On October 12 our trash trap team suited up and cleaned out the trap. We found the normal leaf and limb debris as well as a large number of s tiny Styrofoam pieces. But, to our surprise there was also a tackle box with rubber worms and a lidless cooler. Best we could figure was … More Hurricane Isaias leaves debris in Walnut Creek trash trap
SWC is partners with Wake Audubon’s ongoing project to conserve and support the natural heritage of a unique nature park in Fuquay Varina, the Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park. The NC Natural Heritage Progam lists portions of this site as 7 out of 10 for natural diversity, which is exceptional for a suburban/urban location. … More Please Join South Wake Conservationists and The Audubon Society for our second fall invasive removal this season at Carol H. Johnson Environmental Education Park, located at 301 Wagstaff Road, Fuquay-Varina, NC, October 14, 2026, 9:00 to 11:00am.
Despite threat of rain, 10 volunteers of The Audubon Society and South Wake Conservationists, along with 4 employees for the town of Fuquay-Varina, participated in an invasive removal at Carol H. Johnson Environmental Education Park in Fuquay-Varina. Fortunately, the 60-degree temperature was perfect to remove it. Our main mission was to remove Japanese Stilt Grass … More An Invasive Removal Is A Great Way To Spend the Fall Solstice this 9/23/26!
After a few months and cleanouts, we have learned much about the trap and where it is located. It’s on a highly used trail that connects to the Raleigh Greenway. So, if it’s full, the park will hear about it. The problem is, it can go weeks empty, particularly during the drought, and then a … More Anatomy of a Trash Trap Clean out.
The Big Sweep event was on 9/5/26. As usual Big Sweep does a great job getting volunteers and organizing teams, with plenty of bags, vests and pickers. During Walnut Creek Center’s Mud Day festival volunteers from Carolina Wetlands removed over 222 pounds so all effforts were to areas around the Raleigh Greenway. The weather was … More Double Header at Walnut Creek Wetland Center! With two events within seven days SWC helped remove close to 800 pounds of trash with The Big Sweep on 9/5/26 and pulled approximately 2500 square feet of Japanese Hops on 9/13/26. Well done team!
SWC is partners with Wake Audubon’s ongoing project to conserve and support the natural heritage of a unique nature park in Fuquay Varina, the Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park. The NC Natural Heritage Progam lists portions of this site as 7 out of 10 for natural diversity, which is exceptional for a suburban/urban location! … More Please Join South Wake Conservationists and The Audubon Society for another season of invasive removal at Carol H. Johnson Environmental Education Park located at 301 Wagstaff Road, Fuquay-Varina, NC, September 23, 9:00 to 11:00am.
Even with 97 degree heat, we were at maximum capacity on the rooftop of Southeast Elementary when 20 eager 4th grade gardeners, and 22 excited and veteran 5th grade gardeners, arrived to be guided by our five intrepid South Wake Conservationists leaders in two separate gardening sessions. The students were attentive, well behaved and worked … More The day was hot, but the energy was high, literally! September 11, 2026.
As a low-lying wetland, this site absorbs all the invasive seeds flowing from the Walnut Creek water shed, a significant area of Raleigh and Wake County. Normally, we would be restoring a high ground section with native cane, but at this time construction of an improvement to the park is preventing this work. This will … More Second weekend at Walnut Creek Wetlands Center! On September 13, 2026, we will be removing invasives from 9:00am to 11:00am
After heavy rainstorms the trap was filled with trash, tree, leaf litter and hay from seeding an adjacent DOT highway project. So the response team suited up and removed trash and organic debris from the trap. We seperated it by category and inventoried it priorto puting into bags to weigh. In oder to secure pins … More Clean out of Lake Johnson Trash Trap 8/29/26
The Wetland Center is located at a low spot-on Walnut Creek near downtown Raleigh. It acts as a filter for all trash and debris flowing from its head waters near the Fairgrounds, past apartments, developments, dams and NC State University and accumulates a substantial amount of trash. Also, the City of Raleigh once used this … More Let’s help Wake County Big Sweep clean up around the Walnut Creek Wetland Center on Sat., 9/5/26 from 9:00am to 12:00am – 950 Peterson St. in Raleigh, NC.