The image below is the cover of the ECWA promotional brochure. Click on it to see the entire document.
The brochure is in Adobe pdf format and to view it you will need the Acrobat Reader program from Adobe. Click on the Adobe logo to download a copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader program.
Dedicated to restoring Ellerbe Creek and making it an asset for the citizens of Durham, the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association gained official 501(c)(3) non-profit status in April of 1999. Since then we have acquired close to 150-acres including five nature preserves that we manage for public recreation, water quality and native plant and habitat restoration. Four of our five preserves, Glennstone, Pearl Mill, the 17-Acre Wood, and our newest preserve, the Beaver Marsh Preserve are open to the public (see map link to view preserve locations and trails). Our fifth preserve is open to the public only during ECWA events scheduled at the site.
In addition to our preserves, ECWA is working with the state to restore the 0.7 mile stretch of Ellerbe creek that flows through the 17-Acre Wood Preserve and is a partner in the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative (UNCWI), a partnership effort to protect those lands most critical for the long-term safety and health of drinking water supplies in the communities located in the Upper Neuse River Basin. Our other activities include plant, bird and nature walks at our preserves, trail building, installing wetland gardens at sites through the watershed, environmental education programs for children and adults, and working with UNCWI, developers, homeowners and city government to preserve green space and reduce storm water impacts on the creek.
Long-term goals for the organization include the establishment of a watershed-wide volunteer network and completion of an urban trail system linking all parts of the watershed, preservation of Ellerbe Creek's headwaters and other special features, and restoration of the creek's channel and floodplain.
Another goal is to bring back the rich native flora of the Ellerbe Creek valley, much of which survives only in remnants along roadways, in ditches, or here and there along the creek. A remarkable variety of wetland and prairie species once thrived in the watershed, and are being reintroduced to city parks, trail sides and ECWA preserves.
The ECWA Board of Directors meets each month (see the ECWA Calendar for dates and times) and you are cordially invited to attend these meetings.