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Learn more about us here, but remember, our members are the heart of Dunwoody Nature Center!
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Help us provide quality environmental education programs in our community. (Enter any amount - we appreciate every donation! Donations of $100 or more also receive membership benefits)
Buzz over to Dunwoody Nature Center at Dunwoody Park for a visit to the park . . . It's FREE!
Telephone: (770) 394-3322.
Office Hours: Monday - Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm
Park Hours: Sunup to sundown, seven days a week.
Location: On the grounds of Dunwoody Park, 5343 Roberts Drive; Dunwoody, GA 30338
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 88070; Dunwoody, GA 30356
Menu
- Summer Camp
-
Second Saturdays Family Events-
Nature Classes-
Family Nature Hikes-
School Field Trips-
Cub Scouts-
Boy Scouts-
Girl Scouts-
Adult Classes-
Homeschoolers -
Birthday Parties-
Secret Gardens of Dunwoody-
We're On Facebook!
Oglethorpe Students: Earn
1 point for 3 hours of service at DNC! Email Carla for
details.
History
Dunwoody Park began as part of America's Bicentennial celebrations in the mid 1970's. Dunwoody citizens and organizations, DeKalb Parks and Recreation, and the US Forestry Service built trails, labeled treees, cleared the wetlands, installed playground equipment and picnic tables. Volunteers led historical and botanical identification tours of the site.
In the 1980's, arts classes offered in Dunwoody Park soon outgrew the facilities, allowing a shift to environmental education.
Dunwoody Nature Center was organized in 1990 and incorporated January 30, 1992. The Center now reaches 25,000 park visitors and 8,000 program participants annually, from across the metro Atlanta area. Dunwoody Nature Center does not receive county or city funds, relying exclusively on private funding and program revenues.
Mission
The Dunwoody Nature Center
is a nonprofit 501-c3 organization established
by community volunteers in 1990. The mission
of the Dunwoody Nature Center is to preserve
and manage the natural environment and related
facilities of Dunwoody Park and to foster the
enjoyment and appreciation of nature through
environmental education and outreach
programs.
The park features an education center for camps and classes; a wetland boardwalk; woodland and streamside trails; display gardens; a picnic meadow; a treehouse classroom pavilion; and a shaded playground. Dunwoody Park is open sun-up to sundown, seven days a week, free of charge. Dunwoody Nature Center's education building is open Monday – Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm.
Programs
- summer and holiday day camps
- nature classes for children ages 2 and up
- field trips for schools and scouts
- Secret Gardens of Dunwoody tour
- lecture series, and classes for adults
- Family Animal Encounters
- Park after Dark event
- overnight camping programs
- homeschool classes
- Butterfly Festival
- native plant sales
- donor appreciation events
Environmental Improvement Philosophy
Our mission includes preserving and protecting Dunwoody Park for the
enjoyment of our community. Our philosophy focuses
on:
- Removing invasive, nonnative plants and replacing them with native species
- Avoiding mowing, trimming, brush removal and deadheading, to allow plants, shrubs, and trees to continue their life cycles
- When trees fall, cutting only what is necessary to unblock the trail or rerouting the trail around fallen trees
- Isolating garbage cans to picnic areas
- Reminding dog owners to respect the leash and poop scoop law
Educational Philosophy
Every visitor to the park, participant in a class, and volunteer has the opportunity to see environmental education in action. We believe in:
- Opening eyes and minds to the beauty of nature
- Providing information about the plants and animals native to Dunwoody and the Piedmont
- Exploring the relationships among all inhabitants of the area, and the impact human activities have on the environment
- Training children to be “backyard naturalists”
- Providing educational experiences that appeal to different learning styles
Achievements in 2009
- 1,600 attendees at tour Butterfly Festival
- Volunteer work and a $25,000 donation from Comcast Cares Day
- More than 1,000 students doing field study in the park
- 550 campers playing and learning in Dunwoody Park and at Island Ford
- 60 Boy Scouts earning Environmental Science Merit Badges
- Volunteers contributing 6,300 hours of service
- Excellent relationships with DeKalb County and City of Dunwoody
- Meeting program revenue and donation goals
Serving Our Community
- 25,000+ park visitors annually
- Mailing list of 6,000 members and friends
- Quareterly mailings to 30,000 households in the 30338, 30350, and 30360 zip codes
- K-6 students from Cumming to Lithonia attend field study programs
- Participants in community programs and special events currently exceed 8,000 each year
- Year-round schedule of nature classes for children, adult programs, special events, overnight camping programs, field trips for school and scout groups, and outreach programs to area schools
Federal Identification Number = 58-2009823.
For further information, please contact:
- Claire Waggenspack Hayes, Executive Director — 770-394-3322