ROSWELL — It started with 6.7 acres and a group of volunteers who thought Roswell needed a place where people could connect with nature. Fifty years later, the Chattahoochee Nature Center has grown into a 127-acre campus drawing more than 150,000 visitors a year.
The nonprofit marked the milestone last month with a three-day celebration that drew about 1,500 people to its campus along the Chattahoochee River.
How it began
The center was founded in 1976 as a grassroots effort to preserve green space along the Chattahoochee. Over the decades, it expanded well beyond its original footprint, building programs in environmental education, wildlife rehabilitation, and native plant conservation that now serve the broader metro Atlanta region.
“Fifty years ago, a small group of volunteers believed Roswell needed a place where people could fall in love with nature,” said Natasha Rice, the center’s president and CEO. “Today, that belief has grown into 127 acres and five decades of memories for this community.”
The celebration
The anniversary events ran from June 24 through June 28. The first evening featured outdoor activities including archery and canoeing. A 1970s-themed “Sunset Sips” gathering with live music followed the next night. The weekend wrapped up with a free community celebration open to the public.
The center also launched a “50 Things to Do at Chattahoochee Nature Center” challenge, giving visitors a structured way to explore the campus across categories including adventure, art, health and wellness, and wildlife.
What comes next
The center enters its second half-century with some financial momentum behind it. A nearly $10 million capital campaign, focused on modernizing facilities, recently wrapped up. Among the projects it will fund is a new River Welcome Center.
Alongside the anniversary festivities, the center debuted a refreshed logo and updated website. The new logo, designed by yellobee studio, incorporates the letters “CNC,” an image of a Kingfisher, and elements representing the river. The center also adopted a new tagline: “Discovery Flows Here.”
Rice said the organization’s core purpose has not shifted, even as its look and reach have grown.
“Our mission hasn’t changed in 50 years, but our story has continued to grow,” she said.
More information about the Chattahoochee Nature Center is available at chattnaturecenter.org.
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- Auto giant shifts gears into vacant McDonough warehouse
- Fatal crash closes all lanes of I-95 North at Exit 42 in Glynn County
- Phones and Internet down at Floyd County Election Office after storm
- Georgia doctors caught a faint heart murmur that saved this baby's life
- Chattahoochee Nature Center marks 50 years along the river
