Archive for September 2011

Programs this weekend at West Point!

Autumn equinox is tomorrow which is the first day of fall!

This weekend we have two programs on Saturday the 24th at West Point on the Eno Park. Both of the programs meet at the Environmental Education Center.

Critter Crawl - 10am-12pm : First we'll learn a little about the aquatic critters that live in the Newuse River watershed and their importance. Then it's time to get wet as we catch, examine, and try to identify the different aquatic life that we find.

Fall Forage - 1pm-3pm: Join us on hike through the woods by the Eno River. Explore and search for fall herbs, nutes, and berries. We will learn about the uses, past and present, of these forest plants.

If you have any questions about these programs feel free to call us at 919-471-1623, option 2 or email at jessica.leff@durhamnc.gov

I look forward to seeing you this weekend.

Intersession Nature Camp - West Point on the Eno

Finding wildlife

So next week, September 26 - 30 we will be running our half day intersession nature camp. The camp runs from 8am - 1pm and we meet at the Environmental Education Center at West Point on the Eno Park. The camp is for 6-12 year olds and cost $50 city residents and $60 non-city residents. You can contact us for more information at 919-471-1623 (ext 2). Here are some pictures from past interession camps....

Exploring Crooked Creek

Looking for tadpoles

Small friends

Finding tadpoles

Building forts

Mountain Explorations...

Well we keep plodding along, not posting regularly enough. I was just down in Florida snorkling in the springs and enjoying St Andrews Bay by Panama City. When you get away from the tourist areas, Florida has a lot of natural wonders.

So Mountain Exploratations Trip. We had a great time this year, a great camp site, and great weather. We were camped out near Dupont State Forest. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is one of the more beautiful pieces of property that the State of North Carolina has purchased. There are so many waterfalls, streams, and trails for all types of users here. Our first day hiking we went up to the top of Stone Mountain, one of many Stone Mountains in the south. The hike took us by some beautiful mushrooms and we hiked up and over and through the forest to reach the top.

Up the mountain

Colorful

Once we got to the top we explored around...

We kept trying new trails...and then we saw...

So that is the view from the top of Stone Mountain
at Dupont State Forest. From the top we hiked
back down the mountain and went on a hike over
to Wintergreen Falls. This was a very pretty
waterfall that had a nice pool to cool off in. There
is nothing better than cooling off in a stream after a
long hot hike...

On the rest of the trip we went tubing on the Green River one day. That is one of the best tubing rivers in the state. Lots of fun, lots of waves, and a consistant flow thanks to the dam releases. You don't have to worry about bumping every rock in the river.

We went hiking on Looking Glass Mountain one day, very steep, but very beautiful, pics will be added for that part of the trip. We also spent a day exploring the waterfalls in Dupont Forest. You can see High Falls from a previous post. We are going to keep the post coming after this. We plan on having a busy fall, hope to see you.