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On giving Tuesday, you can get a jump on this giving season by donating to a worthy organization that is helping nature in some way. Depending on the organization you can also gift a direct donation, perk or membership to someone you care about. This can be done any day of the year! Below are some organizations to donate to or join in Georgia - mainly in metro Atlanta. Every city has similar local or state organizations if you do a little research. (Links to organizations are highlighted in green.)
Nurture Native Nature is also a non-profit 501c3 organization and donations are greatly appreciated to help with the cost of educational program and activity outreach to raise awareness about ways to support wildlife habitat where we live. Over the past year Nurture Native Nature has personally reached hundreds of people in Atlanta through workshops and presentations, given away hundreds of native plants, and spread the word to tens of thousands more people online. (Habitat Yard Workshops are one of the many ways I raise awareness about ways to support wildlife where we live through Nurture Native Nature - the video is from a fall workshop)
Chattahoochee Nature Center - A gift membership or donation for the 127-acre Chattahoochee Nature Center just a bit north of Atlanta supports the trails, exhibits, programs and events and a mission to connect people with nature.
Birds Georgia (Formerly Georgia Audubon) - For the backyard birders a gift membership or donation to Birds Georgia will help the mission of building places where birds and people thrive through extensive programs and initiatives by creating bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement.
Blue Heron Nature Preserve preserves and enhances the 30 acres of natural habitat and creates a personal experience with nature through conservation, education and the arts. There are multiple ways to give to support this mission.
Friends of Lost Corner is a 24-acre nature preserve with a mile of walking trails. This community gem in Sandy Springs offers lectures, children’s programs, nature walks, and other events to connect visitors to nature. One of my favorite places to give presentations is in their cozy on-site cottage with an ancient oak outside it.
Georgia Native Plant Society - Help support the Georgia Native Plant Society’s mission to conserve Georgia's native plants and their habitats with a gift membership or donation.
Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites – For the person who likes to be in touch with nature, in Georgia you can get a $50 annual parking pass for Georgia's State Parks to help fund renovations, trail work, dock replacements and more.
Park Pride - Everyone has a local park they love. In Atlanta you can make a restricted gift to a specific park through Park Pride. Your gift may be used only for the park or greenspace you designate through its Friends of the Park group. Funds raised can be used for park improvements or activation. (My latest favorite Atlanta park is Orme Park where a dear friend has been diligently removing invasives and replanting with native plants)
South Fork Conservancy - For anyone who lives intown anywhere near the North and South Forks of Peachtree Creek, a donation in honor of someone to South Fork Conservancy supports the restoration of the green space on the banks of the South Fork of Peachtree Creek in the heart of Atlanta. They have created five miles of trails and spearheaded three new public parks, and the overall plan includes 31 miles of trails along the South Fork and its tributaries. Southfork was instrumental in supporting the creation of Zonolite Park, a local peaceful nature park that was once a brownfield and is now a peaceful nature park
Trees Atlanta - You can honor a tree hugger with a tribute tree for as low as a $25 donation at Trees Atlanta. Planting a tree is a gift that truly pays tribute and gives back for generations to come, as trees provide wonderful environmental, health, and aesthetic benefits to everyone. Each Tribute Tree becomes a part of Trees Atlanta’s One Million Trees Initiative, an innovative regional partnership of local nonprofit conservation organizations, cities, and counties across metro Atlanta. Recipients of a Tribute Tree acknowledgement will be notified that their tree is being counted toward one million trees planted or conserved in Atlanta.
Wild Nest Bird Rehabilitation is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit songbird rehabilitation facility in Georgia. American birds have lost 30% of their population in just the last 50 years. Every bird life is precious! Wild Nest has treated over 2,500 birds, established a formal training program for those seeking state and federal wildlife rehabilitation licenses, trained over 275 volunteers in bird care and educated the public through school and community outreach. Their all-volunteer team includes three federally licensed rehabilitators, animal technicians, veterinarians, student interns, trained caregivers and operations, facilities and strategic planning experts.
Woodlands Garden is an urban sanctuary educating and engaging the community in the natural world in an idyllic 7.1 acre urban Preserve of Natural Piedmont Forest. (Below is a video of Landscape Architect Steve Sanchez starting a free educational talk at Woodlands Garden with an explanation of why we need to plant native plants over non-natives)
Wylde Center is an Atlanta-area non-profit with five urban greenspaces that connect the community to nature in an urban environment.
Note: There are no affiliate links in this blog. The highlighted text throughout this post offer links to worthy organizations in Georgia that support nature in some way.