The Next Generation of Conservationists

by Keith Ray

It’s that time of year where folks are drawn outside. This year has been no exception. The weather has been amazing, unless you’re an aquatic critter. The leaves have been spectacular, and it’s just felt good. And we have been outside too! But we haven’t been alone. We’ve had partners out there working with us on our lands to help us better understand them and to learn from the communities, park users, and from me about conservation. So much about what we do is about people and place, helping foster connections between people and the places they help us with so that we can share it with future generations. And we take this part of our mission to heart by inviting folks to come meet with us and build partnerships.

One of our core mission priorities is education, creating good stewards of the land, creating involved community members, and healthy lifestyles in our parks. In recent months we have worked with students from Reinhardt University and Kennesaw State University on several projects to get students involved in projects on our properties that benefit both institutions and us. KSU has had several classes, led by Dr. Kadian Callahan, participating in service-learning projects at Campbellton Creek Nature Park. There students have learned from community members about the community gardens, community involvement, and the needs and difficulties of implementing conservation management plans. They also provided soil and water analyses and reports to help us understand what we may need to do to help certain plants and animals thrive in our park. Other students from KSU, led by Dr. Roneisha Worthy, have been working on rainwater capture system designs that we may use one day to help provide water to the community garden.

With Reinhardt University, Drs. Zach Felix and Aliya Davenport, have had biology students on our Staraland Nature Preserve performing plant and animal surveys along with water quality monitoring. Dr. Donna Little has led her class Nature and Culture onto our properties to talk about the interface of conservation, its issues, and how to generate engagement with the tougher topics of environmental stewardship. A few even braved the cold waters of Shoal Creek to go snorkeling with me to monitor some freshwater mussels in the middle of October… and the water was so cold!

We even take our mission to other schools and groups. I spent a whole day recently talking with almost 300 5th grade students at Jasper Middle School in Jasper, GA. We were discussing plant and animal classification, and I had some critters on hand to help with our discussion. They were so engaging, with questions and ideas, and I had such a great time. We are planning other events soon with schools and classes that include Westlake High School near Campbellton Creek, and other scouting groups and nature groups. I hear there are also internships and organizational partnerships in the works as well. I can say we are busy building this core of the mission.

One thing I’ve noticed from working with all these young people is this: the future is so bright. The world may seem like it is full of insurmountable obstacles, but these students have shown me that there are caring young folks, full of energy to tackle the things we need addressed and I anxiously await their help in the coming years. It’s going to be fun to watch!