Congratulations to GNPS member Garden Hills Elementary School in Atlanta for being selected as a finalist for the 2008 Stepping Lightly in Atlanta Award from the Keep Atlanta Beautiful organization. The group accepted the award from Mayor Franklin on Saturday, April 26, at the Arms Around Atlanta Celebration in Glenwood Park.

The focus of their winning project was the threat of invasive non-native plants. The project's goals included learning about invasive plants and the benefits of native plants and ridding their campus of invasives. In addition, the school children held a letter-writing campaign to spread the word to others and to persuade Georgia lawmakers to act.

The school children have partnered with other organizations, both locally and nationally, in their mission of conservation. The children took part in the Fernbank Museum of Natural History Urban Watch program by participating in biodiversity surveys; participated in a fundraiser for The Nature Conservancy Global Invasive Species Team; took part in the Celebrate Urban Birds project of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology; and are participating in the Great Sunflower Project, a national community science project studying bees and pollination. For invasive removal, they have joined forces with Hands On Atlanta, the Boy Scouts, and C.R.E.W. (Community Revitalization Enterprises Workers), a group of formerly homeless men learning job skills.

This project will be an ongoing one at Garden Hills Elementary. Invasive removal will continue, and the school has acquired a greenhouse through a grant from Lowes that will enable them to grow native plants to help restore the natural areas of their campus.

Garden Hills Elementary holds a GNPS membership at the Educational level, and GNPS member Marion Hopkins, who serves as the Garden Hills PTA Grounds Committee Chair, was instrumental in the project. Congratulations to everyone at Garden Hills Elementary for their hard work protecting our environment and for the inspirational example they are setting.

Third grader Joseline Pacheo learns about non-native plants and animals from her field guide.

More information about the Garden Hills Elementary project is available in the press release prepared by the Atlanta Public School System.