Tag: Blue Heron Nature Preserve

Deja & Jackie: Blue Heron Nature Preserve

by Dr. Shannon Finck

 

 

Jackie Guo and Deja Burton worked with the team at Ecologic at Blue Heron Nature Preserve to learn about regenerative land management. Their final project was a brochure to educate the public about regenerative gardening and help Atlanta residents learn how they might use regenerative practices in their own yards and gardens at home.

Jackie and Deja also presented on this topic at GSU’s Undergraduate Research Conference. Here’s the information they shared with the audience at the event (plus some bonus pics of them presenting):

Regeneration at Blue Heron Nature Preserve

by dburton20

SInce I first checkin in, it has been very exciting to move from woking on our project with Meadows for Monarchs and presenting at GSURC into getting our hands dirty and actually contributing to the vision of regeneration they are really proud of at Blue Heron.

Keith McAuley and Chelsea Darling have been great. Their passion and dedication to making Blue Heron not just a preserved space but a thriving, regenerative ecosystem is warming. Jackie and I have been working really hands on and actively preparing the meadow site. We have spent a good bit of time physically removing grass from designated planting areas to make room for the native species that will soon call this meadow home. We’ve used their equipment and some gloves they have there, felt like we blended right in. We also helped trim down old plant matter, giving the space a cleaner, more vibrant appearance while allowing new growth to flourish. See, the preserve is right in the middle of the city so people drive by constantly. To look pretty from the streetview brings much more appeal to passerbys.

There’s something really satisfying about seeing the physical changes we’re helping make. Jackie and I even took some before and after pictures we are sure to include in the final project.We can now understand that these actions directly support pollinators and local biodiversity. For Blue Heron it is not just about aesthetics though, it is more about creating habitats that are intentional, functional, and welcoming to species. Especially since these species are often pushed from the surrounding urban environment to this haven.

EcoLogic will be returning next week, and I’m genuinely excited to see what comes next. Their approach, especially in collaboration with Georgia Power, is a practical model for what environmental partnerships can look like. It seems that instead of cutting back overgrowth to protect infrastructure, they’re working to replace invasive/harmful species with native plants that support ecosystems. It’s a very cool thing that we get to take part in.

This experience continues to show me that regeneration is more than a concept. This is a process and takes patience as well as a passionate team that is intent on the purpose.

Service Blog Post #4: “Checking In”

by dburton20

Over the past few months, I have had the incredible opportunity to volunteer at Blue Heron Nature Preserve in Buckhead. It’s been a very eye-opening experience, especially with the guidance of Keith McCauley and Chelsea Darling. Working alongside them has deepened my knowledge of native ecosystems and also sparked a genuine passion for their regenerative practices that go far beyond simple conservation.

Keith and Chelsea have been incredibly generous; taking us on immersive tours of the preserve, explaining ongoing research projects, and helping us understand the core values at Blue Heron. Two projects in particular stood out to us were: the Tree Survey and Meadows for Monarchs. While both are significant in their own right, my group (Jackie and I) became especially drawn to the Meadows for Monarchs initiative.

What has really made an impact on me was how this project emphasizes regeneration over traditional conservationist practices. Conservation can sometimes indicate keeping things frozen in time, regeneration helps to maintain what’s already there while actively improving the ecosystem. It seems to be a principle of growth, not just preservation. By researching which plant species are already thriving at Blue Heron and identifying the specific pollinators they attract, Jackie and I want to uncover what species might be missing and how we can better support biodiversity. We’ve also had the chance to collaborate with EcoLogic which is an ecological restoration group that is currently working with Georgia Power, who owns the perimeter land around the preserve. Typically, this land is cleared aggressively to prevent the grass/vegetation from growing too tall and interfering with power lines. EcoLogic is working to improve this by removing invasive or harmful species and reintroducing native, pollinator-friendly plants like Butterweed, which supports many endangered species and is essential for monarch butterflies. We have even been able to measure the carbon fixation of the area in the meadow from a simple patch of grass we helped to uproot! What an experience!

I’m super grateful to be part of their journey. This would have never been a group that I would seek out on my own as it doesn’t necessarily align with my goals of working in healthcare but through it I can make some public health connections as well as connections to my personal life as I love to garden. I’m excited to see where this research leads us next!

 

Introduction: Deja Burton

by dburton20

Hi GSU! My name is Deja Burton, and I am excited to share my experience working with Blue Heron Nature Preserve as part of my Honors Service Learning course. I chose this course because of my interest in environmental conservation and of course for the credits! I’ve learned very valuable information in sustainability efforts and kind of the main goal surrounding why a lot of people believe service learning is essential. Visiting Blue Heron with my partner, Jackie, was an enriching experience, as we explored the trails and learned about the organization’s mission to restore and protect their native habitats.

During our visit, we met Kevin McCauley and Chelsea Darling, who guided us through the preserve and educated us on invasive species removal, native plants, and ongoing conservation projects. Two initiatives that stood out to Jackie and I were the Tree Survey and Meadows for Monarchs. Both of these initiatives seem to be aimed at enhancing biodiversity while creating a sustainable landscape. We had great conversation while even touching on  grants and governmental support that help sustain these efforts. After the tour, we enjoyed lunch at a local diner before wrapping up back at their office. I am very glad that I chose this as my community partner to work with and blessed that I received this one as it was my first choice. I’m looking forward to continuing this work and learning more about how community driven conservation efforts make a lasting impact.

Introduction: Jiusi Guo

by jguo22
My selfies!

Hi! My name is Jiusi Guo, or you can call me Jackie! I’m an ESL student who just settled down in Atlanta less than a year ago. With a passion for nature and the molecular basis within it, I’m majoring in biological science at GSU, having fun decrypting the code of life. In my spare time, I love playing the guitar. In the image you can see my stratocaster electric guitar. I always love its warm and thick tone.

I chose to be part of this course simply because I want to learn more about nature. My love for biology is too broad: natural history, botany, and molecular biology (especially genetics). I can only satisfy the last one in my lab, and professional courses and lab work occupy most of my time. Focusing too much on microorganisms and biomolecules, I think sometimes my vision is so “microscopic” that I forget how to appreciate nature like a normal person. Dr. Finck also encouraged me that when I got out of the lab and into the field, my thinking would change. So, why not? Field surveys are always exciting for a biologist – I don’t even have to tell myself I’m a biologist, I’m just a visitor to nature!

I’m honored to work with Blue Heron Nature Preserve this semester. This is the first time in my life to visit somewhere called a nature preserve, and I’m so glad that my first visit is for working, which means I can be directly involved in preserving the environment with the big family of the organization. Kevin McCauley, the main organizer there, even treated me to traditional southern American food! Kevin says that in the spring, everything at BNHP will come to life. Deja and I want to help take care of the meadows here – “Meadows for Monarchs” – to help local pollinators rest and thrive in Atlanta, especially as a transfer station for monarchs during their migration through the year, from Canada to the US. However, we might need to cooperate with some ecology experts who will come in April in order to most efficiently conduct the project, so before that, we are happy to help BNHP with the tree canopy survey. On the other hand, I’m also going to help Chelsea Darling, the marketing manager there, to get some photographs for multimedia promotion. I’m glad my camera can come in handy!

Please take a look at this fancy Heart of Nature at BNHP. It would be even better if you would like to come and see for yourself sometime!

The Heart of Nature

Kayla and Kaden: Blue Heron Nature Preserve

by Dr. Shannon Finck

Kayla Hira and Kaden Melton matched with Blue Heron Nature Preserve (BHNP) this semester. Learning from Denise Cardin and other members of the team at Blue Heron, they set up weather stations in different parts of the preserve to learn about the environmental impact of urban forests and wetlands. They also performed a survey of trees at both of their homes and GSU’s downtown campus. Learn about their project, the data they collected, and the stakes of this information below:

Service Blog Post #7

by kmelton6

Hey, everyone. Unfortunately, this week I do not have any major updates. The previous week, Kayla and I discovered that the director, Denise, was sick, so we could only take measurements from the weather station. Also, this week I could not go to the preserve due to conflicting obligations, so I have no personal updates. However, Kayla told me that she once again recorded measurements from the weather stations. Even though these past two weeks have not been ideal in terms of what we were able to do, I am looking forward to our remaining time with Blue Heron Nature Preserve and creating our presentation, which will include our i-Tree Canopy survey, weather station results, and what these results could mean for protection against climate change. 

Service Blog Post #5

by khira1

This week for our time at Blue Heron Nature Preserve, we were putting up our weathering stations that we made for the woodlands and Riparian/Wetlands. To make the signs, I painted them with both the GSU and Blue Heron logo as well as the descriptions of all the measurements we were required to track in these upcoming weeks. I learned a lot about weather implementations and what Denise wanted us to track which were things like hygrometers which measure humidity and anemometers which measure wind speeds. It was very interesting researching all the elements of weather and correspondence of areas of more moist environments like wetlands, having a higher or lower chance of wind speeds than dryer areas like woodlands. Then my partner Kaden, put the signs together and we took them to the preserve and put them up one at a time. It was such an amazing experience seeing our creation actually be a part of the Blue Heron Nature Preserve because it is us showing a difference that we care about the environment how important weathering tracking is to the environment and the different ways the community can regulate it. In these upcoming weeks, we will be periodically going to the preserve to track the wind speeds, rainfall, humidity, and other forms of weather tracking for our final project.

While we were there this past week, Denise was planting some more native plants in the preserve and let us help in planting them. The plant in question was a Fringed Champion (Seline Polypetala), which is a rare species of flowering plant that is native to Georgia and is becoming more and more endangered. Denise explained to us that these were on the High Priority list of plants in the Georiga Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources which means they are at a high risk of becoming extinct in their natural habitats. The main reason that Fringed Champion is on the high-priority list is because of degradation and loss of suitable habitats. With the increasing gentrification and urban areas, a lot of native plant species in Georgia have been killed or are on the cusp of being extinct, which opened our eyes to the fact that we need to help spaces like preserves and natural from being ruined.

This is a photo of one of our weathering stations!

 
This is a photo of the Fringed Champion we planted!
 

Blog Post #5

by kmelton6

Hello, everyone on the blog post. Since this is my first post, I will introduce myself. My name is Kaden Melton and I was partnered with the Blue Heron Nature Preserve, along with Kayla. For the past couple of weeks, our main objective has been completing a weather station for the preserve. As part of our community project, we built a wooden weather station that would measure various aspects of the environment, such as rain level, humidity, temperature, and CO2, in two different ecosystems, allowing us to compare them to each other and their potential effect against climate change. 

To build this weather station, we went through various phases. The first and easiest phase was planning the design and layout of the station. We completed this in under 20 minutes and decided that we would make a station with a front-facing sign and a shelf on top to hold some of the measuring instruments. The face of the sign would also contain descriptions of the purpose of the various instruments attached to the station, as well as both the GSU and Blue Heron Nature Preserve logos. The second phase of the project was to build it. I was responsible for actually assembling the structure, so I went stumbling around Home Depot trying to find the right type of wood and screws to buy. After getting the proper materials, I went home and assembled the structure. After finishing the structure, I gave it to Kayla to paint the sign, including writing the descriptions and painting the logos. Once the signs were finished, we returned to our partner next week to put the stakes on the station and put them in the ground, but we ran into difficulties. 

We didn’t have the proper tools to drill the screws into the stakes, resulting in the screws getting excessively hot and starting to smoke, eventually leading to the drill dying on us completely. Since we could not finish the signs that day, I took the signs and the stakes home and finished them over the weekend. We came back the following week, aka this week, and we were able to successfully install the stations in the ground and take our first measurements. After all the time we invested into the stations, finally being able to successfully install them was an extremely satisfying feeling, and I’m excited to begin the other half of our project.

Blog Post 2- Getting Started

by khira1

Kaden and I visited the Blue Heron Nature Preserve in person on Thursday to meet with Denise, the operations director of the preserve, as well as some of the team like Melody the executive director. Denise was very lovely and talked to us about our goals and why we wanted to choose Blue Heron as our main service organization, which was to help volunteer and give back to the community as well as expand our knowledge about environmental conservation. My main goal and aspiration is hopefully to continue to work with the organization a couple of times in the summer if I have the time, to fully grasp all aspects of environmental organizations and to help push knowledge about the environment. We talked about the different types of environments that Blue Heron has to offer, with riparian, meadows, wetlands, and woodlands, and how each of them combine to make Blue Heron a hidden spot in the heart of Buckhead. Melody and Denise both touched on how they wanted to expand and push the knowledge of Blue Heron onto different levels of generations to come and observe and travel through different parts of nature right in the city. We went on a walk throughout part of the woodlands and riparians, to see the different environmental works they have been preserving and planting, especially native plant species. Denise talked about the importance of native planting and preservation because of invasive species invading Georgia. One of the most prevalent we saw on our walk was the English Ivy, which crowds an abundance of trees and lower plants, cutting off their ability to have vital nutrients from the soil. For one of the weeks, we will be cutting down and removing some of the English Ivy in hopes of preventing further spread of the plant. One of the most interesting things was the information about the riparian, with the addition of two creeks, the Nancy and Mill Creek, which run through the preserve. Finding out about riparians, which I had no clue what they were before, was very interesting. This was brought into one of the service project ideas about having weathering stations to track various aspects of temperature and rainfall was an idea that we are hoping to fulfill for each part of the 4 areas of Blue Heron. All in all, I am very excited to see what kinds of things we are going to do in the upcoming weeks for the preserve and how that will tie into spreading awareness and helping Blue Heron. 

 
 

These are some pictures from our walk!