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Elachee's Main Campus |
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Elachee Nature Science Center, the premier environmental education facility in Georgia, is celebrating 29+ years of environmental literacy through quality educational field trip experiences, museum exhibits, programs for families and children, and resources for schools, scouts, groups, and the general public.
Elachee was the first Georgia Nature Center to be accredited by SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools). Elachee also serves as the manager of the Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve, a 1400-acre woodland surrounding the Center and one of the largest greenspaces in North Georgia. This designated wilderness and its 14 miles of hiking trails, rushing streams, deep forests, rich wetlands and abundant plant and animal life serves as an ideal outdoor classroom for Elachee's hands-on programs.
Each year over 35,000 students from more than 35 school systems and an additional 50,000 visitors enjoy Elachee's educational programs and hands-on learning experiences. |
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Elachee's main campus offers access to the Preserve, museum complex and live animal exhibits, making it a versatile location for our programs - outdoor nature studies of plants, animals and habitats; astronomy and Starlab; geology and archaeology; orienteering; and of course, ecology.
For special programs requiring other specific habitats, see the listings below of our other program locations. For a complete listing of programs, session formats, prices, and scheduling information please see our program guide or call 770/535-1976 to receive one in the mail.
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Students from Chesney Elementary check out our beaver dam |
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Chicopee Woods Aquatic Studies Center - Chicopee Lake |
Chicopee Lake Boardwalk |
Chicopee Woods Aquatic Studies Center is located at the southern entrance to the Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve. Its 2,200 square-foot teaching boardwalk, large covered pavilion, benches, trailheads and restrooms are located on Chicopee Lake and 15 acres of rich wetlands. This beautiful setting is ideal for aquatic, wildlife and watershed studies for all ages. Popular programs taught at this location include Pond Life, Limnology, Watershed Walkabout and Orienteering II.
Directions to Chicopee Woods Aquatic Studies Center (Chicopee Lake). |
The Chicopee Lake site also offers a rich habitat for birds, making it an ideal location for our Birds of a Feather program. Using binoculars and our bird scope, students get a chance to see waterfowl that live on the lake, birds of prey flying overhead and numerous nesting birds, songbirds and migratory species stopping by on their long journeys.
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Using the bird scope |
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Lake Lanier - Aqualand Marina |
Water Testing
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For those students studying Lake Ecology, our Lake Lanier location at Aqualand Marina provides a perfect laboratory to learn about the water quality of Lake Lanier and also study the characteristics of local watersheds.
Students sample plankton communities and conduct a variety of tests to determine the water quality while cruising on The Chota Princess II, owned and operated by The Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Along the way seasonal varieties of animals are encountered like herons, osprey, loons, beaver and even bald eagles. |
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| The Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper has procured a new catamaran for use on Lake Lanier. Elachee is excited to continue our partnership with the Riverkeeper for our Lake Lanier Aquatic Studies program, a joint effort which is Lake Lanier's only floating ecology education program. This beautiful boat, complete with a glass bottom for viewing in shallow water, will enable more students to learn about the health of Lake Lanier and its watershed. Elachee's Home School students were the first classes to experience this new floating classroom by participating in chemical, biological and physical testing along with viewing the amazing rookery of Great Blue Herons that inhabit the islands in the lake. |
Chota Princess II
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Tumbling Waters |
Tumbling Waters Creek
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Tumbling Waters, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Clayton, GA, is a 40-acre site adjacent to The Chattahoochee National Forest. Home to the largest documented Hemlock tree in the state and a 19th century cabin listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this venue offers a unique setting for a variety of distictive and individually designed plant, animal and water programs.
This mountain location is perfect for a small group or class interested in an individualized learning opportunity as a day or overnight program. |
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Outreach Programs |
Investigating Habitats
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For those schools not able to visit us here at our campus, we will bring our programs to your classroom, outdoor classroom, or other natural area. Our expert staff will pack and transport most of our programs right to your classroom with their usual enthusiasm.
One of our most requested outreach programs, Habitat is Home, looks at the different Georgia habitats and the types of plants and animals that live in each one. Hands-on learning stations and a live animal visitor make this program a favorite with students. |
Another popular outreach program is Starlab, our portable planetarium, which brings the stars and night sky to students any time of day. They will learn about stars, constellations, mythology and other interesting parts of the astronomical universe. A special middle school program looks at more advanced astronomical concepts like solar systems, galaxies, asteroids, and meteorites. |
Starlab Portable Planetarium |
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