Elachee’s Friends

Elachee Nature Science Center is fortunate to have many good friends.

These supporters opt to connect with us on many different levels and for many different reasons.

• Some are volunteers who help on our trails & assist with stream monitoring in the Nature Preserve.
• Several are grandparents or parents of our day campers, always happy to tell you what a great experience their child had at Camp Elachee.
• Many are teachers who choose Elachee for their out of classroom, hands-on education experience to extend their students’ learning.

Chicopee Woods Mitigation Bank

A Stream Mitigation Bank is funding mechanism for stream restoration projects which allows the owner of degraded streams to sell credits after restoring, stabilizing, and preserving those streams.

The purchaser of credits is typically a developer with a project in the same watershed. If the developers’ project will cause any stream disturbance or impact on a stream, credits must be purchased in order to receive construction permits. Examples of projects requiring credit purchase include piped road crossings or bridges. The number of credits a developer must obtain is dependent on the size of the impact on the given streams within their project. This determination is made by the Army Corps of Engineers who are responsible for the permitting process.

Fall Colors at Elachee

Nature has opened her paintbox
and left a rainbow of color at Elachee!

From left to right - red oak, black gum, hickory, chestnut oak, blue salvia, asters, beautyberry. ROY-G-BIV!

The most colorful trees of autumn: the Red Maple (Acer rubrum),
hickories (Carya species), American Beech (Fagus grandiflora)
and Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum).

Stream Restoration

As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the health and biodiversity of the Nature Preserve, a portion of Walnut Creek was restored in 2007 as part of a 319(h) Watershed Restoration Grant, funded by the US EPA through the GA Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division.

The portion of Walnut Creek along the Dodd Trail was chosen because it is directly below I-985 and receives stormwater runoff from the highway, as well as from the airport and industrial park upstream.

Over the years, storm water runoff has eroded streambanks and altered the original stream pattern and habitats. Trees were undercut and falling into the creek- adding to the loss of soil.

What is a Nature Preschool?

Children spend at least 50% of their time in the outdoors, exploring nature and learning in a hands-on way guided by experienced early childhood education professionals. These types of programs include an age appropriate, balanced curriculum focused on developing the whole child (cognitive, physical, social, emotional and creative development - current best practice in the field of early childhood education) infused with nature topics and materials. Large and small group activities and indoor time round out the children’s day.

These programs are licensed, conducted for two to three hours, two to four days per week.  The preschool is tuition-based, with dedicated staff and facilities, and year-long classes following the school calendar.   The curriculum is specially designed for 3-5 year-olds, and accommodates a strong emphasis on nature and the outdoors.

Elachee Nature Preschool

Elachee is eagerly planning to open a nature-based preschool in 2012 or 2013.

In the meantime, we are offering a fall pre-k camp: Elachee Explorers.

Elachee Explorers is a preview of what’s to come.  The 8-week series for Pre-K students will immerse 4  or 5 year olds in nature-based discovery and experiential learning in the Chicopee Woods. The teachers assigned to the program have almost 70 collective years of experience in the classroom. 

Children will walk trails, learn to identify animals and plants, act out their favorite animal during creative movement, learn new songs about wildlife, and create nature art using found or recycled materials. Your child will find inspiration and adventure around every rock, tree and bend of the creek in northeast Georgia’s most beautiful green space.

We feel strongly that northeast Georgia and its quality of life will be enhanced by our future preschool. No other nature preschool exists in the southeast. We wonder what effect lots of little ones will have on Elachee, our culture, our collective energy level and our community. It should be quite an adventure.

Our next Elachee Explorers session begins on October 4.
Details at: http://www.elachee.org/programs/school%20programs/Explorers.html