Concrete Jungle is an Atlanta-based organization that collects fruit and nuts from public and private trees and then donates them to organizations that help hungry folks. They also have a farm where the grow produce. In 2015, they donated 3,684 pounds of food.

"This is a great park! Why did they put it in a hole?" is a question BeltLine landscape architect Kevin Burke says people often ask about Historic Fourth Ward Park.  The reality is that the park is a great example of "green infrastructure", preventing adjacent neighborhoods from flooding while also providing a place for nature, fitness, and events.

For the last three years, I've been documenting Atlanta's intown parks through photos and maps. Therefore, the idea of an event with Atlanta's wildernesses as its theme naturally excited me. I wanted to learn more about these greenspaces and to have the chance to share my knowledge and views with others.

While these parks aren't what we typically think of as "wildernesses," there are certainly elements of the wild present in them, from muskrats and deer and blue herons to native Piedmont trees that are hundreds of years old. They also provide spaces for quiet reflection away from frantic city life and traffic, a valuable resource for our city.

During the field seminars, we learned about Atlanta's watersheds and about how our urban environment and living impacts the natural environment of creeks. We also learned how greenspaces can help to mitigate our impact. My watershed maps are a result of these discussions.

Most Atlanta nature guides require one to go far outside the City of Atlanta, but I have found that there are many opportunities far closer.

The map depicts a circle centered on dooGallery with a radius of three miles. The locations photographed are within this radius.