NCWF In The Field – January, 2026

January 6, New Year Yoga: NCWF Concord Wildlife Alliance Chapter hosted a New Year Yoga session with the sounds of nature. Children of all ages participated in this family-friendly event led by chapter leaders. The immersive experience combined gentle yoga flows with the soothing melodies of wildlife and nature, allowing folks to set positive intentions for the year ahead.

January 8, Watauga River Planting: NCWF High Country Wild in partnership with MountainTrue planted 5,500 livestakes at Valle Crucis Community Park along the Watauga River and Dutch Creek with 2,600 of the plants made possible through the National Wildlife Federation’s Trees for Wildlife Program. We planted a variety of species including silky willow, black willow, silky dogwood, and elderberry. Valle Crucis Community Park contains riparian forest, wetland, and meadow habitat which supports a mosaic of wildlife. The park is a staple in the community and a popular gathering place for locals to play music, share a picnic, flyfish, bird watch, and enjoy the solitude that only nature can provide. The park took a big hit during Hurricane Helene with trees uprooted and riverbanks left bare of vegetation. Planting these native trees is an effort to increase biodiversity, enhance wildlife habitat, reduce erosion, and ensure that generations to come can enjoy the natural beauty of Valle Crucis Community Park.

January 9-11, Chapter Leader Outing at Pocosin Lakes NWR: The Outreach Team, current, and emerging chapter leaders were led by our Refuge Conservation Coordinator for a weekend of wintering waterfowl tours across the NWR system in Northeastern NC. We saw tundra swans, northern pintails, green-winged teal, American wigeon, ring-necked ducks, Eastern meadowlark, Canada geese, Sandhill cranes, lesser scaup, mourning doves, and Carolina wrens. We attended a presentation at the Red Wolf Center and saw a grey fox at the 4H center. We drove through thousands of red-winged black birds flying down the road across Mattamuskeet at sunset.

January 13, Nature Trivia Night NCWF Charlotte Wildlife Stewards Chapter continued their nature trivia tradition at Sugar Creek Brewing in Charlotte. Over 60 enthusiasts showed up to enjoy cold beverages, tasty treats, and three rounds of trivia at Sugar Creek Brewing Company. Native plants, chapter swag, and wildlife-themed prizes were raffled off to raise money for conservation in Charlotte.

January 13, ecoEXPLORE Bird Hike: ecoEXPLORErs and their families gathered for a birding adventure along the Scuppernong River Interpretive Boardwalk with NCWF, Pocosin Lakes NWR, and Tyrrell County Library. Participants recorded their observations as they hiked and learned more about local birds and their habitats!

January 13-16, Fox Creek Park Kudzu Management: NCWF Swannanoa Valley Wild and the Friends of Fox Creek Park took a kudzu vine sized leap forward. Thanks to a recently acquired grant from the Community Foundation of WNC’s Pigeon River Fund, we were able to hire Raven Invasive Plant Management to work alongside volunteers and remove a huge portion of the remaining kudzu along Fox Creek. 5 years ago, this small park in the heart of Swannanoa was blanketed in kudzu. Through hundreds if not thousands of volunteer hours and now a professional crew working all week, we are well on our way to a tamed kudzu beast. Keep a lookout for opportunities this spring as we continue the momentum at Fox Creek thanks to the support from the Pigeon River Fund. Native seed spreading, livestake workshops, ecology walks, and nature journaling are all in the works! We hope you’ll join us and be a part of this amazing story of restoration. Restoration for wildlife, habitat, and community.

January 17, LCFW January Litter Sweep: The LCFW chapter met at the WRC boat ramp in Southport to pick up litter before it impacts migratory marine life off the NC coast. Volunteers collected 54.33 lbs of trash.

January 18, Wonders of Winter Ecology: NCWF ReWild AVL braved the cold and hosted a winter ecology walk in Pisgah National Forest with naturalist Luke Cannon of Astounding Earth. We walked slow, asked questions, got our hands dirty, and experienced all sorts of natural wonders while having fun along the way. We spotted bird nests, cranefly orchids, chipmunk burrows, bear claws, crayfish chimneys, brown rot fungi, and more! We also learned about how wildlife adapts to cold winter temperatures such as some species of frogs that will freeze solid and then thaw out when the temperature warms back up. ReWild AVL is planning to host many more fun and engaging programs in 2026. We hope you’ll join us!

January 19, TCC Oases Planting Workday: NCWF Tri-County Conservationists Chapter held a native plant oases workday at Brumley Preserve in Chapel Hill. Over 60 volunteers came out to remove invasive plants, reinforce fencing, and plant native tree saplings in native plant oases in the preserve. The brisk, but sunny, weather invigorated the group as they planted 150 eastern red cedar, southern red oak, and black cherry saplings and removed lots and lots of privet!

January 21, Sandy Mush Rabbit Hunt: North Carolina Wildlife Federation and National Wildlife Federation’s Artemis Sportswomen hosted a free rabbit hunt on Sandy Mush Game Lands in Western North Carolina. The hunt was led by Artemis Ambassadors Lisa Fierman and Mary Lynn along with Mary’s AKC registered beagles! Stay tuned for more hunts in 2026. Open to hunters of all skill levels and beginners are welcome.