NCNA Merchandise Fundraiser for Green Spaces Initiative

You might have noticed that an incredibly gifted designer in our neighborhood, Mark Cooley, donated his time and talent to create a new NCNA logo.

Vinyl stickers are available for sale, and we are taking pre-orders for t-shirts and hats. The proceeds of all sales will be used to raise funds for our Green Spaces Initiatives, beginning with the refurbishment and development of the walking paths and sitting spaces in the Sylvan Park Bird Sanctuary.

Thank you to Hovi Hats for donating the proceeds of all hats to our fundraising efforts! We are also thrilled to have local businesses Neat Pony and Wonder Press creating our t-shirts and stickers.

Please make your purchases here, and we will be in touch to arrange getting you the items when they come in: https://ncna.square.site/

NCNA Book Club - The Anxious Generation

On September 23rd, join neighbors to discuss Jonathan Haidt’s new book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. We will meet from 7 - 8:30 at Real Roots Cafe, 607 N Market St. There will be beer, wine and the full menu available for purchase. RSVP at this link.

The discussion will be led by Suzanne Collins and Mary Helen Montgomery and will focus on Haidt’s conclusions about the need to return to play-based childhoods. Independence and play-based childhood experiences require community support, which is why this book makes sense for our NCNA community to read and discuss together.

We look forward to discussing the book and Haidt’s “New Norms”: no smartphones before high school, no social media before 16, phone-free schools, more independence, free play, and responsibility in the real world. We hope that you will read the book and join us to discuss.

NCNA Movie Night

On the evening of August 24th, neighbors gathered at Wyatt Community Center for games, cotton candy, and a movie. Kids played soccer, kickball and bounced in one neighbor’s bouncy house while parents chatted nearby and helped the Parks Department get the inflatable screen set up for the movie. Cassie Nice, from the NCNA Social Committee, made cotton candy, and neighborhood kids sold cupcakes, light up gear and handmade bracelets.

We were also happy to share materials to help people update voter registration and to give information about when early voting will take place this fall (October 16 - 31). NCNA member and neighbor, Allison Gorman, attended and was able to answer questions about her campaign for State House Representative for District 26.

We had planned to show Guardians of the Galaxy, but unfortunately the movie didn’t make it to us, so we appreciated everyone’s flexibility as we pivoted and watched Trolls. What a great night.

Responsible Growth - Trees

Charlie Mix, Michael Strok, and Kurt Martig joined us on August 22nd to share about initiatives around Chattanooga related to protecting our urban forest (and why we would want to). We learned about the impact of the Take Root Chattanooga Project and the many future impacts of this Urban Forestry Grant, as well as how the NCNA can get involved.

Ross Bailey, a NCNA member and owner of the local business Hovi Hats, has offered to create hats representing the Chattanooga Tree Collective, an arm of NCNA that will support efforts city-wide to plant and protect trees. All profits from hat sales will go to tree planting initiatives, beginning with the Rotary Tree Initiative.

GIS mapping has shown that between 1984 and 2021 Chattanooga lost 43% of our urban forest canopy. This leads to increased heat islands and decreased buffers for storm water run off, biodiversity, air quality and sense of place.

Sylvan Park Revamp

Several members of our NCNA Green Spaces Initiative met with representatives from the Parks Department to discuss a vision for the future of Sylvan Park Bird Sanctuary. We discussed our desire for the space to remain wild and a sanctuary for all of our neighbors — human, birds and other living creatures.

The sheep from Wild Violet Permaculture are a first step so that we can get a sense for the best uses for the space. With the invasive species (like kudzu, poison ivy and more) remediated, we are hoping to add more sitting spots along the path. Also, since there are no sidewalks leading to the park, we are hoping to build a path that will connect the park to Colville Street along the city’s easement under the power lines. Additionally, we hope to add a picnic table and a few other features.