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FRIENDS OF LOWER HAW RIVER STATE NATURAL AREA

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News from Friends of Lower Haw River State Natural Area

April 2020

More Nature Through a Lens
During this time of COVID-19 precautions and the Governor's statewide "stay at home" order, Friends of Lower Haw has suspended holding events. As with our March Newsletter #2 issue, we'd like to share in this April issue some wonderful photos taken recently in the Lower Haw River State Natural Area that friends have shared with us.

You can also take a virtual tour of the state natural area by watching our 60-second and 5-minute videos produced by Destination by Design featuring spectacular drone photography.

Check out nature photos with a brief bio about the subject of the photo on Instagram @lowerhawfriends and Twitter @LowerHawFriends. Learn interesting facts about what can be found in the Lower Haw River State Natural Area.

View the secret life of wildlife from home through our wildlife cameras placed in different locations throughout the state natural area. Our cameras are revealing amazing photos, like our cover photo above! Check out all the wildlife camera photo albums on our Facebook page to see what wildlife are up to when we're not around.

Also on our Facebook page - photos from our new pollinator garden at US 15-501 river access! A pollinator garden was created by Boy Scout Ben Pickens with assistance from Friends of Lower Haw board member Ryan Cadwalader. Native wildflower seeds donated by Ernst Seeds Company that were sown by Ben last fall are springing up and attracting all kinds of visitors. See who's visiting the garden in our Pollinator Garden March 2020 photo albums!

Native Wildflowers
These lovely spring wildflower photos were taken by Leah Purvis. Upper left photo is Trout Lilies; upper right photo is Virginia Spring Beauty; lower left photo is Slender Toothwort; lower right photo is Sessile Bellwort.
Insects
Judge me by my size, do you? Small insects can play big roles as pollinators. Left photo by Leah Purvis of Eastern Calligrapher Fly feeding on Spicebush flowers; right photo by Leah Purvis of a solitary ground-nesting bee in the genus Andrena.
Reptiles
Snakes play an important ecological role in controlling rodent populations. Left photo by Dr. Kevin Ricker of non-venomous Northern Watersnake; right photo by Anne Geer of non-venomous Common Garter Snake.
Birds
Spring is a busy time for birds seeking a mate and feeding their young. Upper left photo by Dr. Kevin Ricker is Osprey bringing home a fish; upper right photo by Dr. Kevin Ricker is Pine Warbler; lower left photo by Leah Purvis is Bluebird; lower right photo by Leah Purvis is Robin. 
Great Trails State Plan - One Network of Trails, One Hundred Counties
The focus of the Great Trails State Plan is on shared-use paths that can serve transportation purposes, providing connections between where people live, work and play. What trails do you use and like most?  What would make that experience better? What are the most important new trail connections that should be made? The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) wants to hear from the public about North Carolina’s trails and how to make them better. Help NCDOT expand upon local and regional trail systems to create an overall statewide trail network. This network of trails will connect communities to the great outdoors, while also creating opportunities for transportation, conservation, recreation, education, physical health, tourism, and economic growth. The Great Trails State Plan will draw upon existing plans and new recommendations to identify a network of shared-use paths and trails that connects every county in North Carolina, with a focus on connections between population centers and North Carolina State Parks. The Great Trails State Plan is being led by NCDOT and NC State Parks. (Editor's Note: How about a safer pedestrian/bicycle corridor running parallel to the US 64 bridge over the Haw River for trail connectivity!)

The public can give feedback two ways by taking an interactive map survey and a 10-question survey. Participants are encouraged to take both surveys.

Keep Your Distance!
Our cover photo is one of our first photos of Striped Skunk captured by our wildlife camera! As the ultimate defense for ensuring social distancing, the skunk will spray you (or other animals) with an awful smelly secretion when alarmed if you get too close. Volunteers monitor our wildlife cameras once a month to upload photos. This is a volunteer opportunity that can be done alone during this time of COVID-19 precautions. Contact lowerhawevents@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer.

Follow Us on Instagram and Twitter!
We've expanded our social media presence!  In addition to Facebook you can now follow us on Instagram (@lowerhawfriends) and Twitter (@LowerHawFriends). Post your favorite photos of the Lower Haw River State Natural Area on Instagram or send us a Tweet letting us know what you love about this special place.

2019 Annual Report Now Available!
Friends of Lower Haw 2019 Annual Report is now available online at our website on our Publications page.  Read about what we've been doing in 2019!  Annual Reports for prior years are also available on our website.

Watch 60-second Video About the Lower Haw River SNA!
See spectacular scenery in our 60-second video about the Lower Haw River State Natural Area and the Lower Haw Trails Plan.  Produced by Destination by Design, it was funded by a grant from Triangle Community Foundations' Support for Places Awareness Program. Want to see more?  We also have a 5-minute video with interviews!  Watch both videos at www.lowerhaw.org


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Friends of Lower Haw River State Natural Area · PO Box 65 · Bynum, NC 27228 · USA

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