national park sites here. In celebration of Women's History Month, the Park Trust will be highlighting stories of women's history in parks and hosting virtual tours of national park sites that highlight these amazing women. Photo by Chaunceydavid818
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Exploring the National Park System in Georgia:
Public Input Invited on the Ocmulgee River Corridor Special Resource Study |
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Central Georgia is home to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park and its magnificent archaeological and natural landscape with extensive American Indian resources. There is now an opportunity to potentially include additional area lands in the national park system. NPS has launched a period of public commentary on a study of the Ocmulgee River corridor between Macon and Hawkinsville, Georgia to evaluate its potential for designation as a unit of the national park system. The river corridor includes historical sites representing 17,000 years of human history, a unique bear population, and migratory and breeding bird habitat in the large swamp-forest habitat along one of the longest undammed river systems in the eastern U.S. (Ocmulgee-Altamaha Rivers).
Please support this exciting initiative! Public comments will be accepted through MARCH 26, 2021. The survey’s findings will be shared with Congress. Go to this this link and enter your comments online. You can also learn more about the study by viewing the project story map. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5e55f35b8e344bf2a104ec7ffa42a81e |
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Looking for Turkey Tail Mushrooms |
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Walking along the trails in virtually any unit of the CRNRA, you will see an array of mushrooms on the ground, on dead logs, and on the bark of living trees. Among the most beautiful are rows of striped, stemless mushrooms protruding from the sides of trees. Trametes versicolor, often called "turkey tail," is one of the most common mushrooms in North American woods. Its name indicates the distinctive stripes that resemble a wild turkey’s fanned out tail. In Japan, these are known as “kawaritake” or “cloud mushrooms,” as the striated surface resembles swirling clouds. Turkey tails are polyphore mushrooms found virtually anywhere there are dead hardwood logs and stumps. Polyphores assist in the decomposition of dead wood and can also cause rot as pathogens on living wood. The top surface of the cap shows typical concentric zones of different colors including mainly tan, brown, cinnamon, and reddish brown. The mushrooms vary in texture as well as color, with fuzzy areas alternating with smoother ones. Please enjoy looking at them, but do not collect or eat any mushrooms that you find in the park. For more information on turkey tails, go to https://www.mushroomexpert.com/trametes_versicolor.html
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Updates and Opportunities |
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Teaming up with Chattahoochee RiverKeeper to Remove 500 lbs of Trash On Saturday, February 20th, Chattahoochee RiverKeeper, CNPC, and CRNRA teamed up for a cleanup in the Whitewater Creek area of the park. It was a great day to remove trash from our watershed - with 22 volunteers, we removed 500 lbs of trash, 45 bags and miscellaneous plastics. Let’s keep working together to keep our beautiful park clean! Want to get involved? Sign up for Sweep the Hooch with Chattahoochee RiverKeeper on March 27th at https://chattahoochee.org/sweep-the-hooch/. CNPC is a proud sponsor of “Sweep.” Celebrate Birds with Georgia Bird Fest Georgia Audubon is once again holding its popular Georgia Bird Fest, featuring a full month of activities and webinars for bird and nature lovers of all levels. Beginning Saturday, April 17th, there are numerous in person and online events, including guided field trips to Georgia's best birding hotspots, nature-based workshops, and guest speakers. To sign up for the Georgia Birdfest and featured events, go https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/birdfestevents.html. Book of the Month – Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul Bird migration is a complex and fascinating process. Following multiple paths of migrating birds, Weidensaul breaks down scientific information in an understandable way to appeal to anyone who loves birds or is interested in the processes of nature. Weidensaul takes his readers from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to tropical South America and multiple migratory hotspots in-between to highlight the migration process and the birds adapted for the journey. This book lets you experience and appreciate birds and migration on a much greater level. Scott Weidensaul is the featured keynote speaker for the 2021 Georgia Audubon Birdfest. To sign up for the keynote and other Birdfest events, go https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/birdfestevents.html. Family Fun - Bird Call ID apps “Cheer, cheer, cheer! Birdie, birdie, birdie!” Scanning the trees for the origin of the song…what is that bird? That distinctive song is from a cardinal. Wouldn’t you love to be able to identify the birds around you just by their calls? Luckily, there is an excellent app available on your phone that can help. Check out Song Sleuth, an app designed to listen to the bird songs around you and suggest possible species matches. A built-in Sibley field guide helps identify the bird with detailed species information. Song Sleuth is free on Android and iPhone and at songsleuth.com.
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Become a CNPC member or donate today!
YOU can help us achieve our vision of an inspired and thriving community of support for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. |
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CNPC 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. |
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National Park Service Website |
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