Outing with the International Rescue Group at Island Ford Unit CRNRA

The Sierra Club Atlanta ICO group  took kids from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on an outing to Island Ford today.  We went on a hike along the Chattahoochee River and up in the hills, stopping many times to watch the river and the geese and people kayaking and fishing. During the hike we talked about the river as a source of water for the Atlanta metropolitan area and as a valued place to be outdoors.  (We were fortunate we had beautiful weather!) Then we had lunch next to the river.  The highlight of the trip was a an energetic soccer game on the field next to the river.  We had a great time playing in the game and watching. It was especially interesting that there was an American football game next to the soccer game and we could watch both at the same time.  Sometimes the two games got mixed together but continued to play.  

We normally fund our outings from fund-raisers and grants we receive.  Today, the outing was funded by the National Park Service.  We received a mini-grant from NPS-100 (National Park Service 100 years celebration) ‪#‎FindYourPark‬.
Thank you National Park Service.

Fundraising at BRIO Tuscan Grill at the Perimeter

BRIO Tuscan Grill in Dunwoody partnered with us to hold a Bocce Ball / Snooker Ball Fundraiser.  It was awesome sitting outside listening to the the live music of Wild Iris Rose.

Snookerball is a pool game but we played it soccer style.

Warren B&G Club Helping With Stream Monitoring

On March 12, youth and staff from the Warren-Holyfield Boys and Girls Club helped the Sierra Club volunteers who conduct periodic analysis of the chemical and biological status of the South Fork of Peachtree Creek (near Medlock Park in Decatur) as part of Georgia Adopt-A-Stream.  They helped measure the water chemistry and looked for macroinvertebrates living in the creek.  The finds included fresh-water clams and a large crayfish.  The Sierra Club survey team gave excellent explanations of how stream monitoring works, and recorded the findings for posting on the Adopt-A-Stream web site (http://georgiaadoptastream.com/db/Default.asp).

Warren Boys & Girls Club Trip to Sweetwater Creek State Park

Atlanta ICO volunteers and youth from the Club visited Sweetwater Creek State Park on a beautiful sunny Saturday.  An ICO Leader gave a tour of the Interpretive Center to explain why it has the highest possible rating as an environmentally responsible building with solar panels, “green” architecture, and recycled waste.  We hiked the wooded trail to the mill ruins, observing the leaves of the American Beech and other signs of winter along the way.  After lunch, the group took the Yellow trail that crosses the creek, ascends a steep ridge, then returns via the bottomlands paralleling the creek.  Despite the strenuousness of the trail, the youth set a lively pace that finished the hike early, leaving more time to look at the interesting displays in the Interpretive Center.

Arabia Mountain Hike with Kids From the International Rescue Committee

ICO volunteers and kids from IRC spent a cold Saturday afternoon hiking Arabia Mountain.  The sun was out but it was pretty cold and windy at the top.  We enjoyed a great lunch on the trail by the lake.  Afterwards, we took a tour of the AWARE center.  The kids really enjoyed the owl couple there.

Worley Brown Kids Playing at F.D. Roosevelt State Park

 Kids from the Worley Brown Boys and Girls club spent Saturday afternoon playing at F.D. Roosevelt State Park.  They helped a couple of Sierra Club meet-up members navigate a Orienteering meet beginner course.

The weather was great and there was a lot of fun things to do in the park.  The kids enjoyed spotting the orange and white course markers.  Thanks to Adriene and Sharise for figuring out how to get around the course.

Hiking at CRNRA Gold branch Unit with kids from the International Rescue Committee (IRC)

This Sunday, Atlanta ICO joined with IRC to take a new group of kids hiking at the Gold Branch unit of the CRNRA.  It was a little cold and windy out but it was a clear blue sky day.  We ate lunch by the river, stopped to stare at a deer on the other side of the river, and had a great time learning new words from the different countries that the kids are from.