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Head & heart guide director at Autrey Mill wildlife clinic
Hounds for Habitat schedules fundraiser JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Sponsored by Women Build of the North Central Georgia chapter of Habitat for Humanity, Hounds for Habitat is a fundraiser to help construct homes for worthy families. The event will be held at Newtown Park on June 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and is open to the public. Those who register will receive a T-shirt and gifts along with the ability to enter their dog in one of three contests. Categories include: best dressed; funniest; and look-alike. There will be music, refreshments for sale, a silent auction, giveaways, a bake sale and participation by local businesses. There will also be a Johns Creek K9 Police demonstration. Organizers say visitors should bring cash to make transactions simple. For questions, call Carey Sperry at 470-494-3970 or email support@ cleaninvogue.com. Habitat for Humanity is grateful to receive support from the Johns Creek Police Department and the Johns Creek Veterans Association.
By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Jess Legato used to perform medical treatment for injured wildlife at the front desk of Autrey Mill Nature Preserve’s Visitor Center. But with a new wildlife rehabilitation clinic on-site, there’s ample space to care for and temporarily house about 20 animals. “I've been trying to build it and get this thing going for two years,” said Legato, Autrey Mill’s education program manager and clinic director. Legato is a spunky, tenacious 26-yearold with dyed hair and a The Cure T-shirt, and she has a lot of know-how. There’s a high population of wildlife in the Piedmont region of Georgia, she said, because of its environmental diversity. “The thing about Johns Creek being fairly new — there's a lot of development. There's a lot of habitat fragmentation,” Legato said. “You get a lot of wildlife in yards … a lot of wildlife all over, and people don’t know what to do.” In early Autrey Mill times, Legato said the clinic space — attached to an old barn — was a classroom, but eventually became a place for storage. “We have a lot of animals that are all
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Jess Legato, education program manager and clinic director at Autrey Mill Nature Preserve, nurses a baby fawn.