June 14, 2021 – SaportaReport
The waiting list of 800 children for summer camp at the Chattahoochee Nature Center is a good problem to have, by any typical management metric. Natasha Rice doesn’t see it that way.
To Rice, that waiting list represents an unfulfilled opportunity for the nature center to fulfill its mission of educating about the environment.
June 5, 2021 – Alpharetta-Roswell Herald
The Chattahoochee Nature Center has named Natasha Rice president and CEO.
Rice comes to the position with nearly 30 years of experience, specializing in operations, business development, and human resources for the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, Fortune 50 companies, and small to mid-size businesses.
March 9, 2021
By Lori Watterson, CNC Naturalist
CNC is lucky to have amazing staff with varied backgrounds and experiences. Fabiola (Fabie) Clermont is the Special Events Coordinator at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Read on to get to know her background and her perspective on being a woman of color in the natural sciences field.
Fabie joined the staff at CNC in the fall of 2019. Initially she planned to become an Education Department Naturalist, however with COVID and a reduction in programming, she joined the rental staff as a Venue Sales Associate. Fabie is now the Special Events Coordinator in the Community Programs department combining her love of the natural sciences and event planning!
So Fabie, when did you first realize you had an interest in the natural world?
I didn’t really have much exposure to nature growing up, however, I always knew I wanted to do something with animals. In high school I did a lot of volunteering at animal shelters and clinics.
When it came time for college, what was your parents’ reaction to you wanting to go into the natural sciences?
For stability purposes, my mom wanted me to be a nurse or a doctor and my dad wanted me to be an engineer. But they supported me when I enrolled in UGA’s pre-veterinary program in the Department of Poultry Science as they felt it would be a lucrative career. However I was very disillusioned by the way poultry was raised for market and I soon transferred into the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. Once there it was Dr. Green’s introductory class to natural resource conservation class that really encouraged and fostered my curiosity about the natural world.
What was one of your favorite classes while at Warnell?
I was part of a conservation, medicine, and biology class that took us to Costa Rica for the summer and we worked at an animal refuge. We took the formal part of our class at the UGA campus in Costa Rica. For the field portion we stayed at a few eco-lodges and a waystation in the cloud forests where we learned how to improvise out in the field using everyday items because we didn’t have all of the proper equipment with us. While there we paired off and selected topics for research projects where we would spend our time in the field collecting samples and then analyzing and interpreting them for a presentation on campus. My partner and I chose to do our project on the anthropogenic disturbance on the abundance and body condition of strawberry poison dart frogs (Oophaga pumilio).
That experience really got me interested in the field of conservation, but researchers aren’t willing to hire paid assistants or the pay they offer is very low for the amount of work and the college degree or experience required. They expect you to volunteer your time and just be grateful for the experience. Part of that mentality comes from conservationists being in desperate need of funding to do their research. Even research grants that study vector-borne diseases and potential zoonotic diseases are hard to come by. The funding is just not available it seems until the agent of infection becomes a human problem in a well-developed country.
What degree did you receive at Warnell?
I received a Bachelor’s in Wildlife and Fisheries with an emphasis on the Veterinary Sciences and a minor in Biology.
Are your parents supportive of the direction you ultimately chose to go in college?
My parents have been supportive, but have high expectations since my mother was in the medical sciences and father is in the technical sciences. Both have made significant contributions in their respective fields and I would like to eventually be doing something that would make a big impact in a positive way like they have done.
What would you like to be doing next?
Ideally I would like to get a job that would come with doing research toward a master’s degree. Or in a PHD program where they pay you to teach while pursuing your PhD studies.
Being both a woman and one of color, did you experience sexism or racism as a student in this field?
I think overt sexism and covert racism. The male professors genuinely thought they were being helpful by suggesting I ask a male student to help with certain physical tasks. They have that mentality where they don’t think women are able to do certain field work or tasks without the help of a man.
As far as experiencing racism, during on-campus interviews recruiters would be surprised that I knew as much as my fellow classmates who went to the same school and had the same curriculum. But because I look a certain way and they struggled to pronounce my name, they had already started the process assuming I wouldn’t measure up and were surprised when I actually knew what I was talking about.
So they were questioning your intelligence?
Intelligence and capabilities. While I did not have the background or some of the same experiences growing up as my white peers had, we went to the same school and I worked twice as hard to overcome those lapses while in higher education. They only really needed to learn the technical aspects where I needed to learn all of it.
Were there many students of color in your department?
I am a woman of color in a field still dominated by Caucasians. When I graduated there were 3 females of color out a graduating class with 40 females. A lot of my professors were some of the first females in their classes at Warnell, so we’re getting there, but we’re not there yet.
Thank you Fabie for taking the time to share your background, interests, successes, and challenges. CNC is lucky to have you as part of our staff and we look forward to your continued growth!
September 10, 2020- Outdoor Industry Association
By Kassondra Cloos
Alicia Evans has been with the Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC) in the metro Atlanta area since 2007. She grew up in Atlanta and has always loved nature and the outdoors, but it wasn’t until she learned that “environmental education” was something she could study in college that she realized she could turn it into a career.
By Christie Hill, Naturalist and Docent Coordinator
August 27, 2020
You may have recently seen a snake somewhere near your home. You are lucky to live near a snake. There’s a good chance you moved into their neighborhood, instead of the other way around. But no worries. Snakes are not demanding or irritating neighbors. They are actually helpful and provide lots of free services you may or may not even know about. We all want to feel comfortable and know that our homes and yards are safe and pest-free. Snakes are on the job eating rodents and insects, and removing all of these pests from your area for free! Somehow they manage to go about their lives of exploring, eating, shedding and hiding in the areas people have transformed for their own use, and do not want to infringe on us. Snakes simply need a section of land with plants for shade and cover that provides habitat for small animals. They get the water they need mostly from what they eat. Your need for exterminators and pesticides should be low where snakes are allowed to live and you will live in a healthier place, too.
Reptiles are ectotherms. Their bodies depend on environmental sources to warm or cool them. When it’s warm, a reptile’s metabolism is high; when it cools down, its metabolism slows down. Many are unable to move around in temperatures that are too hot or too cold. When it gets hot they may manage to find shelter in a cool garage or basement. Snakes find hiding places in piles of logs or in holes underground. Watch where you walk and move things around in these areas. If you notice a snake, give it some space and let it move away from you. Only when people try to engage with a snake will a snake act to protect itself, you would too. If you need to move a snake, urge it with a broom to encourage it or a similar method that will not injure the animal, and then give it open space to move away from you. Leave the garage door open for a little while and see if it will move on its own. Once disturbed it will seek better shelter or give us a call and our Wildlife Staff will talk you through.
Lately especially we are all thinking about acceptance and diversity! Because we look different, behave different, or eat different kinds of food, doesn’t mean we can’t accept and be tolerant of each other. A healthy ecosystem is dependent on diversity just as healthy humans depend on working together instead of against each other. We have a lot to learn from each other.
The Wildlife Department at the Chattahoochee Nature Center is a great resource, if you have questions or need assistance with any animal.
