Rivers Alive Event at Mill Creek Nature Center Day to Remember

    Where do Gwinnettians go to enjoy the exuberant colors of fall? Some drive north to the Appalachian Mountains, while others fly to Vermont. The answer, however, lies closer to home at Mill Creek Nature Center in Buford. On October 13, 2012, volunteers picked up trash along the trails of the wetland sanctuary before the start of the annual Rivers Alive event.

     Who would have known the wetland sanctuary was within a stone's throw of the Mall of Georgia? It was no accident, according to Georgia Wildlife Federation Program Director Hank Ohme, who noted, "The Mall of Georgia generously donated the eighty-eight acres to the Federation."

     On Saturday, Ohme joined forces with the Philadelphia Winn Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and Boy Scouts representing Troops 511 and 575 for the cleanup. Pam Lyle, Philadelphia Winn Conservation Chair, and Daughters Vicki Watkins and Deena Richart staffed the check-in table to greet visitors, direct them to the main trail, and give away free tee shirts.

     Volunteers then joined the public at an outdoor amphitheater where Robert Hill from Zoo Atlanta highlighted the different species of reptiles he had collected from the sanctuary that very morning. He walked among the crowd so each person could view the reptiles up close. From frog eggs to lizards and even a snake, he educated the spectators about what he had found. Untouched by bulldozers, the sanctuary is a place for foxes and coyote to roam, and of course, those slimy little reptiles.

     If you would like to join Philadelphia Winn National Society DAR, please email philwinndar@gmail.com.

     Caption: From left - Philadelphia Winn Daughter Vicki Watkins of Lawrenceville, Daughter Debbie Houston of Lilburn, Georgia Wildlife Federation Program Director Hank Ohme, Philadelphia Winn Conservation Chair Pam Lyle of Lawrenceville, and Daughter Deena Richart of Lawrenceville.