Finding Nature in Clayton County Georgia
William H. Reynolds Memorial Nature Preserve The William H. Reynolds Memorial Nature Preserve is located at 5665 Reynolds Road in Morrow,Ga. The Land which it sits on was donated to Clayton County by Judge William H. Reynolds in 1976. Judge Reynolds had purchased the land in the 1920s and in the 1930s he used the natural springs on the property to create several large ponds (which remain there today). In 1979 a federal grant from the Lands and Conservation Fund allowed the donated land to become a Nature Preserve complete with an
Interpretive Center, piers on the lakes, and bridges over the flowing springs. Today visitors to Reynolds will find nearly 146 acres of mostly hardwood forest, ponds, wetlands, streams, designated picnic areas, and four miles of various foot paths. They will also find one of the barns that were on the property when Judge Reynolds purchased it in the 1920s as well as a heritage vegetable and herb garden, a hummingbird and butterfly garden and a native plants garden. The native plants garden is wheelchair accessible, because it is paved with brick. Visitors can have a name or message engraved on a brick, by ordering one in the Nature Center and then it will eventually be added to the constantly expanding trail’s path. If you visit the
Nature Center while it is open, it is home to many native reptiles and amphibians and even an observational honeybee hive. The Nature Center also offers a series of educational classes to children and adults to help instill an interest and appreciation for the environment and nature in general. For Clayton County teachers, Reynolds offers the ability to check out one of ten discovery boxes to teach their class about various elements of natural history. The boxes range from “Birds” to “Wetland Ecosystems” and they have samples and examples as well as diagrams and all sorts of interesting and educational information to help children learn while having a little bit of fun.
One of the best aspects of Reynolds is its trail design; the trails are set up as loops allowing you to adjust the length of your journey while always ensuring that you will return to the point you started. The path you choose will also decide the type of terrain you’re walking on, and some of the paths are gentler than others. All of these elements provide visitors to the preserve with a lot of options; it doesn’t matter if you’re a recreational jogger looking for a good run or a curious kid who’d like to see a few turtles you can find it at Reynolds Nature Preserve. On the downside, during certain times of the year some of the paths feel a little narrower because of the plant growth. There aren’t a lot of barriers along the trails, but the paths are clearly laid out.
The office and Nature Center are open 8:30-5:30 Monday through Friday and on the first Saturday of each month they are open 9 am until 1 pm. You can learn more about William H. Reynolds Memorial Nature Preserve by visiting their website here: http://web.co.clayton.ga.us/reynolds/about.htm Melvin L. Newman Wetlands Center The Melvin L.Newman Wetlands Center is part of the Clayton County Water Authority’s conservation and education efforts. Located at 2755 Freeman Road in the Clayton County part of Hampton, the Wetlands center is even more out of the way than Reynolds. However, Freeman road has intersects with both Tara Blvd and Jonesboro Road making it pretty easy to get to.
The Wetlands opened in 1995, and its primary function is to provide lessons of watershed protection and conservation to school aged children. The wetlands are open to the general public daily with hours in the months March through October from 7am until 7pm and in the months November through February from 7am until 5pm. At the Clayton County Wetlands facility you will find a half mile trail that goes over boardwalks and crushed stone and a 4,800 sq/ft building which contains an area full of exhibits, a 50 seat auditorium, and a conference facility.
The trail at the wetlands center is a half mile in length and its design is gentle walk over a combination of boardwalks and crushed stone trails. There are two very small inclines in the path, one is completely optional leading to the “hammock overlook” and the other is the entrance/exit point (it’s only an incline when you’re leaving) otherwise the path can only be described as flat. The trail has also been designed with several benches, covered areas and even a water fountain to make the walk more enjoyable to visitors. As you walk the trail keep your eyes and ears open, the wetlands are home to more than 130 different bird species including wading birds like the Great Blue Heron as well as deer, wild turkey, assorted reptiles and amphibians, river otters, beavers, fish squirrels, chipmunks and of course insects.
Each August the Newman Wetlands Centeris home to the Clayton County Water Authority’s Wetlands and Watershed festival. The watershed festival is a family event which is geared towards teaching children the value of conservation and watershed protection. Visitors to the watershed festival park at the nearby Blalock and Smith reservoirs (also maintained by the Clayton County Water Authority) and are shuttled to the Newman Wetlands Center. There visitors will find tables set up with all sorts of arts & crafts, information, and even displays that include animals.
All of these things are designed to provide the public with important information that will help them better understand the roles animals and nature play in our world. For example, one display was designed to teach (children in particular) about bats. The information presented focused on the Big Brown Bat (one of ‘s most common) so that people could learn to identify them as the bats they might see in the night sky, and be less afraid of them. The table also provided a large assortment of coloring sheets to take home and instructions on how to build a bat box for your own backyard. Among the many other organizations at the Wetlands and Watershed Festival was the Atlanta Audubon Society, which holds Saturday walks through the wetlands during migration seasons. The Wetlands and Watershed festival also features a Wetlands Scavenger hunt and guided tours through the wetlands.
The Clayton County Wetlands is easily among my favorite places in ClaytonCounty; the gentle walk can provide quiet visitors with ample animal sightings and photographic opportunities and is very well maintained. It is also a great place for children to learn about animals and nature in general, the Wetlands website even has a PDF brochure geared especially towards children that you can print out and read together to teach them about the elements you’re seeing. Although turtles and fish are fairly easy sightings, you do have to try to be fairly quiet to see the other animals (especially the wild turkeys, because your best clue is going to be hearing them). The only real downside to the wetlands is that you can never really be sure who has gone through before you, and how loud they were (although most visitors to the wetlands are pretty quiet).
Visit the Clayton County Water Authority’s page about the wetlands here: http://www.ccwa1.com/facilities/wetlands.center.aspx
