Photos and description of past events.
It seems a lot of folks were more than ready to get outside and have some “dirt therapy” after all the Thanksgiving feasting! Over twenty volunteers came to Bass Lake Park Sunday afternoon to refresh, plant, and mulch a multitude of new native plants in the SWC Native Shade Plant Demonstration Garden. Debra Quinlan and … More Native Plant Explosion at Bass Lake Park
SWC members and friends gathered Sunday afternoon to dedicate a ten-foot white oak (Quercus alba) at Crowder County Park as a living memorial to John Kinsella, long-time SWC VP and board member and key leader of a multitude of conservation projects and activities over the years. Beth Kinsella and John and Beth’s son and daughter-in … More A Tree for John
This conservation crew is on it! SWC and Wake Audubon continue to rally around a very exciting collaborative project at a little-known gem of a nature park in Fuquay Varina called the Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park. Today, we removed another large trailer load of invasive plants, mostly Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), but also … More Did Somebody Say “Privet?!”
What a truly great day SWC had on Saturday during our recent outing to Sylvan Heights Bird Park in Scotland Neck! The sun was shining, the birds were vocalizing their presence, and the air was filled with a sense of wonder as we explored this incredible park. From the moment we stepped outside of the … More SWC Flocked Together at Sylvan Heights Bird Park!
On Oct. 19th, our eager SWC crew was assigned the task of removing woody invasives to give a small patch of river cane more sun to create a beachhead to support additional growth. Due to the thick brush, our small crew was perfect. Celia, the park’s activities director, explained the importance of this native plant to … More Making Room for River Cane
It was a grand day at Lake Benson Park on Oct. 4th, as SWC held its fourth annual Kids in Nature Day! The weather was perfect, and kids got to explore 25 different nature activities, including nine with live animals. There were birds of prey, arachnids, insects (including bees), reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, macroinvertebrates (both aquatic … More Best One Yet! Kids in Nature Day 2025
SWC joined Wake Audubon on a project today, led by Jim Hunsberger, to tackle the invasives at Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park in Fuquay Varina. The team uprooted, cut down and treated, or otherwise removed two full tandem-trailer loads of Chinese Privet this morning. There was also a massive Oriental Bittersweet that took several … More Privet Begone!
On a beautiful early-fall afternoon last Saturday, kids enjoyed exploring the trails near the Harris Energy and Environmental Center in New Hill, looking for signs of wildlife. As part of the SWC Eco Kids Program, Bonnie Eamick, Environmental Educator, led a group of inquisitive kids along the wooded trails and along a dry creekbed in … More Looking for Clues on the Trail
Our good friend Luke Bennett delighted everyone at the Sept. 4th SWC public meeting at Bass Lake Park with inspiring, amusing, and heartfelt stories from his most recent through-hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. Traversing 490,000 ft. of elevation gain over 2,650 miles and experiencing conditions ranging from ice and snow to arid desert, this … More Tales from the Trail
Moth Night On a beautiful late-August evening last Saturday at Crowder County Park, over twenty-five curious naturalists of all ages gathered to see what insects and arachnids were about. Led by environmental educator Bonnie Eamick, everyone was first introduced to the world of lepidopterans, especially moths, and the setup with sheets and black lights to … More A Fun Night of Discovery
South Wake Conservationists 