W. D. Thomson Park Restoration Project

In March of 1952, William D. Thomson, former Dean of Emory Law School and general counsel for the university, gifted a tract of 28.6 acres to DeKalb County “to be held in use perpetually as a park”.  In 2012 the Friends of Thomson Park volunteer group was established as an affiliate of Park Pride and the volunteers have been hard at work since then removing invasives from all areas of the park, establishing and maintaining trails, and engaging in general upkeep of park amenities.

After a number of years it became apparent that the only way to make long-lasting progress in any given area of the park would be to set aside a small area focused on rehabilitation and dedicated to established restoration techniques.  A heavily damaged two acre section was selected and in 2019 the proposal to designate it as a restoration site was approved by both DeKalb County and GNPS.

The site spans two types of terrain: an open riparian meadow, and a hilly forested area. It took several years to fully clear the meadow section, partially clear the wooded section, and prep the soil. To date, many hundreds of plants comprising almost 70 different species of natives have been planted and most are doing well.

Friends of Thomson Park volunteers meet once a month year-round, and also in smaller groups for various tasks in between our official workdays. Come on out and visit; it’s a nice little gem of a park.

News & Events