New educational signs now line the boardwalk at the Dunwoody Nature Center, covering wetlands, trees, insects and other natural features along Wildcat Creek.

The City of Dunwoody announced the addition on Monday, July 20, calling the signs "new learning opportunities" for visitors exploring the 22-acre preserve at 5343 Roberts Drive. The city posted a video of the signage on its official X account.

The signs are the latest addition to a boardwalk that opened in November 2025 after a $1.72 million stream and wetland restoration project. That project replaced a walkway more than 20 years old with an eight-foot-wide path elevated above the 100-year floodplain. The new boardwalk provides ADA access to playgrounds on the eastern end of the property and includes outdoor classrooms, observation decks, seating and stream access points.

Funding for the boardwalk came from the city's stormwater reserve and a $600,000 grant from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

How the project came together

The restoration idea originated with Carl Thomas, a former Dunwoody stormwater manager who later became a senior project manager at Lowe Engineers. Thomas discovered that the Nature Center site had been cleared with dynamite by Georgia farmers in the early 1900s, a federally sanctioned practice that qualified the site for federal restoration funding.

The project improved 274 feet of stream and restored wetland function by stabilizing streambanks, removing invasive species and planting native vegetation. Dunwoody leaders, including Mayor Lynn Deutsch, Executive Director Nancy Longacre and Board Chair Joanie Dwoskin, gathered for a ribbon cutting on Monday, November 10, 2025.

City Stormwater Engineer Cody Dallas said at the November 2025 ribbon cutting that the elevated boardwalk "reconnects the wetland and stream ecosystems while also providing better access to educational areas at the Nature Center."

Visiting the Nature Center

The Dunwoody Nature Center is open sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, with no admission fee. Five miles of trails wind through forest, wetlands and playground areas. Summer day camps for children ages 4 to 13 run throughout the season.

For a full calendar of upcoming programs and community events, visit dunwoodynature.org/events.