The first annual Ellerbe Creek Nature Tour is today throughout Durham, from 1-5 p.m. It’s free to the public, and it’s a chance for kids and adults to explore Durham’s Ellerbe Creek at Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association’s beautiful nature preserves.
This is also the perfect weekend to see many migrating waterfowl, some of which are just stopping through here on their way to their winter homes in Central and South America, and some, such as a variety of ducks, which are setting up home here in North Carolina for the next several months. The birds will be touching down in the Ellerbe Creek all day today, but you can also see turtles, frogs and other animals who live in this habitat.
There are five tour stops on the trail, each within a five to fifteen minute drive of one another, including a Creek-Smart Yard and four nature preserves: 17-Acre Wood, Beaver Marsh Preserve, Pearl Mill Preserve and Glennstone Preserve.
A Creek Smart Yard is a model for contemporary, sustainable storm-water solutions, creating a rich riparian habitat between human settlements and the natural area around the creek. These riparian regions help to filter out toxins before they enter the creek, where they would harm water-dwelling animals and and birds and pollute our drinking water.
Activities along the trail today include:
You might want to bring a hat and water, but please don’t bring your dog.
Find out more about this fun event at creektour.org!
