Monday, March 26: 11th Annual Parks & Greenspace Conference - 8am-5pm
Early Bird Special--$105 through February 17
2012 Keynote Speaker: Gil Penalosa from 8-80 Cities
Register now: http://parkpride.kintera.org/Conference2012


Saturday, March 24
Taking the "South Fork" in the Road: Tracing historical connections between creeks, neighborhoods, rights of way & greenspaces
check in—on Cheshire Bridge (address to be sent upon registration)
1:30-3:30pm
$35 per person
Registration is limited to 30 people.
Light refreshments provided.
Tour Registration is open

A sparkling creek runs invisibly through Atlanta. Help recover it. Trace the haunt of blue heron, deer and otter, hidden in plain sight by highways bearing our worst traffic commutes. Road and sanitation rights of way allow a simple trail on public land at the headwaters of Peachtree Creek. You’ll walk past traffic jams, across meadows and through forgotten forests. The trail plan links Piedmont, Cheshire Bridge and Briarcliff Roads. It creates critical greenways between busy streets and midtown nature preserves from Georgia Highway 400 to Emory University. The path restores once-inaccessible green space to public enjoyment.

Presenters/Tour Leaders:
Dave Butler, DeKalb County Greenspace manager
Kevin Eichinger, Environmental Protection Agency
Dave Kaufman, Author "Peachtree Creek"
Sally Sears, South Fork Conservancy
Susan Stainback, American Society of Landscape Architecture


Sunday, March 25
From A Bike Seat View: Riding a pathway of historic, cultural and greenspace transformation
1:00pm check in—downtown Lithonia (address to be sent upon registration)
1:30-5:30pm
$20 per person
Registration is limited to 20 people.
Recommended gear: Bike with multiple gears, helmet & water bottle.
Skill level requirements: This trail has some steep areas; participants must have biking experience and be in good physical condition.
Tour Registration is open

This biking tour will follow the PATH trail for an approximately 24-mile round-trip. The tour will take participants through key natural and historic resources that will demonstrate how these areas are now linked and the transformation that has occurred in parks, greenspace and historic sites along the way. Beginning at downtown Lithonia, a city which is using the PATH as the basis for economic transformation, tour participants will also visit Davidson-Arabia Nature Preserve and the Lyon Farm--a gateway to the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area - and Panola Mountain State Park.

Presenters/Tour Leaders:
Mera Cardenas, Executive Director, Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance, Inc.
Robby Astrove, Park Ranger & Naturalist, Davidson-Arabia Nature Preserve
Sheldon Fleming, President, Wonderland Gardens
Matt Owens, Park Manager, Panola Mountain State Park
Susan Hood, Director, Greenspace Department at DeKalb County
Pete Pellegrini, PATH Foundation
Andrew Schock, The Conservation Fund


2012 Conference Presenters & Panelists (as of 1/31/12)
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Gil Penalosa, 8-80 Cities
Heather Alhadeff – Perkins+Will
Kevin Bacon – Perkins+Will
Eric Bishop – AECOM
Peter Butler – Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, West Virginia University
Adina Cox - PhD candidate, North Carolina University
Mark W. Holmberg – Health & Lineback Engineers Inc.
Nicholas Kuhn – AECOM
Ashley Kyber – West Virginia University
Ed McBrayer – PATH Foundation
Cathy McCollum – River Towns Program
Paul Moore – AECOM
David Rouse – Wallace Roberts & Todd
Albert Shelby – Office of Program Delivery, Atlanta
Denise Starling – Livable Buckhead Inc.
Paul Taylor – City of Atlanta Department of Park Design
Jonathan D. Wood – Hayden Stanziale, PA
Leon Younger – PROS Consulting