Loving guerilla pothole repair

7/20/2018-onward Update:  Thank you, DeKalb County, for patching the holes at Suzanne/Eastway and Woodridge/Alberson.

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Dear DeKalb County,

At the risk of ending an excellent team-building exercise on the Facebook page, the residents of Medlock request your help with some sorely needed road repairs. We know your road crews are stretched thin and so is the budget, but a little help would be appreciated before the potholes become self-aware and start talking back like that old Geico ad...

Suzanne and Eastway:  Currently landscaped with purslane and lovingly surrounded by cones to warn drivers, this pothole was born around April 25. A smaller, aspirational pothole can be seen on the background and is currently being evaluated for native xeriscaping.

Update 1: They are heeereee! Drone footage captured a wild pig wreaking havoc on the landscaping. Without a doubt, this is some folks' worst nightmare sprung to life.

Update 2: Disaster averted. The neighborhood patrol has handled the wild pig infestation. Overnight, a McCastle and other amenities have popped up and we expect this listing to appear on Zillow any second now. Disclosure to interested buyers: will require flood insurance.

Ode to baby Alberson Lake, at the corner of Woodridge and Alberson: "I’ve watched you grow from a small dip in the road to a 3x5 crater that hosts its own ecosystem, from algae to mosquitoes to frogs. We’ve known you so long you should probably be a member of this group. You’ve had a good run. But you’re now work order #5911616 and DeKalb County has assigned you to the Asphalt Department for fixing." And, to qualify such drastic measures, the poster explained: "My breaking point was when one of the neighborhood kids said, “Don’t let your dogs swim in there.”" Another neighbor warned "there is no lifeguard on duty."

Easements are known to function as wildlife corridors. This pothole's proximity is the next step in the rewilding of Medlock Park...

Update 1: Hidden wildlife camera captures a coyote in full cry.

Update 2: Deer, often seen around the neighborhood, have found a new watering hole.

And because if there's nothing this neighborhood enjoys more than sharing an educational link, here's 13 Pavement Defects and Failures You Should Know!

XOXO,

The "Laughter is the Best Medicine" troupe at Medlock Park

Update #?: Fox 5 Atlanta shares our silliness: http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/medlock-park-neighbors-tired-of-potholes-fill-them-with-flowers

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.

International Community School 5K this weekend [Nov 4]

"ICS Runs the World" -5K & 1 Mile run/walk. 5K starts at 9:00 am, and 1 Mile at 10:00 am at the school. Below are the maps of the course. 5K course will affect traffic between 9-10 am and the 1 mile will affect traffic from 10-10:30 am. Courses will be covered by police and volunteers, details are on the maps.

5K Route

Take note that the runners will use only the right side of the road, and cones will be placed down the middle of the road. However, because so many people park on the side of the road, there will probably be several places where both sides of the road will have runners.

Register here!

 

1 Mile route

Register here!

The trouble with tribbles

We can only guess at James T. Kirk's reaction...

... to the pink-striped oakworm moth.

It's a boy! Females have purplish coloration along the wing edges.

Furry, stem to stern.

Found along the east coast and south all the way to east Texas, this moth lays eggs on oak trees. The namesake caterpillars are spikey and have deep pink stripes running along their bodies. The caterpillars hatch and feed on their first year, pupate underground, and emerge on their second year to mate. See https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Anisota-virginiensis for more photos and information.

Blackmon Dr. is now right-turn out only

Photo from a week ago... as seen from (also named) Blackmon Dr. on Fuqua's development.

As previously discussed, Blackmon Rd. at Scott Blvd on (Medlock neighborhood side) has been reconfigured for safety reasons. Today, the new curb was poured, reducing the intersection to one lane, right-out only.

With current traffic woes across Atlanta due to the I-85 bridge collapse, it is likely that the crossing and traffic lights will not go live immediately. Typically, new traffic lights are set to flashing yellow for 30 days to get drivers used to the new traffic pattern. 

Details of right turn pattern change.

Below are some photos forwarded by Jean (Tuxworth Springs neighbor).

Fresh, new curb. Scott Blvd. visible to the right. 

DO NOT TURN RIGHT here.

"Road closed" sign on Scott Blvd.

International Community School love

The first sign read "Stay strong, neighbors, you are all welcome here."  Then many others joined in. Read about it here:

Decaturish: Medlock Park shows support for international students

WGCL - CBS 46 (with video): Neighborhood has message for school enrolling refugee students

11 Alive (with video): Heartwarming, welcoming signs posted around DeKalb international school

AJC: A kind display for international students in wake of Trump’s executive order

Huffington Post: Neighbors Cover Lawn Of School For Refugees With Warm Welcomes

Refinery29: This Community Did The Sweetest Thing To Comfort Immigrant ...

CNN: 'You are welcome here' - School for refugees plastered with signs

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.

PATH: connecting Medlock and Leafmore neighborhoods

Image from PATH website.

PATH's recent press release notes that the South Peachtree Creek Trail is being extended across North Druid Hills Rd. This new construction is marked as "A" in the map to the left. Additional details about the South Peachtree Creek PATH extension are available here.

When complete, this "extension will connect with the South Peachtree Creek Trail at the Mason Mill Tennis Center parking lot thereby providing seamless walks and rides between Leafmore and Medlock Park."

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.

Things that go croak in the night

According to the Savannah River Ecology Lab: "Although Leopard Frogs are often found close to water, they are more terrestrial than other ranid frogs and can often be found far from water. They are active both by day and night and can be seen in large numbers on rainy nights. Leopard frogs breed primarily in the winter and spring but sometimes breed again in the fall. Often a heavy winter rain will prompt explosive breeding in this species."

Beware, Harrington Drive denizens, beware!

Hey baby, hey baby, hey baby.

Beltline, here we come: South Peachtree Creek expansion to Leafmore Creek Park and Emory University

"The PATH trail that meanders through Medlock Park, following South Peachtree Creek to the Mason Mill Tennis Center will soon double in length...." Read all about it here. It includes some mock-ups of how improvements will look.

Some highlights:

• Expansion from Mason Mill Tennis Ctr. to North Druid Hills Rd. at Spring Hill Creek Road, linking to the Leafmore Creek neighborhood
• Southerly expansion to the Clairmont Place retirement Complex. Later, that trail will connect to Clairmont Road near the VA Hospital.
• "PATH and Emory University are teaming up to connect the Emory Transportation Center on Starvine Way to the South Peachtree Creek Bridge where the trail will pass under Clairmont Road to connect with the future phase described above (D on map). Construction on this phase could begin in early 2017. Emory University plans to make improvements for walking and biking through their campus between the Clairmont Road entrance to the campus and Emory Village. When all extensions are completed, residents of Leafmore, Medlock Park and Emory will be connected by PATH to the Freedom Park Trail and the Atlanta BeltLine."

via https://pathfoundation.org/2016/09/south-peachtree-creek-trail-to-be-extended
View this and other images at the PATH's website: open each image in a new tab then zoom in for details.

Notes from Friends of Medlock Park meeting [6/13/16]

notes forwarded by Casey Bordeaux, MANA Greenspace Coordinator

Participants:  Chris Foster, Casey Boudreau, Lisa Crowder, Ted Ward, Dave Butler, Jen Raby,  Joanne Bryan, Barbara Orsich, Katie Curtis

1.     Scott lots

a.     Waiting on update from county on status of bids for demolition for vacant white house – Casey will continue to follow up

b.     993 Scott – not part of FEMA buyout, Commissioner Rader’s office contacted Casey last week that County may be able to buy it to add to existing greenspace. 

                                               i.     Should not be limited by FEMA restrictions on other lots

                                             ii.     Casey will continue to follow up

                                            iii.     Ideas include

1.     Leave driveway to increase parking

2.     Picnic tables

c.     Tree planting

                                               i.     Need to follow up with Fuqua re plans and process, including timeline  – Ted to discuss with Theresa Same

                                             ii.     Dave B to follow up with new County arborist to confirm list of trees

                                            iii.      Start thinking of where to place, on vacant lots as well as in Park

2.     Playground

a.     Group met with Revonda, who is supportive of renovations

b.     Need confirmation of agreement by DHYS as official FOMP contact – Chris will follow up with Revonda

c.     Park Pride can help with fundraising

                                               i.     FOMP playground project will have own page on Park Pride website

                                             ii.     Revonda has list of vendors

                                            iii.     Ideas for fund raising events

1.     Lantern parade

2.     Event at playground

3.     Something at MANA pool party

                                            iv.     DHYS also has FOMP link on its Donate Now page

d.     Need to get going on 1 small, immediate project to

                                               i.     Demonstrate commitment to County & DHYS

                                             ii.     Encourage neighbors to donate and/or participate on future projects

e.     Ideas for small, immediate projects

                                               i.     New trash cans

                                             ii.     Covered benches

3.     DHYS

a.     Met with Comm. Rader

                                               i.     Got ok cover for batting cages, will self fund

                                             ii.     There is money from bond referendum which can use to re-pave inner roads (approx. from where drainage culvert to storage shed).  Have already met with maintenance group and hope work will be done in next couple of months

                                            iii.     Raised $15k from capital campaign which was used to fund survey last year and permitting for new work.

                                            iv.     ADA project will wait

b.     Other ideas from group

                                               i.     Can put sidewalks in, either real ones or just painted lines on side of road

                                             ii.     Can put permanent or moveable objects on wide entrance to playground, to discourage driving

4.     Bulletin board

a.     Chris removed ads – need to put something on it to inform that not meant for advertising

b.     Casey will create banner “Medlock Park News” – update:  done!

5.     Fall projects

a.     River cleanup – Oct?

b.     Park cleanup – usually scheduled in Sep

6.     Other

a.     Can get other planting in park, like azaleas or other shrubs along inner road to further separate playground area