For The Birds

Candler Park gets grant to restore bird habitat

Atlanta Audubon has awarded a Habitat Restoration Fund Grant to Candler Park Conservancy for a habitat restoration project in Candler Park.

The grant, made possible through the generosity of a private donor, will support work to restore a bird-friendly wetland habitat along the riparian corridor in the north-central portion of the park.

Since a successful stream restoration project in 2006-2007, Candler Park’s riparian corridor has evolved into a thriving urban wetland ecosystem hosting a range of native flora, birds and other wildlife. According to eBird, a real-time, online checklist program, 95 different bird species have been recently spotted in the park. However, the park’s riparian corridor is currently overgrown throughout its quarter-mile length with invasive and exotic plant species like porcelain berry, privet and Japanese Chaff Flower.

Through the habitat restoration grant, Atlanta Audubon will fund the professional removal of these invasive and exotic plants, and installation of bird-friendly, siteappropriate, native plants. This work will be performed in cooperation with Candler Park Conservancy, the City of Atlanta, and other stakeholders.

Atlanta Audubon and Candler Park Conservancy may also explore other opportunities enabled by the habitat restoration project like bird species abundance monitoring, community outreach programs and Atlanta Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Certification.

“Atlanta Audubon is eager to work with Candler Park Conservancy to restore Candler Park’s riparian corridor and to replace invasive plants with native plants that benefit birds and other wildlife,” said Nikki Belmonte, Atlanta Audubon Executive Director. “This project demonstrates how parks can be urban refuges for wildlife while still serving multiple recreational uses for people.”

“We are so grateful for this generous grant to improve Candler Park,” said Perry Smith, a Candler Park Conservancy board member involved in the project. “Candler Park offers a great range of recreational uses, but it also serves complementary roles as a locally significant greenspace, watershed and natural habitat. The park’s riparian corridor in particular has become an important urban habitat for birds and other species. We are excited to work with Atlanta Audubon and other stakeholders to make this part of the park more resilient, sustainable and ecologically sound.”

Located on McLendon Avenue, Candler Park encompasses 55-acres of greenspace, including a public golf course and a range of other recreational amenities. The park was donated to the city in 1922 by Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler. Candler Park Conservancy was formed in 2015 to protect and improve the park.

To learn more about applying for the Atlanta Audubon Habitat Restoration Fund Grant, visit atlantaaudubon.org/habitat-restoration-fund.

OVER $62.6M SOLD IN 2018

#1 AGENT, MORNINGSIDE, 2018

#1 AGENT, VIRGINIA-HIGHLAND, 2018

With more than $62.6 MILLION SOLD IN 2018 , Jared Sapp is Virginia-Highland and Morningside’s No. 1 REALTOR® , with more homes sold, under contract and listed than any other agent.

At Arthritis & Total Joint Specialists, we deliver treatment for those suffering from chronic joint pain due to arthritis or other conditions.

Our physicians are board-certi ed experts and leaders in joint replacement, and offer the latest in minimallyinvasive surgery, including anterior hip replacement and robotic knee surgery to return you to activity.

The industry leaders in rapid recovery, we strive to get you home within hours of your surgery, and with less pain.

Eco Briefs

The City of Atlanta Council has adopted a plan in March to transition the city to 100 percent clean energy by 2035. The plan provides benefits communitywide, creating local jobs, reducing electricity bills, providing public health savings, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing gross regional product. The Mayor’s Office of Resilience worked in partnership with city departments and external community stakeholders to develop a plan to transitions the city to 100 percent clean energy that prioritizes affordable and equitable access to clean energy through ownership and benefits to new opportunity for historically marginalized communities.

Georgia River Network’s Paddle Georgia 2019 is a program that enables Georgia educators to participate in the 7-day, 92-mile river journey and receive environmental education curriculum and Georgia Adopt-A-Stream training. The Paddle Georgia Educator’s Scholarship program provides eight scholarships valued at $425 to Georgia’s public and private school teachers for the June 15-21 journey on the Withlacoochee and Suwannee rivers. The purpose of the program is to encourage classroom instructors to incorporate environmental education into their regular lesson plans. The trip is open to all skill levels and all ages. To learn more about the event visit garivers.org/ paddle-georgia.

Woodlands Garden, the 8-acre public forest at the corner of Scott Boulevard and Clairemont Avenue in DeKalb County, closed in February to begin construction on its new entrance. The garden was initially the private residence of the Morse family and as the garden transitioned into a public resource, the need for updated vehicle and visitor access grew. In 2016, the garden acquired the one-acre property at 915 Clairemont Ave. to serve as the site for a more visible and safe entrance and exit. Designed by Atlantabased architectural firm TSW, the new entrance will offer better access for vehicles of all sizes, including school buses; an updated ADA-accessible path to the garden visitor’s center; a new pollinator garden; and many new plantings of native shrubs and trees. Gay Construction Company is the general contractor for the project. The garden is expected to reopen by this fall. For updates on construction, visit woodlandsgarden.org.

In honor of the recent Super Bowl, a $2.4 million grant – supported by funding from the NFL Foundation, Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation – was awarded for renovation of John F. Kennedy Park located in Atlanta’s historic Westside neighborhood. Additional support for the project was provided by Atlanta-based partners – Chick-fil-A Foundation, Park Pride, Primerica and WXIA. The project will provide students at the nearby Hollis Innovation Academy, as well as the Westside community, with a versatile playing field for athletic competition and the surrounding community a safe space for exercise and outdoor activities.

Four new episodes of the popular PBS environmental series EcoSense for Living will premiere nationwide in April for Earth Month. Topics include grizzly bears and wolves and their complicated relationship with the people of Montana and Wyoming. A second episode explores the future of food with a visit to New Orleans to learn about sustainable seafood and how crickets and other bugs are appearing on trendy New York menus. The series transports us to Donora, Penn., where disastrous events in 1948 led to America’s Clean Air Act still critical today to curb air pollution. Another new episode explores the critical need for recycling and how Orlando, Fl., deals with trash generated by 72 million guests each year. The series founder, producer and host is Atlanta native Jennie Turner Garlington. Watch episodes at pbs.org.

Piedmont Park Conservancy has welcomed 10 new members to their board: Lee Echols, V.P. Marketing & Communications, Northside Hospital; Makara Rumley, Founder & CEO, Hummingbird; Patrick Baldwin, Senior Associate, Jones Day; Erin Yabroudy, Harry Norman Realtors; Herman Howard, Founding Partner/Director of Planning and Urban Design, SHAPE; Timothy Montz, Vice President of Business Operations, Cox Communications; Adriana Varela, Attorney, Fragomen’s; Alex Wan, Executive Director, Horizons Atlanta; John Wilson, Senior Vice President, Jamestown; and Joni Winston, Community Philanthropist and Wellness Instructor.

The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM), in partnership with investment firm Quantified Ventures and broker Neighborly, have announced the issuance of the first impact bond to be offered on the public markets. The $14 million Environmental Impact Bond (EIB) gives the City of Atlanta access to funding for innovative green infrastructure projects that will address critical flooding and water quality issues, reduce stormwater runoff and enhance the quality of life of Westside neighborhoods that are in the Proctor Creek watershed. The Atlanta EIB issuance was supported by a grant from The Rockefeller Foundation with additional underwriting support provided by KeyBanc Capital Markets and Siebert Cisneros Shank.