Atlanta Audubon Society
4055 Roswell Road
Atlanta, GA 30342
678.973-2437
www.atlantaaudubon.org

CONTACT: Jacqueline McRae
Cell: 404/434-3524
Home office: 404/633-5225
E-mail: jacqueline.mcrae@comcast.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Garden of Novelist Ferrol Sams and Sams Lake Featured in September
Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Tour:
Six Distinctive Gardens on Display Southeast of Metro Atlanta

Atlanta, GA-Six gardens in Fayetteville and Peachtree City will demonstrate how people can
preserve the region’s wildlife and, more broadly, its biodiversity by cultivating native plants
and other essentials for wildlife survival at this year’s Atlanta Audubon Society Backyard
Wildlife Sanctuary Tour.

The tour will take place Saturday, September 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Advance tickets
are now on sale for $12 by calling Atlanta Audubon Society at 678/973-2437. Tickets are
also available on the day of the tour for $15 at the first and last sites. Children 12 and under
are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

This year’s tour includes six exciting properties:
#1 214 Smokerise Trace, Peachtree City, GA 30269
This three-acre property is owned by a Georgia Certified Landscape Professional and
Georgia Master Gardener. The site includes a one-acre hardwood forest, and a 10-acre
adjacent forest harbors many species of birds, mammals, and reptiles. Over 125 bird
species have been seen on this property.
#2 233 Smokerise Trace, Peachtree City, GA 30269
This acre and a half of professionally maintained gardens has beautifully constructed
waterfalls, ponds and meandering creeks.
#3 Two Doves Farm, 380 Ebenezer Church Road, Fayetteville, GA 30215
A certified organic farm of 15 acres. Organic plants, vegetables and botanicals
produced at the farm are on sale. Go to www.twodovesfarm.com for more information.
#4 Sams Lake Bird Sanctuary, Old Senoia Road, Fayetteville, GA 30215
A 56-acre nature preserve donated by the Sams family to replace lost wetlands when
the fifth runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was built. The site is now
owned and managed by Southern Conservation Trust. The lake area hosts beaver, wild
turkeys, egrets, heron, hawks, deer and muskrat and many species of birds. A half-acre
mulched trail and three observation decks provide great wildlife viewing. Go to
www.sctlandtrust.org/community-preserves/sams-lake-nature-area for more
information.
#5 685 Glynn Street South (GA Hwy 85) Fayetteville, GA 30214
Part of Turnipseed Nursery and Gardens, this garden has been featured on HGTV's “A
Gardener's Diary.”
#6 Garden of Drs. Ferrol and Helen Sams, 355 Beauregard Blvd., Fayetteville, GA 30214
A mature natural woodland garden of more than 30 acres with many native azaleas and
wildflowers such as trilliums. The garden has been featured on HGTV’s “A Gardener’s
Diary.”

These sites have all been certified by Atlanta Audubon Society as wildlife sanctuaries. They
show how homeowners and gardeners can cultivate their own yards to preserve native plants
and habitat for wildlife. The four essential components of a wildlife sanctuary are:
Shelter: Active nesting areas or shelters that attract and protect birds and other
wildlife.

Food: Feeders and plantings that offer seeds, flowers, and berries to wildlife.
Water: Birdbaths, water gardens, or natural features with flowing water.
Nesting Sites: Bird boxes, natural cavities, or wood piles and vine tangles.

For more information on the Wildlife Sanctuary Program, go to
http://atlantaaudubon.org/aaswww/conservation/sanctuary.htm.

For a map of the tour and directions to the sites, go to www.atlantaaudubon.org.
The Sanctuary Tour and Program are designed to encourage residential homeowners
and homeowners' associations, business park owners/managers, and golf course
owners/managers to become involved in the preservation of native plants and habitat
for wildlife.

The Atlanta Audubon Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the enjoyment and
understanding of birds, and to conserving and restoring the ecosystems that support them.