ABOUT

Support The Preserve Today

OUR TEAM

DAVID LLOYD DAVIS

Founder, Executive Director

The Community Advisory Council

Corliss Claire

Atlanta Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet

Dr. NaTaki Osborne Jelks

The Advisory Team

Chinelo Arinze

Communications Director

Tracy Smith Prevost

Treasurer, Health and Wellness Director

Anthony Houston

Information Systems
Director

Greta Thomas

Events Director

Faye Ainsworth

Advisor

SUSTAINING A LEGACY OF COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTALISM

In the minds of many 1970 marked the birth of the modern environmental movement, symbolized by the first observance of “Earth Day” in April of that year. The 70’s was heralded as the decade of the environment and it was also a time a great social change in the SW Atlanta community of Cascade Heights.

During the Administration of Atlanta’s 1st African American mayor, Maynard H. Jackson Jr. (1974- 1982), Jan Meadows and a group of local residents, primarily women, formed a committee to protect land that was previously used as a nature resort, from urbanization. In 1979 the local committee successfully had the City of Atlanta buy the land to create the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve, land set aside for preserving natural resources, historic landscapes, open space, and providing visual aesthetics/buffering.

In 2017, after observing the property suffer from years of disinvestment and neglect, a group of civic-minded community members got together to honor and sustain the vision of these founding members. Later, that group became the Friends of Cascade Springs Nature Preserve and is now CSNC (Cascade Springs Nature Conservancy).  CSNC has a mission to sustain the vision of the founders of The Preserve by promoting positive change through conservation, education, visitor responsibility and active community participation. 

The legacy of the Cascade Springs community is about learning from the past, living in the present, and building for the future.  CSNC is committed to building community and guiding the path forward.  

Our Mission

Conservation

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Education

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Visitor
Responsibility

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Active Community
Participation

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Our Latest Work

Cascade Road Trail blueprint graphic
THE CASCADE ROAD TRAIL
Designed a multi-use trail to access The Preserve
2017
Future conditions report (cropped)
THE CASCADE NATURE PRESERVE
Present and Future Conditions Report
2018
Wooden trail
THE SPRINGHOUSE BOARDWALK
Funded and built a $20k, 200ft boardwalk
2019
Cascade Springs Nature Preserve map
FOREST RESTORATION
Raised $25k to perform a 12 acre forest restoration
2018-2021
Park entrance graphic
THE CASCADE GLADE PROJECT
Raised funds for a park improvement project
valued in excess of $400k
2021-2022
Chase Blackwell scouts
THE CHASE BLACKWELL
Eagle Scout Project
2021
Benches
THE AARON RICHARDSON
Eagle Scout Project
2021
HBCU donation
THE AKA – WAWA – CSNC
Watershed Restoration Project
2021-2022