WATCH

Richland WATCH Group

From Richipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Richland WATCH Group (an acronym for Watching for Aliens, Tracking Cosmic Happenings) is a self-organized community watch and speculative science interest group based in the Richland subdivision of Suwanee, Georgia. Founded in 2006, the group blends neighborhood vigilance with an enthusiastic (some say obsessive) focus on extraterrestrial activity, cosmic phenomena, and government weather-control conspiracies.

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History

The WATCH Group emerged after a neighborhood book club meeting went off-topic and descended into a spirited debate over a mysterious flash in the night sky (later confirmed to be a malfunctioning drone). Inspired by their shared curiosity and an overabundance of snacks, five residents formed the WATCH Group to monitor the skies, the woods behind the tennis courts, and—on occasion—unsuspecting HOA board meetings.

Their motto: “If it’s out there, we’re watching it. If it’s in here, we’re definitely reporting it.”

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Notable Incidents

• 2009: The Taylor Road Crop Spiral – A suspicious spiral in freshly seeded grass at the entrance to the community was attributed to aliens, until revealed to be the result of a landscaping trainee and a faulty ride-on mower.

• 2010: Operation Duck Drop – Although initially dismissed as a botched party stunt, WATCH members maintain that the 200 ducks air-dropped into the Richland pool were part of a larger test by intergalactic agents using avian surveillance.

• 2017: The Lawn Chair Array – A brief attempt to construct a neighborhood SETI listening station out of aluminum lawn chairs and Wi-Fi antennas was thwarted by code enforcement and several confused HOA board members.

• 2021: The Solar Panel Signal – Members reported strange humming sounds from newly installed solar panels. Subsequent investigation revealed the panels were just functioning normally, but the humming continues… in their hearts.

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Mission & Activities

WATCH's official mission is to promote "cosmic awareness" among Richland residents, ensure the community is prepared for interstellar contact (or a Comcast outage), and monitor HOA-related celestial irregularities—especially during Blood Moons, solar eclipses, and pool parties.

Regular activities include:

• Stargazing nights (weather permitting and mostly on purpose)

• Reporting unregistered drones, suspicious squirrels, and oddly shaped clouds

• Maintaining a 24/7 rotating “Sky Watch” from the upper tennis pavilion. 

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Controversies

The WATCH Group has occasionally clashed with the Richland HOA Board over unauthorized sky-lantern launches, motion-detection floodlights bright enough to tan nearby pedestrians, and a short-lived “Elf Surveillance Initiative.” While some homeowners describe them as “eccentric but harmless,” others describe them simply as “Ricky and his friends with binoculars.”

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Legacy

Despite the skepticism, the WATCH Group has become a quirky cornerstone of Richland’s unique identity. Their passion for the unexplained reminds residents that even in a well-manicured subdivision, the universe is still full of mystery—and possibly, little green visitors.

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See Also

• Neighborhood Watch

• Amateur Astronomy

• Urban Myths in Suburban Communities

• HOA vs. UFO: A Legal Primer