Fall Festival & Haunted Trail 2019 [Rescheduled to Oct 27]

RESCHEDULED DUE TO RAIN

TO SUNDAY OCT. 27, same time!

Would you like to help? Just sign up and the volunteer coordinator will contact you! 


If you would like to make a donation to towards this activity, please choose the DONATION button in our "Support MANA" page.

Donations help defray set-up costs for MANA and also support the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve. Please bring small bills and prepare for yummy snacks!

Fall Festival and Haunted Trail at Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [OCT 27]

FALL FESTIVAL & HAUNTED TRAIL

Photo by Amy Lincoln

The Fall Festival & Haunted Trail at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is scheduled for SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, from 5:30 – 8:00.

We’ll have a bonfire, games, food, live music with Hot Tamale Ringwald, and the oh-so-scary haunted trail.

This year we will be requesting donations to help offset expenses and support the Preserve.

Please come and bring your friends! We still need many volunteers, especially for lighting and haunting. Click here to volunteer: https://goo.gl/forms/DH8BSBMr9kLWrSio2.

Around Medlock

It's spring and nature's throwing a party!

Early morning misty reflections at Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve.

Quickly as the mists twirl and float away....

At Mason Mill bridge via the PATH.

Harvest Festival and Haunted Trail RESCHEDULED for Sunday Oct. 29

Due to weather... moving the party to SUNDAY

FALL FESTIVAL & HAUNTED TRAIL – RESCHEDULED for SUNDAY 10/29, 5:30-8PM

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve and Medlock Area Neighborhood Association are joining forces again for the Fall Festival and Haunted Trail. We will have a bonfire, s'mores, games & crafts, food for sale, and of course the HAUNTED Trail! No trick or treat but costumes are encouraged. All are welcome!

At the Preserve - 2580 Pine Bluff Drive, Decatur GA 30033.

MLK work day at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [Jan 16]

In honor of MLK Day, the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve will hold a volunteer day from noon until 3pm on Monday, January 16.

Come out and help us with trail maintenance, stream cleanup, and invasive plant removal, among other tasks.

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is located at 2580 Pine Bluff Drive Decatur, GA 30033. For directions, see their website.

Happy Halloween!

A bit thank you to all the MANA and Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve volunteers who made this first joint Halloween/Fall Harvest festival such a success.

Great turn-out!

Mooned!

Dance, puppets, dance!

We always knew these woods were magical...  

Creepy.

Creepier!

Haunted trail... heading to the scary part.

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Haunted Trail and Harvest Festival [Oct 29]

Hope all of our neighbors can join us Saturday, October 29th from 5:30-8PM for a
Haunted Trail and Harvest Festival at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve!

What: Haunted Trail and Harvest Festival 
Who: Hosted by MANA and the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve 
Where: Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve (of course!) 
When: Saturday, October 29th, 5:30-8:00PM 

The haunted trail will feature spooks for all ages - the further you go, the spookier it gets!

Food will be available for sale from our local Girl Scouts, and there will be games and crafts as well.

We encourage you to come out and celebrate Halloween with your neighbors. Come in costume if you like, and bring a flashlight!

We are looking for additional volunteers to help with the event. If interested, please email Adrianne Leonard at ackerns@gmail.com Thanks!

NOTE: Parking is available at the school - please take advantage of that rather than parking on Pine Bluff or Harrington. It is about a half mile from the trail.

Cox Conserves Heroes program: VOTE for Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve's President!!

This is a great chance to support the volunteer projects that have made the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve such a gem, not just for our neighborhood but for nature lovers all over Atlanta.

VOTE DEADLINE is 

OCTOBER 26.

"For more than 10 years, Chris Beck, our current president, has worked as a volunteer at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve. He was recently named a finalist for the Cox Conserves Heroes program. Voting for the winner is now open. The finalist with the most votes will receive another $5000 for their non-profit. In our case, we would use the funds for ecological restoration at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve.

Cardinal flower.

To see a video, click here.

To vote, go to http://www.coxconservesheroes.com/atlanta/finalists.aspx.

As always, thanks for your support of the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve."

Box turtle

The Rock: our baby Stone Mountain

A place of wonder.
Ten or so years ago, an American Bittern stopped by for a few days, to the delight (and eyestrain) of many birdwatchers. About that long ago, hundreds of crayfish made an afternoon quite memorable by making a beeline across the street, business unknown. These 28 acres just keep on giving: "...beavers, foxes, turtles, snakes, frogs, rabbits ...166 species of migratory and resident birds including wood ducks, pileated woodpeckers, and sand-hill cranes..."  And let's not forget the many plant species, fungi, invertebrates and microbes that make a home at the Preserve.

A fallen tree now nurtures a shelf fungus and moss.

Pileated woodpecker feather

Please vote for Chris. This award will help him and his volunteers fight invasive species and as he explains in the video, bringing back native vegetation is a key component of restoring this habitat.

Deer track

Here's a link to some of our prior posts with photos of the Preserve. If you have not visited, now's a great time. The weather's cool and there's always something to see if you look closely...

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is located at 2580 Pine Bluff Drive Decatur, GA 30033.

For Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve updates, follow them on Facebook.

Volunteers needed @ Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [Sept 23]

from Chris Beck, President, Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve

Last minute call for volunteers!! The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve has been nominated as one of three finalists for the Cox Conserves Heroes program and WSB-tv needs to get some footage of volunteers working at the Preserve. The footage will be put on the website (http://www.coxconservesheroes.com/atlanta.aspx) and used for voting as to which finalist wins the prize (a $5000 donation to the non-profit). So, we need anyone who is willing to show up for a short period of time on Friday evening at 5pm or so to haul some mulch, pull some privet, and working on clearing the pond.  We just found out today that they need to have the footage edited by next Tuesday. 

If you can definitely make it, please add your name and number of volunteers to the online form at https://goo.gl/forms/UhkEpuTdV4RSGKaw1. 

Thanks for all of your support for a Preserve and I hope that you can make it out for a short time on Friday. 

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve
2580 Pine Bluff Drive
Decatur, GA 30033

To see some of our posts on the Preserve, click here, or see the Facebook group.

BioBlitz (biology, botany, geology) event @ Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [May 21]

On Saturday, May 21, the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve will host an all-day BioBlitz sponsored by the Georgia Geographic Alliance.

SCHEDULE

8AM – Adult Guided Hike – Birds – Led by Dave Butler (bring your binoculars!)

930AM – Sign-in Open

10AM – WELCOME TO BIOBLITZ w/ morning refreshments

Independent data-collecting using iNaturalist begins for the day!

Family-friendly Guided Hike – Birds – Led by Simon Kline (bring your binoculars!)

11AM – Family-friendly Guided Hike – Herpetology - Led by Dr. Michael Black

12PM – Family-friendly Guided Hike – Macro-invertebrates - Led by Dr. Amy Reber

1PM – Family-friendly Guided Hike – Forestry - Led by Trees Atlanta

2PM – Family-friendly Guided Hike – Bugs - Led by Brandon Claridge & Gregory Dash

3pm – Family-friendly Guided Hike – Geology of CSNP’s Rocks – Led by Georgia Rocks

330PM – Music by The Low Hanging Fruit with beer provided by Wild Heaven

5PM – That’s a wrap folks!

(All guided hikes start at the pavilion so meet your guide there! Remember your sunscreen and insect repellent!!)

To register as a participant, go to http://tinyurl.com/zl2r7wo

If you are interested in volunteering to help at the BioBlitz, visit http://www.cshepherdpreserve.org/bioblitz-volunteers/

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve
2580 Pine Bluff Drive
Decatur, GA 30033

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve: Events coming up [Apr 16, 23 & May 21]

Wood duck

Mark your calendars for these events coming up at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve, 2580 Pine Bluff Drive Decatur, GA 30033

April 16 - 1-3pm: Earth Week Volunteer Day - celebrate Earth Week by getting the Preserve ready for the BioBlitz (see below).

April 23 - 5-7pm: Earth Day - Bring a picnic and celebrate Earth Day at the Preserve. Live music by Hot Tamale Ringwald, a local neighborhood band.

May 21 - all day - BioBlitz - a day-long event in which experts and volunteers from the community try to
identify all the living things at the Preserve. This includes plants, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, insects, and fungi.

a froggy symphony

With the temperature in the low 70's, the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve's spring peepers could not contain their passion...

For 13 seconds of resounding froggy come-hither, click here.

Red-Winged Blackbird crossing

better quality, longer video available here.

Sunday double-luck... first, to catch a massive flock of red-winged blackbirds as it crossed Scott Blvd and again as it flew over Harrington Road heading to towards the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve (which is having a clean-up day tomorrow Jan 18). 3+ minutes of fly-bys and blackbird chatter... priceless.

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve work day [Jan 18]

Join us for our annual MLK Volunteer Day at the Preserve on Monday, January 18 from 1-3pm!

Help us mulch trails, finish painting the observation deck, and repair boardwalks after recent flooding.

Please bring work gloves, yard tools, and a wheel barrow, if you can.

If you want to join the "privet patrol," please bring loppers or pruners.

Moonrise over Medlock

The sheep are back at Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve, fighting invasive species with their voracious appetites and unrelenting cuteness.

Help support this effort: visit the Preserve's website and adopt a sheep today or make a donation to support the continued upkeep and improvement of this neighborhood treasure.

Fall back, y'all

Daylight Savings ends on November 1 at 2am. Remember to test your smoke detector batteries and adjust your clocks. If you have been looking for an extra hour in your day to do those things you never have time to do, this is it! And be particularly aware of road safety as the schedule adjustment can contribute to traffic accidents.

And did someone say Fall? It's now a great time to catch the turning of the leaves at Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve...

Fall Festival @ Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [Sept 26]

Saturday, September 26 

5 - 9 pm 

20th Anniversary Harvest Festival 

at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve

• music by the Reagor Brothers Band
• crafts and activities for kids
• bonfire and s’mores
• bake sale by Girl Scout Troop 12580
• food available for purchase from the Streatery food truck (100% beef franks, pork, beef, and chicken sausages, & veggie dogs)
• beer from Three Taverns Brewery for those with a CSNP beer glass

To purchase tickets, go to the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve website. Advance tickets are $12.50 for adults (includes beer glass) and $5 for children (no glass, sorry kids!). At the door, it's cash only: $15 for adults, $5 for children.

The  Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is an urban oasis located at 2580 Pine Bluff Dr., Decatur, GA 30033. It was featured in Hiking Atlanta's Hidden Forests: Intown and Out.

Late summer is a great time to visit and see wildflowers in bloom on the outer loop of the trail. Here are some views from about a week ago.

Seedbox flower...

...and its namesake seed box. Each seed capsule is about 1/4" wide.
Tip the seed box and tiny seeds tumble out of the opening like salt from of a salt shaker. 

Web worm moth on a goldenrod.

Cardinal flower.

A small white morning glory surrounded by joe pie weed.

Asiatic dayflower lasts as long as the name implies.
Also known as mouse ears.

Late in the season, a few jewelweeds are still blooming

Sowing next year's wildflowers...

Great show @ Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve

Thanks to the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve volunteer crew for organizing another wonderful harvest festival. Great turnout and the perfect weather to walk around the preserve, say hello to neighbors, partake in some s'mores...

... and enjoy great music by The Higher Choir.

Check out The Higher Choir's website here. Photo by Tanya.

Pumpkins with an attitude :)

An even higher choir :) -- these fellas were honking as they headed towards the harvest festival around 5:40 pm. 

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve Harvest Festival [Oct 19]

from Chris Beck, CSNP President:

"We are looking forward to seeing everyone next Sunday from 4-7pm. A local girl scout troop will be holding a bake sale and we will have hot dogs, drinks, and fixings available as well. We will also be joined by Cutie the sheep, who is part of flock who will be grazing our English ivy later this winter. Come early to walk the trails and do a little bird watching or geocaching."

Birdwatching, Fall Festival @ Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [Oct 11, 19]

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is hosting two events that are sure to take advantage of the lovely fall weather.

Great blue heron.

BIRDWATCHING: Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve and Atlanta Audubon Society are co-sponsoring a birding field trip at the nature preserve this Saturday, October 11 from 8 to 11 AM. Dave Butler will lead the trip along with Jay Davis. No experience is necessary so please come and learn about birds and your nature preserve. The event is free. Bring binoculars. No children under 12, please--this is an Audubon event and likely to be well attended. If there is interest, Dave is happy to organize a separate event for young birdwatchers.

And after all that birdwatching, hit the MANA Yard Sale! Who knows, someone may be selling your next pair of binoculars or birding guide...

FALL FESTIVAL: A neighborhood tradition! October 19 from 4-7pm, dust off your fall jacket and come on down for food, kids activities, music, and s'mores by the bonfire.

Perennial morning glory.

Fiery skipper.

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is a 28-acre privately-owned greenspace maintained by volunteers and located at 2580 Pine Bluff, Decatur GA 30033 | map |. The Preserve has been featured in "Hiking Atlanta's Hidden Forests" and in Birdwatching Daily.