Field Notes

Allene Harper, an alum from the historic Bruce Street School in Lithonia, recently wrote this history of the stone schoolhouse, which was DeKalb’s first public school for Black students. During […]

With more than 30 miles of paved bike trails, the Arabia Mountain PATH (AMP) System acts like a spine, running through the Heritage Area and connecting many of its sites […]

For years, the South River Watershed Alliance has made progress cleaning up the waterway known as the South River or Weelaunee. But environmental justice remains illusive for a number of […]

AWARE Wildlife Center depends heavily on volunteers. But what exactly does a volunteer do at the wildlife center at any given day? Local author Joseph R. Goodall recently hung out […]

For two decades, the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area has had a hand in many significant preservation/conservation projects in east Metro Atlanta, including stabilizing Lyon Farm in Stonecrest and rescuing […]

Local writer Joseph R. Goodall volunteered for a native grassland restoration project being led by Birds Georgia at Wilburn Farm. Writing for the Arabia Alliance, Goodall gets personal about how […]

August 29 is Staff Saturday, a part of the NPS Week series of themed days. Learn more about the people who help run the NHA. It’s National Parks Week, a […]

A retired engineer with the US Forest Service, Thomas Smith had no experience removing graffiti from granite. That is, until he came to Arabia… It’s hard to tell by looking […]

A revered landscape architect who designed the children’s garden in the White House, Ed Alexander was also a passionate preservationist who convinced others to protect local green spaces. Anyone who’s […]

World Ranger Day is July 31 and commemorates Park Rangers all over the world! This year, we have a larger team working here in the Heritage Area with some new […]

Between Juneteenth and the nation’s 250th Independence Day celebration, our resident Hood Historian Brigette Jones reflects on the long march toward freedom for Black people in this country through a […]

While FIFA and the 2026 World Cup are in Georgia, let’s dive into the history of Atlanta soccer, which began right here in the Heritage Area in Lithonia with Scottish […]