Thanks to Our Volunteers! – March 2025 Community Wildlife Chapter Updates
North Carolina Wildlife Federation staff and Community Wildlife Chapter volunteers were in full swing throughout the month of March, they connected people to the outdoors via webinars, native tree and pollinator plant planting, litter pickups, and invasive species removals.
In March, over a thousand people were given the opportunity to connect with nature through one of NCWF’s events. This month throughout our great state, over 13,000 lbs of litter were removed from the landscape, 90 native trees and shrubs were planted, and 0.5 acre of land was cleared of invasive plant species by NCWF Community Wildlife Chapters and partners.
Special thanks to Mary Bures for organizing all of our speakers and training locations. We are deeply grateful to all the staff at Yates Mill County Park and Duke Homestead for being such wonderful hosts. Special shout out to Loretta and Craig at the Yates Mill Aquatic Conservation Lab and to Dr. Annable Renwick at Sarah P. Duke Gardens for giving our groups two wonderful tours. We are excited to have these new certified stewards in our chapters and local communities spreading the word about the importance of native plants and landscaping for wildlife.
Thanks to partners such as the Duke Energy Foundation, Jandy Ammons Foundation, and Burt’s Bees for helping make these habitat restoration workdays, educational programs and nature outings possible. Explore our Events Calendar to discover where NCWF and our Community Wildlife Chapters are hosting in-person and virtual events near you. Check out a few highlights below from our conservation outreach team.
February 28 – March 2, NCWF Raleigh Wildlife Habitat Stewards Training: NCWF hosted 29 participants for Wildlife Habitat Steward Training at Yates Mill County Park in Raleigh. This certification program allowed participants to engage with like minded conservationists, hear from a panel of expert speakers, take part in hands-on activities (including landscaping with native plants and birding at Yates Mill County Park), and venture on a field trip to the Yates Mill Aquatic Conservation Lab to see research being done to revitalize species of endangered freshwater mussels in North Carolina.
March 7-15, Red Wolf Tour Across North Carolina: Kat traveled around the state of North Carolina offering Red Wolf programs to our chapters! She 494 people attend her programs going as far west as Charlotte and as far South as Wilmington!
March 7, CWS Engineers Without Borders: NCWF Charlotte Wildlife Stewards Chapter partnered with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services to install native trees and pollinator plants on a floodplain lot in Charlotte. Thirty volunteers with Engineers Without Borders helped plant over 90 native trees and shrubs that will provide wildlife habitat, slow storm water runoff, and improve water quality.
March 8, Habitat Builders Invasive Species Removal: NCWF Habitat Builders Chapter continued their work removing non-native invasive species from Marvin Efird Park in Union County. A small, but mighty, group of volunteers showed up to remove Bradford pear, Chinese privet, and autumn olive. Stumps were treated with herbicide to prevent the continued spread of these highly invasive plant species.
March 8, PAWS Wildlife Banquet: NCWF Gaston PAWS Chapter hosted their annual Oyster Roast and Wildlife Banquet fundraiser at Wood Duck Farms in Gastonia. Attendees enjoyed live music, fresh oysters, BBQ, drinks, and good times. Gaston PAWS raised money for conservation in Gaston County through raffles and a live auction. Winners took home hunting rifles, duck decoys, game cameras, and even a deer stand! Good times were had by everyone in attendance!
March 7-9, Chimney Swift Tower Installation: 2 +3 for Duke Energy/WIN grant at Maides Park and Willowdale Urban Farm with volunteers from CF Audubon, Duke Energy, and Boy Scouts.
March 8, HAWK Invasive Plant Removal: NCWF Habitat and Wildlife Keepers Chapter (HAWK) partnered with the Town of Matthews to remove harmful invasive species, including Chinese Wisteria, and Ligustrum from Squirrel Lake Park. In total, 18 volunteers put in over two hours of hard work removing the invasive weeds.
March 11, Building Pollinator Habitat with ecoEXPLORE: NCWF, Pocosin Lakes NWR, and Tyrrell County Library came together for this month’s family ecoEXPLORE program where participants of all ages learned how to create pollinator habitat at their own homes and in our community. ecoEXPLORErs drafted blueprints for their own pollinator habitats and received Butterfly Highway seeds and materials to register their pollinator pitstops at home!
March 12, Wildlife Prints with Pocosin Arts: NCWF and Pocosin Lakes NWR partnered with Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft for this fun activity to learn more about local wildlife by tracking their prints. Participants of all ages created unique wildlife print art of their favorite local species after a hike along the Scuppernong River where we observed wildlife and looked for tracks.
March 15, LNWC Christmas Tree Drop: On Saturday, NCWF Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists Chapter teamed up with the Lake Norman Shrine Club for the 5th straight year to enhance Lake Norman’s fish and aquatic habitat while raising funds for the local Shriners Hospital. LKN Shriners collected nearly 300 Christmas trees from folks in the community for a minimum of a $20 donation per tree. Once collected, all 300 trees were stored at Safe Harbor Marinas – Skippers Landing. With help from LNWC volunteers, Lancaster Custom Dock and Lift, and REEL Heroes (Purple Heart Homes Chapter), each tree was fastened to a cinder block and sunk to the bottom of Lake Norman. Thanks to Skippers Landing for storing the trees in their parking lot, donating the nylon rope, providing boats and crew members, and for feeding the hungry volunteers!
March 15, The Annual Lake James Cleanup: NCWF Lake James Area Wildlife and Nature Society hosted a hugely successful cleanup thanks to an army of 82 volunteers within the local community including a large number of high school and college students. 12 boats were out on the water and the crew cleaned up enough trash to overflow 4 dumpsters. We’re still waiting on the total pounds of garbage removed. Stay tuned!
March 15, SWC Eco Kids Frogs: NCWF South Wake Conservationists Chapter held an Eco Kids event about frogs at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs. Mary Bures, NCWF VP of Outdoor Engagement, led participants in a science experiment illustrating the important role that skin plays in the health of frogs. Families then joined in on a frog-themed scavenger hunt and nature walk.
March 21-23, NCWF Durham Wildlife Habitat Stewards Training: NCWF hosted 30 participants for Wildlife Habitat Steward Training at Duke Homestead in Durham. This certification program allowed participants to engage with like minded conservationists, hear from a panel of expert speakers, take part in hands-on activities (including landscaping with native plants and birding at Duke Homestead), and ventured on a field trip to Sarah P. Duke Gardens to see the Blomquist native plant garden and piedmont prairie
March 22, Nature Walk at Everett Creek Preserve: The NCWF Topsail Wildlife Conservation chapter was hosted by the Coastal Land Trust at Everett Creek Preserve in Sneads Ferry for a guided hike through restored longleaf and lowland riparian habitat. They saw blooming pixie moss, several species of native blueberry, canid tracks, and a Tulip-tree beauty moth.
March 22, Rainbow Scavenger Hunt & Native Tree ID: NCWF Wildlife Habitat Stewards of Northeastern NC Chapter welcomed springtime by partnering with Spruill Conservation Farm in Roper to host a rainbow scavenger hunt and native tree identification hike for participants of all ages!
March 23, Nature Walk at Westgate Nature Park: the Lower Cape Fear Wildlife chapter practiced community science, identifying wildlife with iNaturalist, Merlin, and eBird with the help of volunteers from Shelton Herb Farm and Cape Fear Audubon
March 23, CWS Creek Week Cleanup: NCWF Charlotte Wildlife Stewards Chapter partnered with Charlotte Mecklenburg Stormwater Services to celebrate Creek Week, an appreciation of the 3,000 miles of creeks in Mecklenburg County. Adults, children, and families worked alongside volunteers from McAdams engineering firm to remove 476 pounds of trash from Briar Creek and its tributaries!
March 26, NRHC Falls Lake Dam Nature Walk: NCWF Neuse River Hawks Conservationists Chapter went on a nature walk at Falls Lake Dam. The group began their walk at the Falls Lake Visitor Center overlooking the lake. Chapter leaders pointed out historical features of the dam as well as wildlife such as longleaf pines (which had recently been burned), Virginia pine, Bonaparte’s gulls, blue-gray gnatcatchers, and cormorants.
March 28-29, Ocean Advocacy Workshop: University students, chapter members, and community volunteers came together for a weekend of advocacy training at Haw River State Park! Speakers from the NC Conservation Network, Paperhand Puppet Project, NC Wildlife Federation, and E&V provided inspiration for success in advocacy and gave detailed messaging training for the Save Our Sounds campaign. Many left the workshop with the confidence to be stronger advocates in their own lives and use their voice for wildlife.
March 29, Helton Creek Cleanup: The North Carolina Wildlife Federation in partnership with New River Conservancy, Mountain True, Keep Ashe Beautiful, Trout Unlimited, The Ashe County Government, Blue Ridge Conservancy, NC Land and Water Fund, and The Citizens of Ashe County removed 12,500 pounds of trash from 2.7 miles of the New River in Ashe County that serves as one of the premier trout fisheries in our state and was heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene. 78 volunteers of all ages participated and worked hard in the river for nearly 4 hours.
March 29, Habitat Builders Family Scavenger Hunt: NCWF Habitat Builders Chapter brought families out to Marvin Efird Park for a morning of nature discovery. Kids and adults enjoyed a scavenger hunt, pond exploration, and a short nature walk. It was a beautiful day to search for wildlife and native plants in the park.
March 30, Fox Creek Park Workday & Celebration: The Friends of Fox Creek Park and the North Carolina Wildlife Federation hosted a workday at Fox Creek Park in Swannanoa. Hurricane Helene flooded Fox Creek with a torrent of muddy water and debris, and as the surge retreated the park was left with scattered trash, re-made stream beds, and a heavy deposit of silt covering much of the park. The foot bridge was also washed away, leaving no easy access to the park. The workday included invasive removal, trash removal and trail clearing while volunteers spotted a variety of wildlife including red-tailed hawks, dusky salamanders, and blooming bluebells. Afterwards, the group gathered for food and music to celebrate the park and the return of spring. 48 volunteers joined the fun!
Written by:
– Page Turner, Conservation Coordinator
– Laura Frazier, Refuge Conservation Coordinator
– Natalie Bohorquez, VP of Conservation Partnerships
– Alden Picard, Conservation Coordinator
– Kara Solomon, Conservation Coordinator
– Luke Bennett, NCWF Conservation Coordinator