Membership Information

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Member Guide

Welcome

Welcome to the Friends of Tallulah Gorge State Park! Our Friends organization supports the Park in many ways – maintaining the native plant garden, assisting with projects, sponsoring events, fundraising for new projects, volunteering in the Interpretive Center, and more.

Purpose

The purpose of volunteers in the state parks and historic sites is to provide knowledgeable and responsible volunteers to assist in providing visitor services, clerical assistance, interpretive skills, or educational leadership, and to enhance the recreational experience of others by maintaining or improving the grounds and facilities that they use.

Friends of Tallulah Gorge State Park (TGSP) is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization. Friends of TGSP work in tandem with TGSP staff to maximize the park's potential and provide a safe working and visitor-oriented environment.

Social Media

Website: www.friendsofthegorge.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Tallulah-Gorge-State-Park-188661501163577/

Instagram:  instagram.com/explore/tags/friendsoftallulahgorge/?hl=en

Park Information

Tallulah Gorge is one of the oldest geological features in North America.  Over thousands of years, the Tallulah River has eroded hard, quartzite rock into a 1,000 foot deep chasm more than two miles long.  The river drops almost 600 feet in elevation before it joins the Chattooga River, forming the Tugaloo River.  Five major waterfalls are located in the bottom of the Gorge:  L'Eau d'Or, pronounced LaDore (46 feet), Tempesta (76 feet), Hurricane (96 feet), Oceana (50 feet), and Bridal Veil (17 feet).
 

Tallulah Gorge was designated a State Park in 1992 and is jointly operated by Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Power Company through a unique public-private partnership. Tallulah Gorge is listed as one of the seven wonders of Georgia and located in the historic town of Tallulah Falls, GA.  Tallulah Gorge State Park recorded over 300,000 visitors in fiscal year 2010 (July 2009 thru June 2010).

Park Staff

Park Manager:  Lieren Merz

Assistant Park Manager:  Erin Hadjidakis

Ranger:  West Malenke

Volunteer Hours/Name Badges

Volunteers earn a name badge after accruing 100 volunteer hours. A bar is added to the name badge at the following hour levels: 250, 500, 1000. Accumulation of hours is ongoing and hours earned do not expire. 

Background Check

There is an annual registration of $15 to be listed as a volunteer with Georgia State Parks and Friends of TGSP. This membership covers cost of processing your application, the excess liability insurance, and the criminal background check. If you will be volunteering less than once a month there is no need to pay the fee initially. If you become a regular at the park, you will need to finish the registration process by paying the fee and submitting your criminal background check. The website for registration is as follows: https://explore.gastateparks.org/signin?gologon=%2fvolunteer%2fprofile%3fatid%3d92300.

Meetings

Friends of TGSP generally have business meetings at 3:30 pm on the third Wednesday of certain months. However, the group often couples the meetings with projects or presentations. Also, the meeting time and date may be changed. Check the friends’ website at www.friendsofthegorge.com or ask at the Info Desk in the Interpretive Center for current information.

Bylaws

List of Projects and Events

Native Plant Garden - ongoing

Pollinator Garden - ongoing

Adopt an Overlook/Trail - ongoing

Jail Tales Trail – October

Christmas in the Gorge - December

State Conference

The Friends of Georgia State Parks hosts an annual conference. It is generally held in August. The Friends of Tallulah Gorge State Park can pay for the conference fee and lodging for up to 8 volunteers. The Conference is a great opportunity to network with Friends from other Parks. Information about the Friends program is updated by the state office.