Claire Hayes, Woodlands Director, left, and Ruby Bock, Woodlands Garden Manager, right, offer “cups of gratitude” to Stephen Wood and Edie Morton, founder and visual artist of the Wilderness Act Performance Series
Claire Hayes, Woodlands Director, left, and Ruby Bock, Woodlands Garden Manager, right, offer “cups of gratitude” to Stephen Wood and Edie Morton, founder and visual artist of the Wilderness Act Performance Series

2014 has been busy!  Perhaps most exciting, Woodlands is taking steps to purchase a one-acre parcel next door.  This property will provide safe appealing access from Scott and Clairemont, double our parking, and create a beautiful entrance to the City of Decatur.

Woodlands was chosen to be one of only five venues for the Wilderness Act Performance Series, celebrating our country’s dedication to preserving its wild green spaces. Woodlands led the development of “Garden Go Seek,” now a project of the City of Decatur, inviting children to explore the city’s greenspaces and gardens.

Woodlands also hosted Urban Wilderness + Man-Made Nature, an exhibit of Atlanta Celebrates Photography, by photographers Virginie Kippelen and Shannon Davis.  Our partners at Skyland Trail for the fourth time brought delicate fairy houses to tuck along our trails.  Our volunteer gardeners masterminded a native plant sale that raised over $3,600.

Pictured, left to right: Ruby Bock, Woodlands Garden Manager; Patty Bonner, Woodlands Vice-president; Gary White, Georgia Forestry Commission; Claire Hayes, Woodlands Executive Director; Rob Ryan, GUFC President
Pictured, left to right: Ruby Bock, Woodlands Garden Manager; Patty Bonner, Woodlands Vice-president; Gary White, Georgia Forestry Commission; Claire Hayes, Woodlands Executive Director; Rob Ryan, GUFC President

In 2013, the Georgia Urban Forestry Council honored Woodlands Garden for its unique preservation of urban forest and the ensuing environmental and educational benefits brought to the community. We also opened the Garden to the public full time.