Adult programs at Elachee Naure Science Center often put participants out on trails in Chicopee Woods.
Folks who discovered water bugs and rollie pollies, buckeyes and mayapples as children in summer camps may be among those coming back to Elachee Nature Science Center to renew their love affair with the outdoors. In 40-plus years, the regional environmental education center in Gainesville has not only enlightened hundreds of thousands of children about nature’s wonders, it also refreshes adults with the joys perpetuated by the natural world.
In adult-oriented programs like Master Naturalist, Liquid Learning, and Brown Bag Lunch, the center has reached out to adults who may have romped Chicopee Woods as children. A new series, Wild Wisdom, premieres this month with dual sessions at the Smithgall Arts Center off the Gainesville square and outdoors in the 1,400-acre nature preserve that has been Elachee’s home since the 1980s.
“As much as children’s programs are at the heart of what we do, there’s a demand for adult experiences as well. We try to make sure we’re engaging all members of our community,” said Sarah Bell, Elachee CEO/President.
The offerings, such as Camp Elachee for Adults, attract “18 to 80-year-olds,” Bell said, drawn together by the urge to be with like-minded people who may get excited by trilliums, crayfish, and ospreys. Couples, young adults, empty nesters, retirees, and singles flocked to local tap rooms for the former Liquid Learning and Science Nights, newly reimagined as Wild Wisdom.
The free program includes a monthly lecture by experts in each topic in a quiet intimate setting inside the Arts Center and an outdoor excursion in Chicopee Woods. The three-month series meets 10:30-11:30 a.m. the second Tuesdays and again on the fourth Tuesday for a related outdoor activity at Elachee. Light refreshments are provided. Bell said participant feedback from previous adult education sessions inspired a move from taprooms to the quieter environment at the Arts Center. The centralized setting in downtown Gainesville also is more accessible to attendees north of Gainesville than Elachee classrooms in South Hall.
Participants in water quality sessions at Elachee Nature Science Center conduct stream sampling studies as part of an adult program.
Wild Wisdom kicks off Jan. 14 with a panel discussion on “The Health and Nature Connection,” at the Arts Center followed by a Jan. 28 experience at Elachee. A panel from the One Hall Health Committee, a subsidiary of United Way of Hall County, will discuss the health benefits of observing and being active in the natural world. February and March feature experts in birding and Georgia trilliums and wildflowers.
Elachee Education Director Maranda Martin explained the center chooses topics based on its “thematic calendar” which corresponds with the seasons. January’s emphasis on health and renewal starts the year, followed by February’s focus on birds during the month of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Trilliums bloom in March and April, setting the stage for wildflower talks and walks. As the waters warm in Walnut Creek and Chicopee Woods tributaries, summer programs dive into stream exploration. As darkness creeps in earlier in Fall, so do programs on nocturnal animals. With December presenting the longest nights of the year, that month gazes at the stars, space, and astronomy.
Elachee plumbs a deep pool of experts to lead adult programs, Bell said, including naturalists on staff and scientists who study topics such as water quality, mushrooms, pollination, and amphibians. “We have a wonderful relationship with the University of North Georgia,” which brings in knowledgeable environmental lecturers.
Besides Wild Wisdom this winter, Elachee is continuing its adult Pages and Pines Silent Book Club sessions, moving from the patio to the new indoor Woodland Wonders Exhibit. Adults can bring a book, their favorite cushion or blanket, and a sack lunch to cozy up for a good read on second Tuesdays through May.
Naturalist-led weekly walks resume in March. Popular with adults, these hikes revolve around the cycle of nature in Chicopee Woods. Some, such as night hikes in October invite participants into the woods after dark to discover nocturnal animals or hear spooky Appalachian tales near Halloween.
Sunset Serenades, featuring live music by local performers, snacks, and adult beverages invite Elachee patron members to unwind on the patio. Look for these special evenings during the summer and early fall.
Elachee naturalist Norma Rainwater, left, leads an adult environmental education program.
In the October Camp Elachee for Adults, deemed “Date Night,” attendees test skills with ax-throwing or archery, play yard games, experience the mini-planetarium Star Lab, and unwind on the patio with food, music and drinks. Bell said the adult camp, a reinvention of the former Flights of Fancy dinner, cocktails and auction of nature-inspired art, celebrated its third iteration last October. The fundraiser contributes to Elachee’s camps for kids. Another potential adult date option is Stars Over Elachee, which focuses telescopes on the moon and planets in the night sky over Chicopee Lake. This night activity is also open to children ages 8 and older and is offered most months.
Bell said the Master Naturalist certification series, one of the center’s most attended adult programs, will not be held this year due to construction on Elachee’s campus. Renovations and additional classroom space will expand the center’s capacity for both children’s and adults’ programs.
Although the vast majority of Elachee’s visitors are children enrolled in camps or rolling in on school field trips from metro-Atlanta and the Georgia mountains, the science center strives to keep the spirit of adventure and discovery alive in the adult community. Programs designed to “bring out the kid” in everyone open up a sense of adventure, camaraderie, connection to nature, and respect for the land, water and air that perpetuate life.
See Lakeside’s Outdoor Calendar for monthly updates on Elachee activities.
Photos: courtesy of Elachee
