Thanks to the excellent work of our planning committee, here’s the list of our upcoming events for 2023:
April 12, 2023 – Wednesday – 6:00 – 7:30 pm at the Sandy Creek Nature Center – Speaker Presentation and Plant Swap:
Presentation Topic: A Visit to Monarch Overwintering Sites in Mexico and Pollinator Habitat for Butterflies
Speaker and Description: Becky Griffin, coordinator of the Southeast Pollinator Census, will share the story of her trip to Mexico to visit monarch butterfly overwintering grounds. Plus she will share with us advice on creating butterfly habitats in our gardens. This is a great opportunity to meet a regional pollinator expert! Becky Griffin is the Community and School Garden Coordinator and Pollinator Health Associate for UGA Extension in Blairsville, GA. Please also bring any plants or seeds you’d like to give away or swap after the meeting! There should still be a little light at 7:30!
April 15, 2023 – Saturday – 9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Volunteer Planting Day at Dudley Park:
Project Description: We’re excited to finally get our hands dirty with our friends at the ACC Sustainability Office. We will be helping them plant 5,000+ native plants at Dudley Park in Athens. Volunteers will be guided by ACC Ecological Resource Coordinator, Stephanie Green, and all tools will be provided, although you’re welcome to bring along your favorite planting tools if you choose. Although our scheduled workday will be from 9-12, you will be able to stay late, though, if you’d like to continue working. The ACC team expects to be there until 3pm both days. To learn more or to register for this workday, visit our registration page here.
April 22 & 23, 2023 – Saturday and Sunday – Tentatively scheduled chapter-only rescue dates. More information to follow. Please save these dates if interested. You must be a member of our local chapter to attend.
April 29, 2023 – Saturday – 9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Volunteer Planting Day at Dudley Park:
Project Description: We’re excited to continue working with our friends at the ACC Sustainability Office. This event will also involve work with ACC Leisure Services Department. We will be helping them plant 5,000+ native plants at Dudley Park in Athens. Volunteers will be guided by ACC Ecological Resource Coordinator, Stephanie Green, and all tools will be provided, although you’re welcome to bring along your favorite planting tools if you choose. Although our scheduled workday will be from 9-12, you will be able to stay late, though, if you’d like to continue working. The ACC team expects to be there until 3pm both days. To learn more or to register for this workday, visit our registration page here.
May 21, 2023 – Sunday – 2:00 – 3:30 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens* – Speaker Presentation and Plant Swap:
Presentation Topic: Plants Smashed on Paper: Why Herbaria and Other Natural History Collections are Important
Speaker and Description: Tom Diggs is an Associate Professor of Plant Biology at the University of North Georgia in Gainesville, and he can also be found exploring wild native plants in his spare time.
Please also bring any plants or seeds you’d like to give away or swap after the meeting!
Note: The date is May 21st so as not to conflict with Mother’s Day on our normally scheduled Sunday.
June 14, 2023 – Wednesday – 6:00 – 7:30 pm at the Sandy Creek Nature Center – Speaker Presentation and Plant Swap:
Presentation Topic: Gardening for Birds and Building Your Backyard Sanctuary
Speaker and Description: Ellen Honeycutt is currently Chair of the Board of Directors for GNPS and author of the popular Using Georgia Native Plants blog. We’re excited to have her join us to speak about gardening for native birds and wildlife.
Please also bring any plants or seeds you’d like to give away or swap after the meeting!
*In exchange for allowing groups to use the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens’s meeting spaces for free, they do ask that we take a collection during our meeting asking for donations to the UUFA. There is no obligation that you provide a donation in order to attend these meetings, and if you choose to donate, there’s no requirement as to the amount. These donations go to cover things like utilities and for their generous agreement to provide us with access to the facility outside of normal hours.