At ECWA we believe that once we bring people to the creek they will fall in love with the creek. That is why we offer a variety of opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to experience our preserves and work first hand.
Upcoming Events
Nature Walks
ECWA offers monthly nature walks for people to come and learn about a particular topic from a local expert on one of our preserves. The subject matter varies greatly, but past walk topics have included: birding, butterflies, dendrology, fall colors, ferns, geology, stream insects, lichens, wildflowers, and more. Our most popular nature walk of the year is our Glennstone Memorial Day Heron Rookery hike, where attendees have the opportunity to see hundreds of nesting blue herons and their fledglings. Check our event calendar for upcoming nature walks, and let us know (info@ellerbecreek.org) if there is a nature hike that you would like to lead or see offered!
ECWA offers monthly nature walks for people to come and learn about a particular topic from a local expert on one of our preserves. The subject matter varies greatly, but past walk topics have included: birding, butterflies, dendrology, fall colors, ferns, geology, stream insects, lichens, wildflowers, and more. Our most popular nature walk of the year is our Glennstone Memorial Day Heron Rookery hike, where attendees have the opportunity to see hundreds of nesting blue herons and their fledglings. Check our event calendar for upcoming nature walks, and let us know (info@ellerbecreek.org) if there is a nature hike that you would like to lead or see offered!
Nature Walks
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Creek Smart Tours |
Workdays
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Creek Smart Tours
Come learn about (and see firsthand) some of the work that ECWA is doing around Durham to reduce stormwater runoff. ECWA’s Creek Smart Coordinator offers regular Creek Smart Tours that include stops at our Pearl Mill Nature Preserve, Watts Elementary, the North Street Community, and the soon-to-be South Ellerbe Stormwater Project. On the tour you will visit examples of stormwater mitigation projects in various stages of completion as you learn how bioretentions, rain gardens, and cisterns can provide wildlife habitat and benefit the creek. If you are unable to attend one of the guided tours, we also have a self-guided tour that you can take in your own time.
Come learn about (and see firsthand) some of the work that ECWA is doing around Durham to reduce stormwater runoff. ECWA’s Creek Smart Coordinator offers regular Creek Smart Tours that include stops at our Pearl Mill Nature Preserve, Watts Elementary, the North Street Community, and the soon-to-be South Ellerbe Stormwater Project. On the tour you will visit examples of stormwater mitigation projects in various stages of completion as you learn how bioretentions, rain gardens, and cisterns can provide wildlife habitat and benefit the creek. If you are unable to attend one of the guided tours, we also have a self-guided tour that you can take in your own time.
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Workdays and Creek Clean Ups
ECWA owns over 140 acres of open-to-the-public nature preserves. Maintaining these preserves for public use while also working to restore native habitat takes a LOT of work! Come get your hands dirty at a community preserve workday near you! Volunteer activities include picking up trash, maintaining and creating new trails, and managing invasive species (such as ivy and privet removal). ECWA also offers multiple off-preserve creek cleanups each year. Look for opportunities to canoe down Ellerbe Creek from Red Mill Road down to where the creek meets Falls Lake, picking up trash along the way. These clean ups, knows as Big and Little Sweeps usually happen in late spring and early fall. |
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Beaver Queen Pageant
The Beaver Queen Pageant is ECWA’s biggest fundraiser and one of Durham’s most fun and funky events. Founded in 2005 by members of the Duke Park neighborhood to protect beavers from a potentially harmful road construction project, the Pageant has grown into a beloved community event that attracts over a thousand people from all over the Triangle. It is a free, family-friendly beaver ‘beauty pageant’ that is a creative and playful outlet for both the contestants and the audience. As with every pageant there are the gowns, the interview, and the talent - no swim suits since all beavers are slippery swimmers! The judges are anything but impartial as the audience ‘bribes’ them to support their preferred contestant, adding to the entertainment value of the event. This annual event (always the furrrst Saturday in June) in Duke Park is a hit with kids of all ages due to the outrageous costumes and audience engagement. More than just being fun, the Pageant honors diversity, supports community, promotes creativity, and adds to the uniqueness of Durham. |
Flat Tail Fanny, the 2018 Beaver Queen, upon winning the crown!
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