March/April E-Newsletter

Elachee Nature Science Center Presents:

The First Annual Chicopee Woods Trillium Trek

Saturday, May 15th at 9:00 am (mandatory pre-race meeting at 8:00 am)

Join us for a great adventure race at Chicopee Woods in Gainesville, GA! Ideal for beginners and advanced racers, teams of 3 or 4 will test their physical and mental fitness in this fun event. Participants will compete in orienteering, hiking, mountain biking, nature trivia and special challenges as they traverse the 13-mile course through the Chicopee Woods.. Each team member will get a tech T-Shirt and prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place in each category. There are 3 team categories, all must be co-ed:

Family:
- 3 or 4 competitors, at least 2 of whom are related
- 3 person teams must have at least one competitor age 8-18
- 4 person teams must have at least 2 competitors age 8-18

Corporate:
- 3 or 4 competitors age 18 or older
- At least 3 competitors must be employed by the same company

Open:
- 3 or 4 competitors age 15 or older

Entry Fees:
Family: $100 prior to April 27th; $120 April 27th until May 11th
Corporate: $120 prior to April 27th; $140 April 27th until May 11, 2010

Pre-Race Training Clinics: April 17th or 24th, 10am-1pm

Sponsors:
Milton Martin Honda
Zanfel
Gainesville SORBA
Runners Fit, Braselton, GA

For Registration, Sponsorship, Volunteering, & More Information:
Call 770-535-1976 or go to http://elachee.org/trilliumtrek.html.

April at Elachee...

Celebrate Earth Day at Elachee Nature Science Center

Saturday, April 17th, 10am-1pm

Admission is FREE for everyone!

Celebrate our planet and its wonders with outdoor exploration, activities and fun!

Activities include guided hikes, orienteering program, nature trivia, animal programs, crafts, and a habitat restoration project with Elachee staff and volunteers.

Call 770-535-1976 for more details.

Don't Forget to Order Your Plants!
Elachee's Pre-Order Native Plant Sale

April 1st - 16th: Order plants
Thursday, April 29th, Noon - 6:00pm: Pick up plants

Selections include high quality drought resistant wildflowers, perennials, native azaleas, and woody shrubs that attract butterflies, birds and wildlife. Plant list is available online at elachee.org, or at the Center.

Elachee's Georgia Master Naturalist Program

A new adult environmental education program of the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service

Sessions: Tuesdays, April 13th through May 25th, 12:30 - 5:00 pm, plus four field trips.

Price: $125

Topics: Geology, Tree Identification, Wildflower/Plant I.D., Animals/Habitats, Nature Journaling, Birds and Migration, Natural Resource Management, Exotic Invasive Plant I.D., Astronomy, Mountain Ecology, Urban Forestry, Water Resources.

Call 770-535-1976 to register.

The Quinlan Visual Arts Center Presents:

Birds Nest Invitational
April 8th through May 29th at the Quinlan Arts Center

A special spring exhibition with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Elachee Nature Science Center.

For more information, go to www.quinlanartscenter.org.

Summer Camp is on the way...
and Elachee has a wish list!

Have extra materials lying around the house just asking to be recycled? Camp Elachee can put them to good use! Check your garage, attic, basement, and other places around the house and bring your unused items to Elachee, where they will be used to enhance summer fun!

Balls...board games...Borax...boxes...buttons...cardboard...CD player...chalk...clay...cloth/fabric...construction paper...decorative rocks...empty coffee cans...plastic bottles...yogurt cups...food coloring...glue...Legos...paint...paint brushes...pine cones...pipe cleaners...Plaster of Paris...plastic toy figurines/animals...Playdough...popsicle sticks...poster board...puzzles...ribbon...seashells...sponges...string...toilet paper/paper towel rolls...wooden blocks...old towels (for the animal exhibit).

Items can be delivered any Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. Thank you for supporting Elachee...and helping the planet!

Spring is in the Air!

Spring is a wonderful time to get out and hike in the Chicopee Woods! Choose any of our trails to enjoy the parade of spring blooms beginning with hepatica, bloodroot, and toadshade trillium. Nodding trillium, Catesby trillium, and mayapples follow these early bloomers in April and May

Above the forest floor you'll see blooming woodland shrubs. Spicebush blooms in masses along both Vulture Rock Creek and Walnut Creek. Look for the tiny yellow blossoms, then do a "scratch" test. If you gently rub a fingernail along a twig of spicebush you will be rewarded with a whiff of lemony fragrance. Early settlers steeped cuttings from young spicebush branches to make a tea. The berries could be dried and used as a substitute for allspice, and the dried bark was sometimes used as a cinnamon substitute.

Another spring-blooming shrub is yellow buckeye. Look for compound leaves in groups of five like the outstretched fingers of the hand. Buckeye blooms with showy clusters of creamy yellow blossoms. The shrubs will produce a round greenish fruit that opens in fall to release shiny brown nuts that look something like a chestnut.

Come check out springtime as it bursts into bloom in the Chicopee Woods. See you on the trails!