Conserving and Enjoying Our Open Space
Birdsong Nature Center
Beginning in the early 1800s, the land now known as Birdsong began the transformation from a pristine longleaf pine forest to a plantation to a farm. Today, it is a center for conservation and learning. Founders Berry and Ed Komarek created this haven for wildlife so others would have a place to experience nature and become inspired to protect the area’s natural resources. For information, (229) 377-4408
Thomasville Garden Clubs
The Thomasville Garden Club (T.G.C.) was organized in 1914 “to cultivate flowers; to create civic pride; to add to the beauty that nature has already so bountifully given us; to make Thomasville a more lovely place in which to live; and to foster in our children a love of the beautiful.”
In 1928, it became one of 28 charter members of the Georgia Federated Garden Club, and is a member of the National, Deep South Region and Camellia District Garden Clubs.
Currently, Thomasville Garden Club, Inc. consists of three of its original clubs (Briarcliff, Killarney Queen and Rambler Rose) with a membership of about 150 women and men. In addition, Rambler Rose Garden Club established and mentors Sunsprinkles Junior Garden Club.
Annually, T.G.C. proudly co-sponsors the City’s renowned Rose Show, and also sponsors a Standard Flower Show, a Camellia Show, a Litter Control program and recognizes beautification efforts of residents or businesses by selecting a Garden of the Month. Each year, the clubs provide landscaping for a Habitat for Humanity house, and its work commemorating Arbor Day permits Thomasville to retain its record as a “Tree City, U.S.A.” For information, (229) 226-5291
Stewards of Wildlife and Wildlands
Located on a sprawling 4,000-acre property that straddles the Georgia/Florida state line, Tall Timbers Research Station has long enjoyed a close connection to Thomasville and southwest Georgia. Tall Timbers was incorporated in 1958 as a non-profit ecological research station dedicated to the study of wildlife research, fire ecology and land management. Once a former private hunting retreat for the Beadel family of New York, Tall Timbers Plantation was bequeathed as an “expansive outdoor laboratory” where important ecological research could be conducted on the plants and animals that exist in the longleaf pine ecosystem of the Red Hills Region. Since that time, Tall Timbers has grown to become a national and internationally acclaimed research and conservation station whose mission is to foster exemplary land stewardship through research, conservation and education.
Tall Timbers is widely regarded as a leader in wildlife research, fire ecology, land management and conservation. Our research program focuses on the use of controlled burning as a management tool for healthy forests and increased wildlife populations. Through long-term studies on the effects of fire on plants and animals in the region, the research program at Tall Timbers offers important information on the best practices for managing land to its fullest ecologically significant potential.
Tall Timbers is a 501(c)(3) organization and relies on public support. For information: www.talltimbers.org or call (850) 893-4153. Remember, what we learn today will help guide the future of wildlife and conservation in the future!
