Edwards hinted about future lectures from other scientists and leaders, including urban agriculture, indigenous botany, lichens, stream banks, birds, and amphibians. in geography, teaches the first class in the DeKalb Beloved Naturalist program.ĭr. The lecture also included reminders that we seldom acknowledge how rare and special is the DeKalb environment outside our doors – stewardship is a major focus of the DeKalb Beloved Naturalist program.ĭr. Edwards highlighted emerging crane fly orchids and other early spring ephemerals already finding sunlight in the mesic temperate deciduous forest edging the granite outcrops. Many ideas came from class members sharing their own knowledge, naming birdsong by ear, and identifying animals seen along the trail. Edwards’ guided afternoon hike exposed dozens of discoveries on the quarry surface and in the woods. This first session is a soft rollout to a program that will grow bigger with time. The participants will be immersed in the natural landscapes of DeKalb County and gain a deep well of experience with the wildlife and wildlands all around metro Atlanta, as well as critical context for the area’s human history and the way that nature and human society have shaped each other here over time. The DeKalb Beloved Naturalist program will continue throughout the year, bringing in a rotating array of guest speakers to instruct the participants on everything from geology to archaeology to ecology and more. Within the first few minutes of the class, the commonplace had become elevated. Even better, DeKalb’s temperate deciduous forest landscape has never been scoured by a glacier. Only tiny portions of the world hold this unique combination. A global map of habitat zones proved her right. This common DeKalb County scenery is in fact the exception – temperate deciduous Piedmont forests filled once a year with a priceless nutritional bath from dropping leaves, are relatively rare on Earth. “Do you know how rare this sight is?” Dr. Bare February trees, empty bushes, a stretch of exposed rock with little to see. #DEKALB FIRSTCLASS LOGIN PROFESSIONAL#in geography, and professional educator – started with a look out the window. The first of the program’s lecturers, Leslie Edwards – author, Ph.D. This program aims to address that.Īt Arabia Mountain that day were twenty eager naturalists-in-training, diverse in age, gender and race, united in listening with fresh ears to stories of their environmental heritage. Too often, naturalist classes and many environmental fields lack the degree of diversity reflective of the actual community. These students are a part of a bold new environmental education: the DeKalb Beloved Naturalist program. On a quiet Saturday in February, a group of people crowded into the classroom at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center.
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