March 2023 at Harris Lake County Park and the American Tobacco Trail

MARCH 2023

MARCH PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Programs are free of charge but

require pre-registration through our

online system.

Programs at Harris Lake County Park

Kids Discover Nature:

Possum and the Peeper

Thursday, Mar. 9; 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Meet at the Cypress Shelter

For ages 2 - 5 with accompanying adult

*This program is full. Please join the wait list.

Spring Peepers may be small but they pack a big punch – with their voice that is! Hearing these tiny little frogs is a sure sign that spring is right around the corner. We will discover the magic of the spring peeper's song as we read Possum and the Peeper by Anne Hunter. Then, we’ll play some hoppin’ good games and make a fabulous frog craft.

Night Hike at Harris

Friday, Mar. 17; 7:30 - 9 p.m.

Meet at the Loblolly Shelter

For all ages

Take a hike after dark and enjoy the sounds of an almost-spring evening as we explore our trails and ponds in search of nighttime critters. If the sky is clear, at the end of the hike we'll enjoy looking at the moon over the lake from our Fishing Pier.

Fishing for Beginners

Saturday, Mar. 18; 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Meet at the Fishing Pond

For ages 5 and up with accompanying adult

Participants will learn about a cherished outdoor pastime. The program will cover fishing basics such as how to prepare a rod and reel, what to have in your tackle box, bait a hook, cast your line, and how to handle a fish. Fish identification and common fish species that can be found in the pond will be discussed. Instruction will be followed by an opportunity to fish in the pond. Fishing poles and bait will be provided or you may bring your own.

Virtual Wild Wednesday:

Amazing Amphibians

Wednesday, Mar. 22; 3 - 3:45 p.m.

For all ages

Join Harris Lake County Park staff and hop on over to learn about our local amphibians: frogs, toads, and salamanders! We’ll explore their life cycles, adaptations, and role and importance in the ecosystem, and discover what they can tell us about our environment. You’ll even to get to virtually “meet” some up close! A Zoom link will be sent in advance of the program to registered participants.

Programs at the

American Tobacco Trail

Salamander Search on the ATT

Sunday, Mar. 5; 1:30 - 3 p.m.

For all ages

*This program is full, but please join the wait list to be notified if spaces become available.

Salamanders are the most secretive of all amphibians and this just makes them all the more fascinating! Join us as we learn about their interesting life cycle and see some up close as we search the vernal pools along the Trail for eggs & larvae.

Meet at the New Hill parking area at the lower picnic table (1309 New Hill-Olive Chapel Rd.)

UPCOMING EVENTS

AMERICAN TOBACCO TRAIL

Tobacco Road Marathon

Sunday, Mar. 19

7 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Event is based out of the White Oak parking area with thousands of runners participating! Expect heavy race traffic and plan your visit accordingly.

________

HARRIS LAKE COUNTY PARK

Horn of Buck Jones

Disc Golf Tournament

Sunday, Mar. 26

The course will be closed to the public for this tournament.

PARK CLOSING TIME CHANGE

Time to spring forward!

Beginning on Sunday, Mar. 12:

Harris Lake County Park will close at 8 p.m.

The New Hill parking area (1309 New Hill-Olive Chapel Rd.) on the American Tobacco Trail will lock at 7:30 p.m. Restrooms at New Hill and White Oak will automatically lock at 7:15 p.m.

WE'RE HIRING!

PARK TECHNICIANS OF EDUCATION

Harris Lake County and the American Tobacco Trail is hiring two full-time Park Technician of Education positions!

These positions assist with all aspects of park programming, oversee our Educational Garden and Natural Play Area, coordinate volunteers, supervise part-time staff, perform customer service and front desk duties, create social media content, and assist with natural resource projects, including wildlife monitoring and prescribed burns - just to name a few essential functions!

For more information and to apply:

https://ewaketalent.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/3/home/requisition/5865?c=ewaketalent

2023 INSTAGRAM PHOTO CONTEST

To enter, just visit any Wake County park or preserve and snap a photo that represents the monthly theme. Be sure to tag your photos on Instagram #WakeParks365 and the name of the park.

The March theme is Best "Green" Photo!

We can't wait to see your photos from #HarrisLake and #AmericanTobaccoTrail!

March Volunteer Workday

Saturday, Mar. 4; 1 - 3 p.m.

Green thumb or not, we would love for you to join us to help improve our Educational Garden area! Volunteers will work on a variety of garden tasks, including weeding of invasive plants and compost maintenance. Bring a full water bottle, long pants to keep the bugs away, and gardening gloves if you have them.

Meet at the Educational Garden near the Cypress Shelter.

https://forms.office.com/g/9E1x5cNmh9

*This opportunity is currently full, but sign up to be added to the wait list.

StoryWalk® at the

American Tobacco Trail

March 4 - 26

Beaver and Otter Get Along...Sort of: A Story of Grit and Patience between Neighbors

By Sneed Collard, illustrated by Meg Sodano

A thriving beaver family is annoyed when a family of otters moves into the wetland they constructed and starts benefitting from their hard work. Eventually, the two families learn to tolerate each other as best they can. While we can't all be friends with everyone, we can certainly try to get along! This story highlights the rich diversity of wetlands and tells the story of two important species found in our aquatic ecosystems.

This self-guided StoryWalk® will be located near the lower picnic table at the New Hill trailhead (1309 New Hill-Olive Chapel Rd., Apex)

Happy 20th Anniversary to the Wake County section of the American Tobacco Trail!

In celebration of this important milestone, we will have special anniversary events, programs, and giveaways all year long! We'll also be sharing fun, historical photos and facts about the trail on the 20th of every month on social media. Learn more at wakegov.com/parks/ATT and stay tuned to this page.

This month, we are highlighting the many ways people explore the ATT! Hikers, bikers, runners and riders... everyone is welcome!

Have you ever gone geocaching or birdwatching along the ATT? Both of these are fun activities to experience the Trail in new ways.

Did you know Wake County’s portion of the American Tobacco Trail was designed with equestrians in mind? Our trails are hoof-friendly, composed of crushed granite screenings, and offer mounting blocks and benches to help riders remount their horses.

Thank you, our visitors, for making the ATT such a popular and beloved recreational rail-trail!

#ATT20

Staff Spotlight:

Brooke Boyle

Park Aide of Education

Please welcome Brooke to our team the next time you see her out and about!

Q: How long have you worked for Wake County Parks?

A: I have worked for Wake County Parks for 4 months now.

Q: What is your favorite part of working at HLCP and the ATT?

A: I enjoy assisting the programs that are held at HLCP!

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: My favorite movie right now is Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Q: Who or what influenced you to work in this field?

A: I started out volunteering at HLCP with Jessica, and I enjoyed maintaining the Educational garden. Once I was old enough I decided to apply for this position.

Q: What is your favorite plant or animal at HLCP or the ATT? Why?

A: My favorite plant at HLCP is dogfennel. There is some planted in the Educational Garden. They grow pretty tall, are fun to watch in the wind, and they are also native to the area.

Nature Nook:

A Successful Prescribed Burn in our Longleaf Forest!

Harris Lake County Park staff, along with partners from our Open Space division (Robertson Millpond Preserve, Sandy Pines Preserve, Turnipseed Nature Preserve), Blue Jay Point County Park, Duke Energy, and the N.C. Forest Service, performed a prescribed burn in our Longleaf forest on Wednesday, Feb. 22. This year we tackled the right side of our 60-acre forest, which has lots of Sweetgum saplings that need to be cleared. We use fire as a land management tool to remove trees that compete with Longleaf, decrease leaf litter, and release nutrients into the soil. Hopefully this burn will kickstart that process and make space for more grass and bottlebrush stage Longleaf Pines to grow big and strong! You can see the effects from last year's burn on the left side, and we hope this burn benefits the area just as much.

Take a hike along the Peninsula Trail out to the Longleaf area the next time you're at the park. Look for signs of fresh new growth popping up in the coming weeks!

Harris Lake County Park

2112 County Park Drive, New Hill, NC 27562

(919) 387-4342

Email: harris.lake@wakegov.com

Connect with us