News from Friends of Lower Haw River State Natural Area
October 2020 #2
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Sign Up for Whack a Weed Workdays!
Our next Whack a Weed workdays are scheduled for October 30th and November 13th from 9:00 to 11:00 am. We'll finish up clearing out the weeds and begin planting more wildflowers and native grasses. Sign up for workdays using this online registration form.
Friends of Lower Haw (FLOHA) is partnering with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) on volunteer workdays to give our new pollinator meadow garden some much needed attention, such as weeding, removing invasive plants, and planting more native wildflowers. The meadow garden, created last fall, is located next to the US 15-501 parking lot by the Haw River. Madison Ohmen, Conservation Coordinator with NCWF, is co-coordinating the effort with FLOHA's Gretchen Smith. We are excited to be partnering with NCWF on this project because of their Butterfly Highway, Garden for Wildlife, and Certified Wildlife Habitat programs. So far we've had three workdays pulling up ragweed, tickseed, lespedeza, and sweet autumn clematis. Kim Hawks with the Chatham News + Record was there on September 11th to do a story on the project and the collaboration between our two organizations. Read the article here.
Photo left: workday volunteers on October 9th; Photo right: Simon and Madison
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Enjoying Nature Through a Lens
During this time of COVID-19 precautions, Friends of Lower Haw is continuing to suspend group outings. Meanwhile, enjoy time by the Haw River on your own or with family! As with previous issues, we're sharing wonderful photos taken in the Lower Haw River State Natural Area. To see more nature photos in past issues of our newsletter, check out the Publications page on our website. You can also find nature photos on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
The Creepy, the Crawly, and the Spooky
Halloween conjures up all sorts of creepy, crawly, and spooky images of the supernatural world, but the creatures in our photos provide beneficial roles in our natural world so be kind and let live.
Top photo of Green Lynx Spider by Gretchen Smith; all other photos by Dr. Kevin Ricker
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Environmental Science Take-Home Projects
Friends of Lower Haw is pleased to announce a partnership with Chatham County 4-H and Outdoor Science Labs to offer a free series of environmental science projects to students in grades 8-12. Supplies are limited so please request projects by November 1st. Friends of Lower Haw is being offered this priority opportunity to request projects before November 1st, after which the program will be offered to the general public if it is not full by then. Take-home materials and instructions will be provided by Chatham County 4-H, and will be available for pick up at the Chatham County 4-H office in Pittsboro.
Students can choose among four projects (see flyers below), or they can choose all four projects. The four projects include:
Project 1: Testing Water Quality
Project 2: Explore Riparian Buffers for Wild Plants and Animals
Project 3: Pick It Up! A Family Conservation Activity
Project 4: Keep It Clean!
Follow these two steps to take advantage of this great opportunity:
Step #1: Send an email to lowerhawevents@gmail.com with the following information:
Name and grade of student
Specify which of the Projects 1 through 4 you want
Name of parent
Email address for parent
Phone number for parent
Step #2: In order to enroll in this environmental science program, students will need to register with Chatham County 4-H at this link https://nc.4honline.com/. After registering with Chatham County 4-H, the Chatham County 4-H office will send instructions on how to obtain materials for each selected project that was indicated in Step #1. The online registration form is not mobile friendly at this time, so students will have to use either a desktop or laptop to register. Contact Liz Mauney with Chatham County 4-H at liz.mauney@chathamnc.org if you have questions or have any issues with the online registration.
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Friends of Lower Haw Receives Clean Trail Grant
Friends of Lower Haw is pleased to announce that ExtremeTerrain has awarded us a $250 Clean Trail Grant for our stewardship work involving litter clean-ups and trash can project, and invasive plant species removal in our new pollinator meadow garden at Haw River access sites. The ExtremeTerrain Clean Trail Grant program provides grants to eligible groups to fund their next trail improvement related project, ranging from trail clean-up, trail restoration, trail expansion, or projects to clean up and maintain nature preserves, walking/hiking trails and public parks. Friends of Lower Haw appreciates this financial support from the Clean Trail Grant program.
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NC State Parks Reopening Plan
State Parks has published its phased reopening plan for units of the park system. Please check their website for updates. Lower Haw River State Natural Area has remained open. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area trails and facilities reopening plan for Phases 2.5 & 3:
Modified Phase 3: Visitor Center is open. Some campgrounds open by advance reservation only, Robeson Creek canoe access and boat ramp open, New Hope Overlook boat ramp and hiking trail open, Seaforth boat ramp open, Vista Point boat ramp open. The following facilities remain closed during Modified Phase 3: Ebenezer boat ramp and day-use area, Seaforth day-use area, Parkers Creek day-use area, and White Oak.
Phase 3 (tentative date October 23rd): full reopening of all facilities
State Parks has the following recommendations for all visitors:
To ensure health and safety, park visitors should follow the “Three W’s” as outlined by the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services – wear a mask or cloth face covering; wait in line at least six feet away from others, and wash hands frequently. Visitors should also follow local health orders, maintain social distancing, bring hand sanitizer and reusable water bottles, avoid high-risk activities that could lead to calling first responders who are needed elsewhere during the pandemic, and practice Leave No Trace principles.
Friends of Lower Haw would like to thank State Park employees for their dedicated service during these challenging times!
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Virtual Events of Interest
Haw River Assembly's Virtual Learning Celebration
The Haw River Assembly's annual Learning Celebration has gone virtual this year! HRA has created six episodes on water monitoring, solutions to pollution, cultural history, art, geology, and more. Fantastic puppets from Paperhand Puppet Intervention even make appearances! Each episode is 10-20 minutes long. Watch their 6-part series available online for free at this link.
Triangle Land Conservancy's Wild Ideas for Wildflowers
Triangle Land Conservancy's Wild Ideas series has gone virtual this fall. TLC is partnering with the North Carolina Botanical Garden to offer a virtual Wild Ideas for Wildflowers on October 28th. More information and registration at this link.
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Halloween Colors
Leah Purvis captured the Halloween colors of fall in these Sourwood leaves by the Haw River. Visit the Lower Haw River State Natural Area to enjoy the fall colors.
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Follow Us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram (@lowerhawfriends) and Twitter (@LowerHawFriends). Check out our photos that inspire and inform!
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Connect with Nature Through iNaturalist!
Post your observations from the Lower Haw River State Natural Area on iNaturalist, a popular nature app for sharing biodiversity observations online. Record your observations, get help identifying plants and animals, and network with a community of scientists and naturalists. Anyone with a smartphone or computer can use iNaturalist to share observations. Check out how to get started here.
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2019 Annual Report Available Online!
Friends of Lower Haw 2019 Annual Report is available online at our website on our Publications page. Read about what we've accomplished in 2019. Annual Reports for prior years are also available on our website.
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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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We Have a New Logo!
Check out our new logo! Board member Anne Geer created the design, along with donated in-kind Adobe Illustrator assistance from Anne Kachergis of Kachergis Book Design in Pittsboro. A big thank you to both for our new logo!
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