Scientific Excursions

Tuesday, April 28

1:30PM - 5:00PM

1:30PM - 5:00PM

1:30PM - 5:00PM

Botanizing at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia | $45 - Snack included

• Enjoy a guided tour of a few of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia's hotspots including the Native Flora Garden, Children's Garden, and other curated gardens, led by Conservation Research staff and garden Director. Trip will include free time to explore the many aspects of the property including glasshouse with tropical plants, gift shop, porcelain museum, children's garden, hiking through deciduous woods, floodplain and restored Piedmont prairie. Restrooms and ADA accessible paths. 

Birding at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia | $45 - Snack included

• Richard Hall from UGA Odum School of Ecology, will lead a birding trip to the grounds of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia (https://botgarden.uga.edu/) which will include breeding and migratory birds in deciduous woods, floodplain and restored Piedmont prairies. Please bring your own binoculars. We will be hiking through deciduous woods, floodplain and restored Piedmont prairie. We will also have mist nets set up and may get lucky and see some local birds in hand. Restrooms will be available. Closed-toe shoes recommended. eBird hotspot description (species list and map): https://ebird.org/hotspot/L164554

Sandy Creek Nature Center | $45 - Snack included

• ​Take a hike through Athens' history, exploring how farming, mining for clay, and the old road connecting Athens to the north have shaped the landscape.  Today Sandy Creek Nature Center features 255 acres of protected woodlands and wetlands with over 4 miles of trails. Because of the many wetlands on the property, it wasn't ideal for business growth but instead was a great place to preserve natural habitats for animals and plants as well as providing recreation opportunities. Bring your binoculars and hiking shoes as we will explore along the wetlands that were created from clay mining, the remains of a brick factory, and the old pump house that provided water to a burgeoning town.

Thursday, April 30

7:00AM - 4:00PM

8:00AM - 5:30PM

Phinizy Swamp | $50 - Box lunch included

• We will travel ~2 hours east of Athens to the Phinizy swamp where we will explore the trails through wetlands and cypress swamp with coastal plain species (wading bird rookery, Painted Bunting, American alligators, cottonmouth) that we don't see in Athens. Participants should wear closed toe shoes and bring sun protection (hat/shirt/sunscreen) as well as insect repellent. There's no elevation gain but the terrain could be slightly uneven underfoot. We'll be walking up to two miles slowly as we look for birds and other wildlife, so it won't be super strenuous. Participants will have the option to self-guide or hang out near the visitor center.
  

Chattahoochee Hills - $150 - Lunch included

• Join us for an excursion to Chattahoochee Hills, a city in Fulton County, Georgia where pioneering land use and conservation policies are centered on a 70/30 rule that permanently preserves 70% of the city’s land as rural, agricultural, and natural space, while allowing the remaining 30% to accommodate clustered, walkable development. Our first stop will be Serenbe, a planned community that has put these policies into practice, creating a thriving community focused on wellness, access to nature, fresh food, arts and culture. We will explore the four hamlets within Serenbe, each anchored by diverse commercial and retail centers, as well as the vast network of greenspace that has been preserved. After lunch at Halsa, we will continue to Chattahoochee Hills New RiverLands Park, a recent Trust for Public Land acquisition that is a piece of the visionary Chattahoochee RiverLands project. The Chattahoochee RiverLands will reunite the River with the Metro Atlanta Region and link urban, suburban and rural communities into a continuous 100-mile network of greenways, blueways, parks and other river-related destinations. At the water’s edge, we will discuss the project’s vision to promote stewardship and ecological conservation, recreation and community cohesion, and a living legacy for future generations. This excursion will offer participants the option to bring their luggage and be dropped off at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at the conclusion of the trip.