Northeast Georgia
(Toccoa/Clayton County)
Mountain bogs are one of the Southern Appalachians’ most critically endangered habitats, home to species found nowhere else, such as threatened bog turtles, state-protected montane purple pitcher plants and federally-threatened swamp pinks. The Zoo Atlanta Horticulture Team assists the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy in mountain bog restoration.
In addition to bog restoration efforts, the Horticulture Team also assists in safeguarding some of Georgia’s rarest plants. The Conservation Action Resource Center’s (ARC) living roof is a safeguarding site for Rhus michauxii, a critically endangered dwarf sumac.
How is Zoo Atlanta helping?
Because pitcher plants need full sun to thrive and produce seeds, removal of overstory trees and woody plants is necessary. Zoo Atlanta’s Horticulture Team assists in the removal of this material to provided much need maintenance of this program to keep this endangered plant alive and well.
DonateOur Team
Horticulture Department
Hal O’Kelley – Horticulture Manager. Hal has been certified as an arborist and a Wildland Firefighter Type II. He has been able to participate in prescribed burns that help restore natural forest ecology.
Gabe Musgraves – Horticulture Tech III. Gabe is a grading and erosion control expert who has been certified by the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission.
Megan Oliver – Horticulture Tech I. Megan has a degree in Biology. She comes to us from the Atlanta Botanical Garden where she helped maintain the pitcher plant collection.
David Seward – Horticulture Tech II. David is a six-year veteran of a local landscape company and is a certified pesticide applicator.
Blake Packard – Horticulture Tech I. Blake Has a Geology degree from GSU and enjoys working outside.
How can you help?
- Help preserve Georgia’s diverse flora and fauna by taking simple steps at home to use green fertilizers and garden/yard products to decrease chemical run-off that negatively affects other plants and animals!
- Donate directly to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
- Upgrade to a Georgia Wildlife license plate.
- Volunteer for Wildlife Work.
Want to learn more?
Learn more about Georgia’s unique habitats and the efforts to preserve them:
Beyond the Zoo
Learn more about Zoo Atlanta’s commitment to saving species.
The global decline of species and their habitats makes it clear that we need a multifaceted approach to conservation. Zoos are a critical component of this approach, with a responsibility to be a force that drives action.
View the ReportMountain Bog Restoration
The Zoo Atlanta Horticulture Team assists the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy in mountain bog restoration.
Learn more