Discovery

where are the headwaters of the flint?

This vision is built upon stacks of plans and data, maps and meetings, but the obvious inspiration is the thrill of urban exploring. Longtime residents and curious explorers alike are surprised to discover the Flint's headwaters hidden in plain sight, like a buried treasure right in their backyards. Deep down in storm drains, under bridges, then through 1.5 miles of culverts under the airport, the irrepressible headwaters are always flowing, somehow full of tadpoles and flowers.

We regularly lead tours of the headwaters, but anyone can get out and “Find the Flint.” You can see the headwaters from bridges and sidewalks in the Tri-Cities and unincorporated Clayton County. Explore at your own risk and avoid trespassing on private property, especially near secure airport zones.

Click here for a detailed map of the airport-area headwaters.

 
Finding the headwaters in this 1968 hand drawn map
Today on the blog, a difficult story about a drowning in College Park in 1992 and the intersection of the Flint headwaters and #blacklivesmatter. Link in the bio.
Great to see this mysterious concrete channel up close. There are multiple streams on this property and it’s not clear which one is officially the Flint River! We are conducting a survey and Phase I. Brownfield assessment of this property now t
More great photos from yesterday‘s tour by @stacyfunderburke. So exciting to see the potential of this greenspace in College park.
Finally got permission to visit this lush 7-acre hidden meadow in the heart of historic East Point and College Park. This is where the headwaters of the Flint first see daylight and we are working to transform it into a public nature preserve.
Repost from @theconservationfund Recent events, first with the pandemic and now with the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and many others, combined with the racial profiling of Christian Cooper, a bird watcher pursuing his passion in Central Pa
Reminder from Bob Irvin, President of @americanrivers, about the intersection of environmental work and social justice.
Repost from • @waterkeeperalliance @flint_riverkeeper Executive Director, Gordon Rogers, shares how the organization has adapted its work during COVID-19 and reflects on the importance of preserving our waterways to prevent waterborne illnesses.
recommended rainy day reading
Repost from @atlanta_cm atlanta_cm 🎟REGISTER NOW🎟 The time has come to register for this Friday's live stream to hear @hannahspalmer talk on this month's theme: Nature. We can't wait to PLANT ourselves — see what we did there? — in fron
The calendar still says spring, but it feels like summer has begun! If you’re curious about how to find and enjoy the Flint River safely during this season of social distancing, join us on Zoom tomorrow at noon for a live Community Conversation
After weeks of cancelled field trips, tours, cleanups and water quality monitoring activities, we are happy to convene our first ever virtual Community Conversation next week on Zoom. Please join us Tuesday, May 26 at 12pm to discuss the latest news
Check out Jonah McDonald’s new book, Secret Atlanta: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, featuring Barbie Beach, just south of Atlanta. From @charisbooksandmore: “One of our favorite stories Jonah told is about Atlanta’s
I’m excited to share some thoughts at this month’s Creative Mornings Atlanta. Tune into the live stream on 5/29!
Great news! @planatlanta’s Community Development Assistance Program awarded the @cityofeastpoint a significant grant for a study of the Willingham Drive & Central Ave corridor. This is truly a collaboration of Finding the Flint partners and
Today, the Finding the Flint Working Group conquered Zoom and enjoyed catching up on a long list of headwaters projects moving ever forward...
Thrilled to share this lengthy and profound conversation with the Flint Riverkeeper himself, Gordon Rogers, about what has and hasn't changed since COVID-19 upended our work on the river. Link in the bio...
@mugpalmer is out making the case for an airport loop bike trail. Can anyone guess the location of these two shots?
another lovely creekside trail—the #morrowpathway—along Flint tributary Angel Creek got me dreaming about the possibilities for connecting to the headwaters