Friends of Mountain Way Common Receives Grant to Fund Local Boy Scout’s Reforestation Project
Volunteers needed to help plant seedlings, flowers and shrubs on March 9
ATLANTA – February 21, 2019 – Friends of Mountain Way Common has received a $3,000 Restoration and Resilience Grant from the National Environmental Education Foundation, with major funding support from Toyota Motor North America. These funds will support the reforestation effort for the Hornaday Project that is an on-going effort by Matthew Keagle, Eagle Scout – Troop 370.
Matthew and Mountain Way Common leaders have teamed together to apply for and receive a total of $12,000 for reforestation efforts at the park. With a grant from Trees Atlanta, Keagle has already planted 43 native hardwood trees, and the NEEF grant will allow him to plant another 100 saplings, along with native flowers and woody shrubs. The public is invited to help with these plantings on Saturday, March 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Mountain Way Common is a 13-acre park located in North Buckhead that was created by the neighborhood to reclaim the land under a GA 400 overpass. MWC is a unique combination of forest, floodplain, wetlands, creek, stream buffer, and wildlife habitat that exists in one of the city’s steepest natural valleys, carved over eons by Little Nancy Creek. When the park was created, much of it was overgrown and inaccessible.
To address this problem, Keagle began clearing a large portion of land as part of his Eagle project in 2016. Keagle is now pursuing the Boy Scouts of America Hornaday Award, which recognizes those who have made significant contributions to conservation. The projects that he has undertaken for this award include invasive species removal, water quality testing and education, and reforestation. To date, his projects have amassed over 1,100 volunteer hours and filled six dumpsters with invasive species and debris.
“Matthew Keagle and Boy Scout Troop 370 have been ideal partners in the continuing development of Mountain Way Common” said Marvin Pastel, president of the Friends of Mountain Way Common. “Matthew had a vision about how to address some of our challenges with invasive plants and tree canopy and hit the ground running. Without the leadership and support of Matthew and the Scouts, our park would not be the wonderful greenspace that it is today.”
Livable Buckhead is implementing Buckhead’s greenspace plan to add 106 acres of parks and trails, including Mountain Way Common. Supporting local grassroots groups like Friends of Mountain Way Common is an important strategy within the plan. By partnering with Livable Buckhead, local groups can focus on park development rather than the administrative responsibilities of operating a nonprofit organization. For more more information on Livable Buckhead’s greenspace program, visit https://livablebuckhead.com/programs/greenspace/.
NEEF awards annual grants through a competitive application and review process. For over 20 years, NEEF has partnered with Toyota to provide a variety of grants and awards to support national and regional environmental preservation projects. For more information on the NEEF/Toyota Restoration & Resilience grant requirements, visit https://www.neefusa.org/nature/land/neef-restoration-and-resilience-grant-announcement.
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About Friends of Mountain Way Common
Friends of Mountain Way Common is a group of involved neighbors who are working together and with Livable Buckhead, North Buckhead Civic Association, Park Pride and the Georgia Department of Transportation to create a public greenspace along Little Nancy Creek. Mountain Way Common is located off of Mountain Way, between Wieuca Road and North Ivy Road. The Friends of Mountain Way Common, in partnership with the City of Atlanta, seek to create a park that enriches the quality of life for neighborhood residents and visitors alike; is environmentally responsible; and improves the ecological health of the watershed. For more information visit mountainwaycommon.org.
About Mountain Way Common
Mountain Way Common park was created when the City of Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Transportation executed a first-of-its-kind use agreement on September 25, 2013 that allowed approximately 12 acres of GDOT land below GA 400 to be used as a City of Atlanta Park. In October 2013, the City of Atlanta acquired an additional one-acre tract of land adjacent to the GDOT land thus expanding MWC to its current size of approximately 13 acres. MWC is a unique combination of forest, floodplain, wetlands, creek, stream buffer, and wildlife habitat that exists in one of the City’s steepest natural valleys, carved over eons by Little Nancy Creek. MWC is planned to be a major area of recreation and interest along PATH 400.
About NEEF
NEEF’s vision is that by 2022, 300 million people living in the U.S. actively use environmental knowledge to ensure the wellbeing of the earth and its people. To achieve its vision, NEEF offers science-based, unbiased information through its own communications platforms, as well as a network of trusted professionals and affinity communities that, with their relationships and credibility, amplify environmental messages to national audiences. Learn more at NEEFusa.org—or follow NEEF on Facebook (Facebook.com/NEEFusa) and on Twitter at @NEEFusa.
About Livable Buckhead
Livable Buckhead is a nonprofit organization that strives to ensure the long-term viability and prosperity of the Buckhead community. The organization achieves its mission by working cooperatively with individuals, public entities and private businesses to integrate sustainable strategies. Livable Buckhead implements programs related to greenspace, recycling, energy efficiency, commute alternatives, arts and culture, real estate development and land use. For more information about Livable Buckhead and its programs, visit livablebuckhead.org.
