Description of Organization

The South Fork Conservancy began as neighbors hiking along a few existing paths beside the creek. From informal conversations, the bud of connections began to grow. Today the Conservancy is a non- profit organization, operating under 501(c)(3) rules. Leadership is provided by neighbors and partners in civic associations, other non-profit groups and small political subdivisions. But the mission and vision of the Conservancy stay rooted in the water and stream side restoration and connections first imagined by the hikers. Just as the Appalachian Trail stretches from Georgia to Maine along the ridge lines of the mountains, so the Conservancy proposes to restore and conserve the stream, floodplain and buffer zone of the South Fork of Peachtree Creek, as well as provide access for minimal impact human use. The South Fork Conservancy will be a membership organization for individuals, institutions and associations, with a citizens’ advisory committee, an elected, rotating board of directors, an executive committee and officers.

Along Peachtree Creek today, a few parks and greenways inadequately protect the water and habitat as it winds from Dunwoody, Norcross and Tucker to Atlanta. These tiny  islands of green are often crowded with people, enjoying the sight and sounds of this historic urban creek. But the green spaces are isolated, not connected to each other. And the ecosystem continues to deteriorate. The parks and paths which do exist hint at the  linear park which could wind along Peachtree Creek, reconnecting the wildlife, the water and the people who live along its banks.

Much of the creek and its banks is controlled by large landholders. Warehouses, utility easements, and the state Department of Transportation control property edging the creek, regularly treating the water and the wildlife as little more than a property line. The banks here are thick with kudzu and privet, choking out native species and discouraging any of the human neighbors from enjoying views and use of the watershed. Because the natural ecosystem is compromised by human development and neglect, the stream surges high during rainstorms, scouring away the natural habitat for the smallest beginnings of the food chain that fed the Muscogee people who lived here first.

Meanwhile, metropolitan Atlanta ranks among the lowest of the nation’s big cities in the amount of green space available to people who live here. In this decade, despite large investments in greenspace acquisition for water quality improvements, the city of Atlanta has increased its green space per capita from 7.6 acres per thousand people to only 7.7 acres per thousand. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, (Feb. 16, 2009) the median amount of green space in  America’s large cities is almost twice that in Atlanta;  13.6 acres per thousand. DeKalb County has more, 9.2 acres per thousand, without counting the state park at Stone Mountain.

Upstream of the confluence of the south and north forks of the creek, other large institutions and their neighbors are eager for change. Emory University, the Fernbank Museum of Natural History and DeKalb County parks and watershed protectors are improving the ways they manage the creek and tributaries of the South Fork of Peachtree Creek.

Stretches of streams running through Emory’s campus and through tributaries in the Fernbank Forest are being cleared of non-native invasive species.  Water quality is improving, and footpaths are allowing neighbors to enjoy the amenity for the first time. A new suspension footbridge allows doctors from the Veterans Administration Hospital to connect to Emory University via a greenway that relaxes and restores even as it unites two major institutions. DeKalb County is making similar decisions.

The South Fork Conservancy seeks to build on these beginnings of protecting the ecological system and connecting green spaces by encouraging land owners to allow similar activities on properties they control. In public and private parcels of all sizes bordering the streams, with specific solutions for each parcel, the Conservancy hopes to build a linked series of water quality improvements permitting wildlife and human beings to enjoy the re-connected and restored South Fork of Peachtree Creek.

How Can I Help?

You can add your name to your neighbors in support of the South Fork Conservancy. The more people see familiar trusted names here the more likely they will be to sign up themselves to help make this happen quickly.

Just click here and add your name. If you want, include the name of your street and the closest stretch of Peachtree Creek to your house. Also, include other organizations to which you belong which back similar ideas.

Supporters

Bill Seay
420 Rock Springs Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
404.881.6342   
billseay@bellsouth.net 

I live in Piedmont Heights and Clear Creek runs through our neighborhood toward Peachtree Creek.  The South Fork of Peachtree Creek is perhaps only a few hundred yards from our northeast neighborhood boundary.

Jane Rawlings
2116 Lenox Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30324

My property is adjacent to South Fork Peachtree Creek near Morningside Nature Preserve.

Membership:

• Lindridge Martin Manor Neighborhood Association, President
• Lindbergh LaVista Corridor Coalition, Long-Range Planning Committee
• NPU-F Vice Chair and Traffic Chair
• Garden Hills Elementary School, PTA Member

Bobby Ward
1145 Palafox Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30324

I live in Woodland Hills and enjoy running and bicycling in the Morningside Nature Preserve located on the South Fork of Peachtree Creek. One section of this park is a short walk down Lenox Road from my neighborhood and has great potential. I hope to one day see the two sections of Morningside Nature Preserve linked by a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the South Fork. I look forward to being a part of the restoration and accessibility efforts along the creek.

Membership:

• Woodland Hills Neighborhood Association, Treasurer & Neighborhood Watch Coordinator
• Lindbergh LaVista Cooridor Coalition, Parks and Greenspace Member & Meeting Setup

Beech tree on Houston Mill Loop

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To see a photo essay of David Kaufman's journey down the South Fork, click HERE.