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Bear Creek Nature Ctr.
We invite you to tour the Chatt Hills Barn Quilt Trail and learn more about the rich rural heritage of beautiful Chattahoochee Hills. Visitors are welcome to take photos from the public road, and are invited to shop in the local businesses.
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Follow the path . . . to the Nature Center
On any given day, Bear Creek Nature Center receives its share of visitors from those who wander off the beaten path or decide to extend their hike from Cochran Mill Park, which adjoins the property. Once there, first-time visitors discover many reasons for returning, including the Nature Center's environmental exhibits and education, and outdoor recreation areas ideal for family picnics, larger gatherings, or day hikes.
The Nature Center chose the "Bear Paw" for its barn quilt in honor of its namesake, Bear Creek, and also for the history of this particular quilt pattern, which is said to have guided many who wander through the woods. The main barn quilt is displayed on the lower-level of the Lodge at the Nature Center (check website or Facebook for hours of operation). For those touring the Chatt Hills Barn Quilt Trail during other times, a smaller version of the barn quilt is displayed on the Nature Center's mailbox on Cochran Mill Rd. Pictured above, left to right: Norma Lewis, Executive Director and Naturalist; Larry Reed, CFO; Louie Deaton, Director; Beth Harbin, Assistant Naturalist; Ray Hannah, Chairperson. |
Walk Around The Nature Center
Heritage Story: Building The Nature Center
In the late 1980s, a small group of local residents with a shared passion for the environment believed they could strengthen their Atlanta Southern Crescent community through environmental education and conservation. Together, they secured a 45-year lease on approximately 50 acres of privately-owned land adjacent to Cochran Mill Park, an 800-acre nature preserve owned and managed by Fulton County. This property became the home of the Nature Center, a private, non-profit organization that has provided year-round educational programming since 1991.
Inspired by the Nature Center’s mission and goals, volunteers worked with staff and board members to expand the capacity and reach of the Nature Center. Together, they built a 6,000 square-foot lodge, the Nature Center’s first permanent facility, and a one-acre wildlife pond. The new lodge, complete with new exhibits and programming, opened to the public in 1994.
In addition to the construction of the lodge, volunteers and donors have generously aided the Nature Center in the building of a handicapped-accessible boardwalk and dock, a pavilion and the Helen Selman memorial garden.
After more than 20 years of service, the Nature Center was recognized as Atlanta's Southern Crescent Region’s premier environmental education organization. The Center is now known as Bear Creek Nature Center.
Inspired by the Nature Center’s mission and goals, volunteers worked with staff and board members to expand the capacity and reach of the Nature Center. Together, they built a 6,000 square-foot lodge, the Nature Center’s first permanent facility, and a one-acre wildlife pond. The new lodge, complete with new exhibits and programming, opened to the public in 1994.
In addition to the construction of the lodge, volunteers and donors have generously aided the Nature Center in the building of a handicapped-accessible boardwalk and dock, a pavilion and the Helen Selman memorial garden.
After more than 20 years of service, the Nature Center was recognized as Atlanta's Southern Crescent Region’s premier environmental education organization. The Center is now known as Bear Creek Nature Center.