Macroinvertebrates with Jerry Hightower: a Dine & Discover evening at the Chattahoochee Nature Center

IN a NUTSHELL: Over the decades we Atlanta Outdoor Club hikers and nature lovers have become big fans of the Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC) and are delighted that we share the same mission of "connecting people with nature."  The CNC has a thriving "Nature Club" and they've graciously invited us to participate as often as we like in their "Dine & Discover" meetings - normally the 4th Thursday evening of each month, Jan - Oct, in the CNC's "Plaza Conference Room."  Each meeting begins with a delicious Potluck Dinner and concludes with a Presentation on a topic of interest relating to Nature and the Natural World.  The May 24th topic will be "Macroinvertebrates with Jerry Hightower"  - See Details below - also Directions and suggestions about What to Bring.  Please bring $10 in cash to chip in to the CNC meeting registrar (for admission and parking - or $5 if you're a CNC member or regular volunteer). 
  Registrants for this event are also encouraged to register for our optional 5:30 - 6:45 PM AOC Same-Evening Pre-Hike "Roswell Boardwalk & Riverwalk - Betinners Welcome" hike.

Here is the Center's invitation, excerpted from their http://www.chattnaturecenter.org/adults/the-nature-club/  webpage:

POTLUCK DINNER DETAILS, 7:00 - 7:30 PM:  Hope you can arrive in time to join us for this festive and friendly monthly Nature Club dinner that will precede the above-discussed presentation in the same "Plaza Conference Room" - see Directions below.  Please bring a food or beverage item of your choice to contribute - preferably something that you enjoy personally, and no need to provide more than about a half dozen servings of your chosen item.  The predominant style of the dinner is Vegetarian.  The Nature Center's policy is to minimize disposable plastics, etc. and they'll provide washable plates, cups, dining utensils, etc. for everyone to use.

Jerry Hightower is probably one of the most high-profile members of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area team. Spending his whole life on the river, Jerry now dedicates his life to helping protect and serve the park he also had a hand in founding. In 1978 when the park was created, Jerry was able to begin a career as a park ranger to safeguard the river he loved his entire life. His official title now is Park Ranger, though colleagues and visitors alike know him for much more.

There is no typical day for Jerry as a ranger as his job entails so many different aspects of education and interpretation. Jerry visits local schools to teach young children about Chattahoochee River NRA and how they can work to guard it and help it flourish. He performs roving and basic interpretation, leading hikes and canoes trips and teaching visitors about the history and wonder of the park. He leads environmental education programs, helps around the park headquarters, offers teacher training, and so much more.

Jerry’s passion is environmental education. He loves introducing people to the wonders and extraordinarily diverse resources of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Jerry believes teaching others about natural resources and how to defend them is the key to saving national parks and even our own backyards.

“I’ve got to have faith in generations I will never know,” says Jerry. “My success or failure [as a ranger] isn’t measured by me or anyone today, but by the actions of generations to come.”

MORE about the CHATTAHOOCHEE NATURE CENTER (CNC):  Located on a beautiful 127-acre site overlooking the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, GA (just upstream of "Morgan Falls") the Nature Center features an amazing variety of gardens, woodlands, meadows, ponds & wetlands, native plants and wild animals that showcase the natural beauty of Georgia.  Its professional staff and hundreds of member-volunteers are known especially for their dedication to protecting and promoting our state's native wild flora & fauna.  Since its founding by local citizen-activists in the 1970s the CNC has served as a focal point for for environmental education and communion with nature. Visitors who enjoy hiking are urged to explore a network of more than 2 miles of scenic trails via a fascinating variety of habitats.
  The Center continues to grow and reach out to citizens as a place to explore new ideas and expand the awareness of the natural world.  Its strong grass-roots environmental learning center touches the lives of more than 100,000 children and adults each year.  This a unique place where people connect to each other and the land through a shared respect for nature - a safe place where interaction with nature excites the senses and encourages learning.  Here are some CNC links of interest:

- Main Website: http://www.chattnaturecenter.org/
- Map of the Nature Center and its hiking trails, lakes, buildings, etc.:  http://chattnaturecenter.org/includes/trails/CNCMap2017.pdf
- Membership Info Webpage: http://www.chattnaturecenter.org/membership/join-renew/

GPS and Maps.Google.com USERS:  You can augment the verbal directions below by entering either of the following as your Destination Address for the Event:
- Street Address of Chattahoochee Nature Ctr:  9135 Willeo Rd, Roswell, GA 30075
- Lat/Lon of Conference Room where we'll meet (Be sure to include comma & minus sign): 34.0043, -84.3826

DIRECTIONS from GA-400 EXIT 6, "Northridge Rd" (This exit is about 5 miles N of the GA-400/ I-285 Interchange in N. metro Atlanta and about 3 miles south of downtown Roswell, GA.)

1. Get off GA-400 at Exit #6 ("Northridge Rd") and carefully follow the "Dunwoody Place" directional signs.
2. Just a few feet west of the GA-400 overpass bridge merge smoothly northward onto Dunwoody Place.  (No need to pass through any of the nearby Northridge Rd traffic lights).
3.  Take Dunwoody Place about 1.3 miles to the traffic light at Roswell Rd (and get in one of the right turn lanes).
4.  Turn Right onto Roswell Rd and go 0.6 mile to the traffic light at Azalea Drive (just beyond the Chattahoochee River bridge, and get in the left turn lane).
5.  Turn Left onto Azalea Drive and go 1.7 miles to the traffic light at Willeo Rd.
6.  Turn Left onto Willeo Rd and go just 0.6 mile to the Chattahoochee Nature Center main entrance on your right.
7.  Turn Right into the Chattahoochee Nature Center and park in the NE end of the parking lot near the breezeway entrance of the "Plaza Conference Room" (directly in front of the largest building) and follow the small signs to the Nature Club gathering.  Beginning at about 6:50 PM we'll greet one another there at their "Dine & Discover" registration counter.