Hoppin’ Down the American Tobacco Trail
Nature enthusiasts of all ages had a nice stroll down the American Tobacco Trail at the New Hill trailhead on our “Hoppin’ Herps Hike,” led by Kara Solomon, NCWF Conservation Coordinator. We kept a lookout for herps (reptiles and amphibians) in the ditches along the way, but the best opportunity was when we reached the…
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Celebrating Pollinators Together at Lake Crabtree Park
What a great day to celebrate pollinators at the annual Pollinator Festival at Lake Crabtree County Park on Saturday! Being under the shade of mature trees, it was quite pleasant on an otherwise warm day. This event leads us right into National Pollinator Week, which starts June 22. We enjoyed welcoming a lot of visitors…
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Volunteers Take Back the Pollinator Garden at Yates Mill
Was today’s Gardens and Habitats for Wildlife event an invasive removal or a pollinator gardening day?! We definitely did both! On May 30, South Wake Conservationists volunteers came together to restore the Yates Mill Pond pollinator garden. Native plants that had been buried under a dense tangle of poison ivy, blackberry brambles, and the invasive…
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Eco Kids Discover how Amazing Wildlife Can Be!
Our special Eco Kids event held today at Bass Lake Park, “Nature’s Secret Superpowers,” was a lot of fun, and not just for the kids! Led by the incredible Mary Bures, who leads NCWF’s Great Outdoors University, kids discovered how animals adapt to their environment in amazing ways. Avoiding predators by “hiding” via camouflage, in…
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Final 2026 Spring Invasive Removal at C. H. Johnson Environmental Education Park with The Audubon Society.
On May 14 these groups met to remove as much privet, and other invasives, as they could before the heat, ticks and humidity arrive, at this species rich park. The event was attended by 10 volunteers and 3 members of the Fuquay Varina Park Systems landscaping team. The weather was perfect and everyone was experienced…
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SWC Hits the Roof!
We held the last session for the school year of SWC’s Southeast Raleigh Elementary Rooftop Garden Nature Program Friday. For the adult leaders, it was a treat to see the enthusiasm and joy these fourth and fifth-graders showed in our “diggin’ in the dirt” experience with the rooftop container gardens. Brought back to life following…
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Got Wild in Holly Springs
SWC exhibited again at the annual Wild About Nature festival at Sugg Farm in Holly Springs yesterday. It was a hot day, but we still had a nice turnout, and everyone seemed to have a good time . Out theme was Wildlife Habitat, which included an informational display about all the different types of habitat,…
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Pollinators on the Roof
This past Friday, twenty-five 4th and 5th grade students at Southeast Raleigh Elementary School held their second garden workday on the roof of the school with SWC. The first one, held at the end of March, was a day to plant crops in one half of eight large raised beds and to learn hands-on how…
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Third Successful Invasive Removal With The Audubon Society
April 23 was our third invasive assault assisting our conservation allies, The Audubon Society. Our ultimate plan is to restore Carol H. Johnson Environmental Education Park. The weather was perfect and our crew experienced. The City of Fuquay-Varina generously aided us by providing a park employee who helped with debris removal from the site.…
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Good Times at the Open House and Native Plant Sale
It was a hot one Saturday, but everyone had a great time at Simple Gifts Community Garden for the annual open house and native plant sale, in collaboration with SWC. Visitors to the garden had access to native plants not readily available locally, joined tours of the garden, learned about the value of pollinators and…
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Successful First Trash Trap Clean Out on Walnut Creek at Lake Johnson
Much appreciation to all the volunteers who showed up for our trash trap training and SWC’s initial clean-up of the trap. They braved the cold weather and the deepish water to remove 16 pounds of trash (it appeared another group may have have been there recently). Our instructor, Madison, is a volunteer with the Great…
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Eco Kids on the Roof
The SWC Eco Kids project to launch a sustainable garden program on the roof of the Southeast Raleigh Elementary School kicked off its first hands-on session with 25 fourth and fifth-grade students Friday, just before their Spring break. The team had been working well in advance, planting a variety of pollinator plants and seeds in…
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SWC Did the Bash!
It was a blustery day, and we had to batten down all the hatches, but it was a great turnout at the SWC exhibit at the Beech Bluff Bash at Beech Bluff County Park in Willow Spring Saturday. This was our second year exhibiting there, with last year being the grand opening of this wonderful…
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Invasive Removal with Wake Audubon at Carol Howard Johnson Environmental Park in Fuquay-Varina
South Wake Conservations teamed up with Wake Audubon and the city of Fuquay-Varina for a second swipe at removing invasive privette from this nature preserve. We achieved our main objective of being able to see a natural forest, down to the stream along Honeysuckle Trail, upon arrival at the parking lot. While there, we also…
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Switch Cane Restoration – 3rd Time’s the Charm!
After delays due to freezing weather and a sick snake, our eager team of South Wake Conservationists, and volunteers from the NC State Dept. of Environmental Quality, were able to remove a canopy of mostly invasive plants to allow sun to shine on what we now know is native switch cane. The additional chlorophyll will…
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What a Day for a Guided Walk through Swift Creek Bluffs in Full Bloom!
A group of South Wake Conservationists and guests were treated to a wonderful guided walk through the forested bottom-lands of Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve by naturalist Dr. Eric Pauley on Saturday. The weather was perfect, a multitude of spring ephemerals had emerged, displaying their best flowers, and there was a lot to see and…
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SWC Teams Up with Big Sweep and Siemens to Preserve Farm Land
This family farm has been nurtured by several generations, and is now surrounded by encroaching suburbia near Wendell, NC. The team, along with family members, collected 5200 pounds of trash, 52 tires, 2 utility trailer chassis and decades worth of vapor barrier material used in seeding. These efforts support the family’s application for an agricultural…
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We came, we saw, we conquered!! (Well maybe a small spot)!!!
Members of South Wake Conservationists, along with the Hemlock Bluffs Strike team, tackled some well entrenched bamboo stalks, along with trifoliate orange and privet shoots, at this Natural Preserve run by the city of Cary and the state of North Carolina. This large “clump” of bamboo has been growing at the site for at least…
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Preparing for the Eco Kids Garden!
We are one step closer to holding our first Eco Kids garden workday with 4th and 5th grade students at the Southeast Raleigh Elementary School rooftop garden! Eight SWC volunteers were on the roof Wednesday to inspect, clean up, and inventory the 34 raised beds in preparation for our first hands-on planting and education session…
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A Break in the Rain: Eagles and More at Jordan Lake Dam
Mother Nature almost had other plans for us this morning, but she provided just enough of a break to nearly 30 eager nature lovers that gathered at the Jordan Lake Dam for our highly anticipated Bald Eagle Watch. Jeremy Bock, a SWC member and local birder, shared fascinating insights into the behavior and resurgence of…
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