ATLANTA — Rosa McHugh says not everything that’s green, is good. Especially what she refers to as the “Big Green Monster.”
“So as you can see, there are a lot of invasive plants here,” Rosa said.
The kudzu, the ivy, you name it---choking out the native trees in parts of Chastain Memorial Park and Golf Course in Buckhead.
“That stuff has got to go?” Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen asked. “It’s got to go. Yes,” Rosa exclaimed,
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Rosa is President of the Chastain Park Conservancy, the nonprofit protector of all 268 acres. They are raising $13-million dollars to reclaim 30 of those acres from the weeds that don’t belong, and plant 600 new trees that do.
They will also build a new bridge over Nancy Creek, create a large open lawn at the park’s highest point, and build one mile of trails.
Kamilah Williams was in the park Wednesday and has been visiting for years.
“I’ve been to all parts of this park, so I’d love to explore the new area that I’ll be able to see once they do that,” Kamilah said.
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This place dates back nearly 100 years. The area Rosa aims to restore has always been cut off from the rest of the park, and the public. But access is coming. “We’re building 30 acres free to the public. It’s going to be a new chapter for the park, and something Atlanta is really going to welcome,” Rosa said.
A poll of the golfers delivered a thumbs up. They’ll start removing the bad plants by the end of the year, with the project’s completion in December of 2027.
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