A Note
From The Director
CLAIRE WAGGENSPACK HAYES
DNC Executive Director
Whoosh! All you backyard/family room/computer desk naturalists out there will recognize that as the sound of time flying by. Last time I turned my attention to this “salutations” page I was writing about Thanksgiving and thanks-giving. Now we’re already past Valentine’s Day. How does this happen?
I should’ve sent big candy hearts to the guys building our treehouse! It is finally taking shape in our wetlands, and it’s going to be maaaahhh-velous. Soon we’ll have a plan for the grand celebratory TREEHOUSE TRA-LA. Key players in that event will be the kids who ran in the very first Dunwoody Dash, sponsored by Austin Elementary School, to raise funds to give back to our community. Some of the runners are in high school now! Also on hand, the generous sponsors and PTA members who created the event out of thin air, and who have exercised remarkable patience as the project seemed hopelessly bogged down. And what’s a dedication without dignitaries? We’re inviting the CEO, our Commissioners, and the staff of DeKalb Parks and Recreation to be sure our ribbon is properly cut. I promise the date and details will be front and center on our homepage, so “watch this space.”
If you are lucky enough to be a very near neighbor of Dunwoody Park, we may ask you to join us in caring for the treehouse … we think we’ll need a Gatekeepers’ Gang to close the gates at dusk each summer evening, and open and close them on weekends, morning and evening, the rest of the year. The staff is generally here till 5-6 pm weekdays, but we’d hate to keep you away from the treehouse during prime frog-call time. You may get a call from a neighbor, asking your family to take a shift. Nearby swim club families have figured out how to make this work, so I know DNC friends will handle the assignment with panache.
I should seize this opportunity to thank Lauren Greene for two great years of Program-Managing. She is migrating soon toward her beloved wolves in North Carolina. She’s brought wide knowledge, class, and good cheer to the Nature Center, and we’ll miss her.
Recent challenges in the lives of several DNC board members and my own family have focused my attention on the precious moment – there is so much loveliness in the world, and I too often trudge past it unseeing. Perhaps our discipline of training the eye and ear of the naturalist should be extended. Beyond the realm of opposite leaves and birdsong, we should observe more keenly the natural wonders of kindness, and dedication, and adventure, and friendship… key characteristics of our species, as under-appreciated as the bright bluejay.
Come play and learn in our backyard!
Claire