Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association is working to widen the water movement in Durham and beyond.
In its healthiest places, the banks of Ellerbe Creek teem with creeping phlox, wild ginger, and Jack-in-the-pulpit, the water flowing through groves of red buckeye, river birch, and black gum. In its most polluted places, the banks of the creek are crowded with invasive privet and lesser celandine, its twists and turns choked with plastic bags, styrofoam cups, and other trash.
Due to Durham’s industrial past, it has been many years since each mile of this creek was healthy and thriving, when children could swim and play on its banks, or catch fish in its deeper pools. Today, many parts of the creek are simply uninhabitable for wildlife and too polluted for children to safely play.
But our watershed, which has been on the list of North Carolina’s most polluted water bodies since 1998, remains a vital source of clean drinking water for more than half a million people. That’s why we’ve been working since 1999 to protect and restore the land within our watershed. We are engaging the neighborhoods around Durham’s creeks to join us in advocating for our community’s most vital natural resource: our water.
In its healthiest places, the banks of Ellerbe Creek teem with creeping phlox, wild ginger, and Jack-in-the-pulpit, the water flowing through groves of red buckeye, river birch, and black gum. In its most polluted places, the banks of the creek are crowded with invasive privet and lesser celandine, its twists and turns choked with plastic bags, styrofoam cups, and other trash.
Due to Durham’s industrial past, it has been many years since each mile of this creek was healthy and thriving, when children could swim and play on its banks, or catch fish in its deeper pools. Today, many parts of the creek are simply uninhabitable for wildlife and too polluted for children to safely play.
But our watershed, which has been on the list of North Carolina’s most polluted water bodies since 1998, remains a vital source of clean drinking water for more than half a million people. That’s why we’ve been working since 1999 to protect and restore the land within our watershed. We are engaging the neighborhoods around Durham’s creeks to join us in advocating for our community’s most vital natural resource: our water.
Land ConservationECWA’s Land Conservation program aims to enhance the health and biodiversity of the Ellerbe Creek Watershed within and beyond our protected lands.
By removing invasive plant species and following active management plans for direct goals, we create conditions for native plants and animals to thrive, preserving critical habitats and ecosystems within the watershed. Engaging the community in this work helps ensure that ecosystem management extends outside of our preserves, and equips future generations with the skills and knowledge to protect these local ecosystems. |
Community
|
|