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The Nature Club Dine and Discover: An Evening with Ranger Jerry Hightower at the Chattahoochee Nature Center




The Basics:
Event Type:Learn
Event Location: 9135 Willeo Rd, Roswell, GA 30075 - in CNC Plaza Conference Room   Learn: The Nature Club Dine and Discover: An Evening with Ranger Jerry Hightower at the Chattahoochee Nature Center  National Weather Service Forecast
Date(s) & Time:Thu, Mar 28 2019  7:00 pm >> Thu, Mar 28 2019 9:00 pm
Registration Opens: Mon, Mar 25 2019 6:00 pm
Registration Cut Off: Thu, Mar 28 2019 5:00 pm
Event Duration:2 Hours
Difficulty Rating:D1: Easy
Pace:Leisurely
Trip Leader(s):
Gayle M.
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Member Cost:$10.00/Person (See Detailed Cost Info Below)

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:20
Minimum Group Size:2
Number Registered So Far: 3 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Itinerary:

The Nature Club of the Chattahoochee Nature Center invites you to participate in our March 28th "Dine & Discover" gathering.  Join us for a festive Potluck Dinner (7:00 - ~7:30 PM) and mingle with folks with similar environmental interests.  Then keep your seats for a fascinating presentation (7:30 - ~9:00 PM) - see more below.  All who have an interest in nature and the environment are invited!   Ages 16–Adult,   $10 general public/ $5 CNC members.

 Come join one of our area’s most valuable resources, also known as “Mr. Chattahoochee”. Jerry Hightower is a very humble man and his response to being called "Mr. Chattahoochee" was "That’s nice, but all I hope to do is influence, encourage and mentor young people to be the future stewards of this very special spot. In the days of my youth when I walked along this river, there was no I-285, no I-75 crossing, no sound or sign of civilization, except the occasional flyover from Dobbins Air Force Base. Some say the Chattahoochee fills my veins, not blood."

Jerry Hightower is probably one of the most high-profile members of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Areateam. 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.

Jerry grew up not too far from East Palisades and Powers Island and remembers the Chattahoochee River as one of his favorite “playgrounds” and one the best classroom he ever learned from as a child.

While active in the Army, Jerry became involved in the conservation movement. Determined to protect the river that taught him so much, he represented the Wildlife Federation and the Friends of the River in the League of Conservation Voters.

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.

National Park Service Ranger Jerry Hightower

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.”

Though he finds it difficult to choose one moment as his favorite memory in Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is paddling the river at night and spotting a great blue heron flying across the face of the full moon.

 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 March 28th topic will be "An Evening with Jerry Hightower".

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). 

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.

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/


Required Items to Bring:

- $10 in Cash to chip in to the CNC event registrar (for Admission and Parking - or $5 if you're a CNC Nature Center Member or regular volunteer)

- A "Potluck" food or beverage item of your choice to contribute, assuming you'd like to join us at 7:00 PM for the dinner that precedes the presentation.

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

 


How to Get There:
Event Directions:

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.


Notes:
* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Member Cost:$10.00/Person
Make a Payment:Although there is a cost for this event, you do not pay through the AOC. Please review the event details carefully for information about how/where to make your payment.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.