Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center, a popular outdoor adventure destination in Lookout Valley for the past 58 years, is envisioning its future and planning for the next half-century.
The first of many advances is a renaming of the organization, acknowledging its historical roots through the new title, Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center.
“In 2011 the operations and staff of Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden and Chattanooga Nature Center reorganized,” explains Interim Executive Director Margaret Hill. “The change in name today to Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center signifies that this process is complete.”
Reflection Riding is the steward of 317 acres of wilderness, landscape and historic property, connecting visitors of all ages to nature through educational and outdoor adventure opportunities year-round.
“Where else can you go and find wild birds and animals in enclosures and running free, a certified Level IV Arboretum, wildflowers blooming in abundance, a landscape park, and a place to run, walk, hike or canoe?” asks Hill. “Where else can you drive through scenic vistas, with Native American, Spanish explorer and Civil War history, all in one beautiful location only minutes from downtown Chattanooga?”
Visitors will see evidence of big plans underway, with new attractions already in 2014, including the C. E. Blevins Avian Exhibit. Opening in late April, the Exhibit showcases hundreds of bird egg replicas. The eggs. on permanent loan, were carefully crafted out of clay, then painted to look exactly like real birds’ eggs, by C. E. Blevins, an artist and bird enthusiast who died in the winter of 2012 at age 87. His children chose Reflection Riding as the perfect destination for the Exhibit.
This fall, visitors will watch construction begin (with help from the Master Gardeners of Chattanooga) on the region’s first botanical garden, the uniquely American Grandmothers Garden. A dazzling destination for flower enthusiasts, Reflection Riding’s newest feature will transform the Humphreys House area with abundant blooms of native (wildflowers) and non-native flowers in a romantic and old-fashioned display every spring, summer and fall.
Reflection Riding’s promising future also includes hiring a new Executive Director to lead the nonprofit organization in fulfilling its mission of conservation and education. “We are confident of calling an outstanding Executive Director,” says Hill, “thanks to a diligent and thorough self-assessment process that identified the leadership attributes we’ll need to achieve our vision.”
How it all started:
Formally incorporated in 1956, the Reflection Riding grew out of the imagination of founders John and Margaret Chambliss. They took a worn-out farm threatened by industrial commercialization, and turned it into a beautiful destination for anyone wanting to escape the bustle of city life.
In 1979, the Chattanooga Nature Center was built on land that Reflection Riding donated. Over the next 32 years this partnership allowed the organization to introduce more than half a million students and visitors to the splendor and excitement of nature.
In July 2011, Reflection Riding and the Nature Center officially reorganized, strengthening into one organization that continues to move forward, realizing its mission of conservation and environmental education under a new name and vision for the next 50 years.