2022 Wildlife Sanctuary Tour
Wildlife Sanctuary Tour
Saturday, September 10
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM (Rain or shine!)
DeKalb County
Tickets: $20 for Georgia Audubon members / $30 for non-members
We're excited to once again host an in person Georgia Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Tour on Saturday, September 10, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This year's tour will feature properties five properties along a 13-mile route in DeKalb County. Join us to gain inspiration on how you can transform your yard into a sanctuary for birds and other wildlife. Each property featured has been certified by Georgia Audubon as a Wildlife Sanctuary because it provides four essential criteria for attracting birds and other wildlife: food sources (at least 50% native plants), nesting sites, shelter, and water sources.
See property descriptions below!
Please not this is a self-guided tour and participants must provide their own transportation. A list of tour stops/addresses will be sent via email to registered participants the week of the event. Guests may tour the properties in any order they choose.
Registration for Georgia Grows Native for Birds Month Events will open on July 15.
Saturday, September 10
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM (Rain or shine!)
DeKalb County
Tickets: $20 for Georgia Audubon members / $30 for non-members
We're excited to once again host an in person Georgia Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Tour on Saturday, September 10, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This year's tour will feature properties five properties along a 13-mile route in DeKalb County. Join us to gain inspiration on how you can transform your yard into a sanctuary for birds and other wildlife. Each property featured has been certified by Georgia Audubon as a Wildlife Sanctuary because it provides four essential criteria for attracting birds and other wildlife: food sources (at least 50% native plants), nesting sites, shelter, and water sources.
See property descriptions below!
Please not this is a self-guided tour and participants must provide their own transportation. A list of tour stops/addresses will be sent via email to registered participants the week of the event. Guests may tour the properties in any order they choose.
Registration for Georgia Grows Native for Birds Month Events will open on July 15.
2022 Wildlife Sanctuary Tour Properties
Photo by Adam Betuel
Deepdene Park, N. Ponce de Leon Ave, NE
Part of the Olmstead Linear Park Alliance
At 22 acres, Deepdene is the largest section of Olmsted Linear Park which runs along Ponce de Leon Avenue between Druid Hills and Decatur. Deepdene occupies the eastern-most end of the string of parks that comprise Olmsted Linear Park. Deepdene is a largely wooded park and boasts some of the largest trees in the area. The park is situated on a beautiful sloping landscape that is shaped by a meandering stream running the length of the greenspace. A variety of native plants, birds, and other wildlife can be found in the deep shade of this forest. Led by the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance, Georgia Audubon was able to partner on a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to restore wildlife habitat in this park. The work continues to this day to remove non-native invasive plants and replace them with native plants. The area was certified as a Georgia Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in 2016.
Part of the Olmstead Linear Park Alliance
At 22 acres, Deepdene is the largest section of Olmsted Linear Park which runs along Ponce de Leon Avenue between Druid Hills and Decatur. Deepdene occupies the eastern-most end of the string of parks that comprise Olmsted Linear Park. Deepdene is a largely wooded park and boasts some of the largest trees in the area. The park is situated on a beautiful sloping landscape that is shaped by a meandering stream running the length of the greenspace. A variety of native plants, birds, and other wildlife can be found in the deep shade of this forest. Led by the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance, Georgia Audubon was able to partner on a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to restore wildlife habitat in this park. The work continues to this day to remove non-native invasive plants and replace them with native plants. The area was certified as a Georgia Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in 2016.
Photo courtesy Friends of Mary Scott Nature Park
Mary Scott Nature Park
4150 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30345
Located off of Briarcliff Road in the northeast side of Atlanta, Mary Scott Nature Park is a true hidden gem for any lover of native plants. In total, the park consists of 11 acres of beautiful and diverse canopied forest, all connected by a single loop trail. The high level of biodiversity found at the park can be credited to its team of dedicated volunteers, many of whom are members of the Georgia Native Plant Society. Together, they regularly remove invasive plants from the park while adding new and rare native species, many of which are accompanied by plant identification signs for the benefit of visitors hoping to learn more about Georgia’s native plants. The area was certified as a Georgia Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in 2021.
4150 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30345
Located off of Briarcliff Road in the northeast side of Atlanta, Mary Scott Nature Park is a true hidden gem for any lover of native plants. In total, the park consists of 11 acres of beautiful and diverse canopied forest, all connected by a single loop trail. The high level of biodiversity found at the park can be credited to its team of dedicated volunteers, many of whom are members of the Georgia Native Plant Society. Together, they regularly remove invasive plants from the park while adding new and rare native species, many of which are accompanied by plant identification signs for the benefit of visitors hoping to learn more about Georgia’s native plants. The area was certified as a Georgia Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in 2021.
Note regarding private homes on tour: To protect the privacy of the private property owners who have generously agreed to have their homes on our 2022 tour, we are keeping names and addresses private. We will share names and addresses with registered tour participants a few days prior to the September 10 tour.
Photo by Alex LoCastro
Private Property #1
This property is one of the most impressive private residences that Georgia Audubon has certified in the last few years. Featuring hundreds of native plant species in a two acre area, the owner has put a lot of work into creating winding trails that extend all the way from the house at the top of the hill down to the nearby Peachtree Creek. The property is a true wildlife sanctuary in every sense of the word, with tons of beautiful birds, insects, mammals, and more calling the area home. In short, this property will be a great place for tour attendees to get tons of ideas for their own outdoor areas and give them something to aspire to.
This property is one of the most impressive private residences that Georgia Audubon has certified in the last few years. Featuring hundreds of native plant species in a two acre area, the owner has put a lot of work into creating winding trails that extend all the way from the house at the top of the hill down to the nearby Peachtree Creek. The property is a true wildlife sanctuary in every sense of the word, with tons of beautiful birds, insects, mammals, and more calling the area home. In short, this property will be a great place for tour attendees to get tons of ideas for their own outdoor areas and give them something to aspire to.
Photo by Dottie Head
Private Property #2:
Located near East Atlanta Village, this property is a great example of what dedicated homeowners can accomplish in a relatively small area. The property is a standard urban Atlanta tract of land consisting of less than 0.2 acres, but you can hardly tell with how many wonderful and rare native plants are nestled into its front and back yards. Tour attendees will have lots to learn from this homeowner and the many little changes they have made since starting the process of converting it to native habitat.
Located near East Atlanta Village, this property is a great example of what dedicated homeowners can accomplish in a relatively small area. The property is a standard urban Atlanta tract of land consisting of less than 0.2 acres, but you can hardly tell with how many wonderful and rare native plants are nestled into its front and back yards. Tour attendees will have lots to learn from this homeowner and the many little changes they have made since starting the process of converting it to native habitat.
Photo by Dottie Head
Private Property #3
This private property is another shining example of what can be accomplished by homeowners who invest the time and effort to make their outdoor area as diverse and wildlife-friendly as possible. The property is owned by a member of the Georgia Native Plant Society and the owner has planted more than two hundred species of native plants over the years, many of which were obtained at GNPS’s native plant rescues. At just under one acre, this area serves as a good middle ground between the other two properties, and visitors will once again have much to learn from its owner.
This private property is another shining example of what can be accomplished by homeowners who invest the time and effort to make their outdoor area as diverse and wildlife-friendly as possible. The property is owned by a member of the Georgia Native Plant Society and the owner has planted more than two hundred species of native plants over the years, many of which were obtained at GNPS’s native plant rescues. At just under one acre, this area serves as a good middle ground between the other two properties, and visitors will once again have much to learn from its owner.
