The Parks and Green Spaces Committee aims to expand parks in Edgewood and promote stewardship of existing greenspaces. Current parks in our neighborhood include Walker Park, a City of Atlanta park south of Memorial Drive, and the Edgewood Green, a 4+ acre space that is owned by Atlanta Public Schools (APS) and has been leased by ONE since 2021. We raise $4,000 a year to pay APS for the liability insurance to keep this greenspace open to the public. 

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Here are examples of what we work on:

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Historic Trees 

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We have five historic oak trees located near Sugar Creek near Vaughn Street, including Alba, our Champion White Oak, the largest White Oak in the City of Atlanta, and likely the oldest, too, estimated at 250 years old! Alba and the other historic oaks were already mature when they survived the Battle of Atlanta on July 22,1864. 

 

Sugar Creek

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Urban storm water runoff, strained sewer infrastructure, and other development activities have contributed to high fecal coliform levels in this 8.5-mile tributary of the South River. Learn more about our neighborhood’s impaired creek using the EPA’s waterway tool. Once you have entered an address, you can click on the creek to generate the latest report. 

 

Owls 

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Did you know there are 3 species of owls likely to be found in our neighborhood? The 3 most likely species of owls to find in intown Atlanta neighborhoods are:

• Great Horned Owls 

• Barred Owls 

• Screech Owls (you may be lucky enough to have heard them!) 

(Barn owls are rarely in the area, but it's possible!)

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Building owl boxes to specs recommended by bird experts (easily found online) can help our Edgewood mascot and other migratory birds survive loss of tree canopy. Each owl species requires a different box design.

 

Tree Canopy

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Planting trees is awesome! Newly planted trees provide different ecological services than large, mature trees which are more effective at carbon sequestration and also vital for migratory birds. High-impact development that reduces soil quality and space for tree roots results in lower likelihood of tree success. Innovative designs and development strategies can incorporate protection for mature tree roots so that existing priority trees thrive along with new plantings. Trees provide important benefits including improved human mental and physical health, improved wildlife habitat, reduced erosion, reduced runoff of polluted stormwater, improved creek and river health, and mitigation of climate change impacts. 

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