CNC's Discover Center planned as interactive teaching venue
by Hatcher Hurd
The Discover Center at the Chattahoochee Nature Center will be the interactive nerve center for visitors who come to visit the rambling 127 acres on the Chattahoochee River.
Seven years ago the Chattahoochee Nature Center Board of Directors began to plot a bold new course for the 127-acre preserve to claim its place for the 21st century, Board President Jose Creamer announced Oct. 12.
The first two years were to plan and design the Nature Center's new museum, Discover Center, and the Discover Pavilion as the CNC embarks on a $9 million makeover campaign, Creamer said.
The last five years, the Board of Directors has quietly raised $8 million of the fund needed. Now the community is asked
to help make that last push to secure the $1 million needed to finish the job.
The Discover Center will be the jumping off point for the 100,000 annual visitors (half of them students) to learn and understand the fragile relationship of the forests, rivers and wetlands of Georgia's piedmont.
The museum will tell about the need for conservation of both the natural beauty of Georgia's wildlife and plants and its natural resources, the latter brought home most notably with 2007's yearlong drought.
In that respect, the Nature Center's mission of education and interpretation of the area's natural resources has never been more critical, said CNC Executive Director Ann Bergstrom.
"The water level at Lake Alatoona is just six feet above the intake valve. When it falls below that, Cobb County will be out of water. The Ga. Environmental Protection Division director predicts Lake Lanier has a three-month supply of water. It is incomprehensible that we have gotten to this situation, but nevertheless, here we are," Bergstrom said.
She made the comment while announcing the new plans for the Nature Center, but she felt is was an appropriate time, because it is obvious to her there is a disconnect between Georgia's people and their environment – one that the Nature Center is working to turn around.
"This is a wakeup call for all of us. There is a point where population growth and limited resources intersect. We had better know where that point is," she said. "The Nature Center is all about these issues."
The Chattahoochee Nature Center, a private, non-profit facility strategically located midway on the Chattahoochee River, is evolving and expanding to meet the growing and changing needs of the region.
Once known solely as an educational facility for children, the Chattahoochee Nature Center is expanding its mission. That mission is to be the interpretive center for the Chattahoochee River.
The goals of the new Discovery Center include:
• Promoting connections between the environment and community issues related to the health of the Chattahoochee River.
• Inviting participation by providing a place where visitors can hear and feel the natural world, encouraging conservation efforts and the preservation of the natural world for present and future generations.
• Heighten community awareness of the relationship between a high-quality environment and a high-quality lifestyle, and inspiring change in visitors by endorsing environmental actions that advance a sustainable future.
The Chattahoochee River supplies Georgia with more than 60 percent of its drinking water, offers Georgians more than 140 miles of river parklands and is the Atlanta region's most immediate connection to the natural world. It is critical to the continued success and prosperity of the region.
Sen. Johnny Isakson, honorary chairman of the nature center's capital campaign, said the Chattahoochee Nature Center promotes a greater understanding and appreciation of the dependence of local populations upon the Chattahoochee River for their growth, and the importance of personal stewardship of the river for future generations.
"If we want to enjoy the way of life that exists today in metro Atlanta, we must tell this story of water conservation to the city's growing population. Thankfully, the Chattahoochee Nature Center exists to tell that story and to teach citizens how to sustain, conserve, and support the Chattahoochee River and its watershed," Isakson said.
The centerpiece of the expansion will be a 10,000-square-foot exhibit hall and museum that will break ground in February of next year and open in April 2009.
The Discovery Center will showcase hands-on exhibits depicting three separate areas of our watershed (river, wetland and forest) and a 65-person theater.
The small, existing Discovery Center will be converted into an open-air pavilion located on Kingfisher Pond that can host special programs ands events. The Discovery Center will also be home to a new series of programs and events geared towards adults who want to learn more about our local environment, and the impact the Chattahoochee River has on it.
Local architectural firm, Lord, Aeck & Sargent, has designed the two-level LEED-certified Discovery Center. Local landscaping company, EDAW, has been signed for site improvements and general landscaping beauty. Exhibit design firm, AldrichPears Associates from British Columbia, is designing the interior space.
"It's an exciting time to be involved with the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Great changes and exciting visions are about to come to fruition," said Creamer. "Atlanta and the entire region are about to be presented with a wonderful new resource for learning."
Citizens can visit the Chattahoochee Nature Center's Web site at chattnaturecenter.com to learn more about the changes or to make a donation.
Labels: Chattahoochee, Nature Center, Roswell, water
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Brian Vanderhoff @ 4:33 PM
