The Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association was formed by a small group of people who care about their neighborhood creek. Although we have grown into a larger and more formal organization with 6 staff members we still count on hundreds of volunteers each year to help us maintain our preserves, clean up the creek, spread the word about ECWA, and raise the funds that we need to operate.
Ways to Get Involved
Cleaning Up the Creek
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Managing Invasive Species
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Stewarding with the Eagle Scouts
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Attend a Preserve Workday – 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).
Join us For a Creek Clean Up – We are all in this creek together, so let’s all clean it up together! The amount of trash that flows into Falls Lake (Raleigh’s drinking water source) from Ellerbe Creek is astounding. From the candy wrapper dropped in the downtown parking lot to the basketball that falls down the storm drain at Walltown Community Center, it all makes its way down stream eventually.
Three times a year a group of volunteers canoe down the creek from Red Mill Road to where it meets Falls Lake picking up trash. There is a Frog Hollow Outdoors creek cleanup for Creek Week (the third week in March), a Great Lakes Brewing Company Month of Service Little Sweep in late spring, and another clean up that is part of the national Big Sweep movement in the early fall. These clean ups have an ongoing competition – who can find the strangest trash in the creek?! From shopping carts to TV screens to sofas to cars, we have seen it all! Or have we?!
Join us For a Creek Clean Up – We are all in this creek together, so let’s all clean it up together! The amount of trash that flows into Falls Lake (Raleigh’s drinking water source) from Ellerbe Creek is astounding. From the candy wrapper dropped in the downtown parking lot to the basketball that falls down the storm drain at Walltown Community Center, it all makes its way down stream eventually.
Three times a year a group of volunteers canoe down the creek from Red Mill Road to where it meets Falls Lake picking up trash. There is a Frog Hollow Outdoors creek cleanup for Creek Week (the third week in March), a Great Lakes Brewing Company Month of Service Little Sweep in late spring, and another clean up that is part of the national Big Sweep movement in the early fall. These clean ups have an ongoing competition – who can find the strangest trash in the creek?! From shopping carts to TV screens to sofas to cars, we have seen it all! Or have we?!
Become a Preserve Steward – Preserve stewards are people who live, work, or attend school near their adopted preserve and are on preserve on a regular basis. After participating in a brief training, they regularly visit and maintain their preserve. These visits might include removing litter, restocking dog waste bags, and keeping preserve signs and kiosks up to date. They also help with leading volunteer workdays and promoting the preserve in their neighborhoods. If you are interested in becoming a preserve steward, please contact ECWA’s Stewardship Coordinator at donna@ellerbecreek.org.
Represent ECWA by Tabling at a Local Event – Help us spread the word about the good work that ECWA is doing across the watershed. We are always looking for volunteers to table at annual events such as The Festival for the Eno, Earth Day, The Farmers Market, etc. Or maybe you are aware of another event that would be a good fit? Contact info@ellerbecreek.org for more information.
Help out with Fundraising Events – We are always looking for volunteers to help us with our fundraising events. In the late winter we have the Bull City Food & Beer Experience, in spring we have Tails & Tiaras, and on the first Saturday of June we have the one-and-only Beaver Queen Pageant. Volunteer duties for fundraising events include: helping set up and take down, taking donations, selling merchandise, taking photos, and event planning. Contact rachel@ellerbecreek.org for more information.
Join a Committee – The Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association has 4 programmatic committees: Land Protection, Land Stewardship, Education and Engagement, and Water Management. We also have a Fundraising Committee and a Finance Committee. Committees tend to meet either monthly or every other month. If you have expertise in any of these areas and are interested in getting involved with ECWA on a deeper level, please contact info@ellerbecreek.org.
Represent ECWA by Tabling at a Local Event – Help us spread the word about the good work that ECWA is doing across the watershed. We are always looking for volunteers to table at annual events such as The Festival for the Eno, Earth Day, The Farmers Market, etc. Or maybe you are aware of another event that would be a good fit? Contact info@ellerbecreek.org for more information.
Help out with Fundraising Events – We are always looking for volunteers to help us with our fundraising events. In the late winter we have the Bull City Food & Beer Experience, in spring we have Tails & Tiaras, and on the first Saturday of June we have the one-and-only Beaver Queen Pageant. Volunteer duties for fundraising events include: helping set up and take down, taking donations, selling merchandise, taking photos, and event planning. Contact rachel@ellerbecreek.org for more information.
Join a Committee – The Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association has 4 programmatic committees: Land Protection, Land Stewardship, Education and Engagement, and Water Management. We also have a Fundraising Committee and a Finance Committee. Committees tend to meet either monthly or every other month. If you have expertise in any of these areas and are interested in getting involved with ECWA on a deeper level, please contact info@ellerbecreek.org.
