Wetlands & Watershed Festival Takes Place Saturday, November 4
Free event dedicated to creating memorable learning experiences for the whole family
October 20, 2023 (Morrow, Georgia) – – Clayton County Water Authority’s (CCWA) annual Wetlands & Watershed Festival takes place Saturday, November 4, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at its Melvin L. Newman Wetlands Center on Freeman Road in Hampton.
This year’s festival has been reimagined with many new offerings thanks to a grant from the Clayton County Tourism Authority.
“Our hope is that each visitor will have the opportunity to not only find a peaceful place to enjoy nature, but to also develop a deeper understanding of conservation and a passion for protecting local watersheds,” Conservation Supervisor Danielle Bunch adds.
This year’s festival includes:
- Story Walk – Come meet some cool characters out on Boardwalk Trail. Our friends are thrilled to tell you their best stories. Walks start every 15-20 minutes. (Free!)
- Family Portraits – Have your family’s portrait taken by a professional photographer in a natural setting. Portraits will be printed on-site. (Free!)
- Find Your Watershed – Find your watershed with Finding the Flint & join your team on the Atlanta Creek League. (Free!)
- Face Painting – Choose your favorite plant or animal from our flash sheet & show it off all day! (Free!)
- Raffle – Prizes include a 4-hour guided trip with Okefenokee Adventures, gift certificates to Ocmulgee Outdoor Expeditions, a 4-hour flyfishing experience with River Through Atlanta, and a Crescent Kayak’s LiteTackle II. Earn tickets by engaging with exhibitors throughout the festival.
- Community Mural – Share wetlands inspired messages or art on a sticky note and stick it to our community wall. (Free!)
- Live Animals – Meet Georgia animal residents with the Chattahoochee Nature Center. (Free!)
- Games – Play trivia, cornhole, and more with our awesome exhibitors. (Free!)
- Food – Enjoy hamburgers, hotdogs, and various snacks.
- Dance Contest Presentation for K-12 Students – Check out our first-ever nature inspired dance contest. Sway like an oak tree in the wind. Leap like a white-tailed deer. Bow like a sandhill crane. Create fun moves to the song of your choice and enter our contest. Find details and the entry form here: https://newmanwetlandscenter.com/wetlandsfest/dancecontest/
Exhibitors include: Chattahoochee Nature Center’s On the Road with Reptiles, Atlanta Creek League & Finding the Flint, Change 4 Hope, Clayton County Soil & Water Conservation District, Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, Clayton State University’s Water Lab, Clayton State University – Bat Biology, Life Beyond Water, Clayton County Public Library, Quail Forever, CCWA’s Stormwater Team, and Water Quality Lab. CCWA’s Tap-on-the-Go Team will also be on site providing plenty of ice, cold tap water.
Free festival parking is provided at 2610 Shamrock Road in Jonesboro where visitors are shuttled to and from the festival.
Newman Wetlands Center staff is also hosting Blackbirds & Bees on Friday, November 3. Join staff for a guided sunset tour of Clayton County Water Authority’s constructed treatment wetlands followed by an outdoor showing of The Last Bumblebee, a documentary filmed in Washington and Georgia all about bumblebee conservation. Look for more details at: https://newmanwetlandscenter.com/wetlandsfest/
Newman Wetlands Center is dedicated to environmental education, owned and operated by Clayton County Water Authority. The center opened in 1995. It includes a Learning Center, two short gravel trails, and half-mile accessible walking trail. Newman Wetlands Center strives to provide a safe, welcoming environment for community members to come explore and connect to the natural world.