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Upcoming Closing Time Changes!
In keeping up with the time of the sun going down, Lake Crabtree County Park will be closing at 8:00 PM starting September 7th, and 7:30 PM starting September 27th.
Remember that boats need to be off the water 30 minutes before the park closes!
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Now Hiring at
Lake Crabtree County Park!
Lake Crabtree County Park is now hiring several part-time positions to help keep our park running smoothly and safely! We are looking for enthusiastic workers to join our team for both operations and environmental education park aide positions. If you are a college student and are looking for a part-time internship, this is a great way to get hours and experience working in a park setting.
If you are interested or know someone who is interested, head to our website for more details! |
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Crabtree Creek Greenway Closure Notice
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Crabtree
Nature Crafts!
Next time you bring the kids out to the park to enjoy the playgrounds, trails, or other facilities, be sure to stop by the Manager's Office for a free craft! Look for signs posted at the restrooms and playgrounds that the craft is available that day (generally Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon).
Each month we will feature a different craft and theme. This month's feature is BATS! Stop by to make your very own Tube-lipped Nectar Bat!
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Come geocache at Lake Crabtree!
Geocaching is a fun activity to do while out exploring the park and surrounding area. Geocaching is an outdoor activity where participants use a GPS receiver or phone to look for hidden containers called caches. There are about 15 caches to find in the park and along the greenway around the lake. The best way to get involved is to sign up on Geochaching.com to see what is out there. The best part is, you don't even need to own a fancy GPS unit, there is a mobile app version that you can download and get started today! |
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Upcoming Park Programs
Carolina Parakeet
Come out to Lake Crabtree and discover more about the natural world while exploring the park. Click the links (program titles) for more details and to register. Spaces are limited to allow for social distancing, so register today!
Lake Crabtree also offers group programs! If your group is interested in booking a program, contact Colleen Bockhahn at colleen.bockhahn@wakegov.com.
Family Programs
Friday, September 3rd from 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Do you have a nose for nature? Bring it, a flashlight, and your night vision for a walk around the Old Beech Nature Trail. Meet with park staff at dusk to learn what those bumps in the night really are and discover the secret art of "spider sniffing."
Sunday, September 26th from 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Before an animal becomes extinct there is a time where it is threatened or endangered. There are a lot of factors that could contribute to this, and humans are behind most of them. By making better choices, enacting helpful policies, and working hard together, we can help out many of these at-risk animals. Come learn more about endangered animals and participate in some fun activities led by park staff!
Teen & Adult Programs
Friday, September 17th from 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Expand your knowledge of our local flora and fauna while exploring various areas of the park each month. Join park staff as they "nerd out" over animals, plants, fungi and more! Help collect data for our Biodiversity Project in iNaturalist while increasing your own identification skills.
This month we will be focusing on fungi and mushrooms. Learn how to identify some of our common families of fungi while we explore various habitats around the park. Ages 12 and up.
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Wild Side:
You Seem Like a FUN GUY
All mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms. Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body that some fungi have. Most mushrooms are characterized by having a stem, a cap, and gills on the underside of the cap. The gills produce microscopic spores that help the fungus spread. The rest of the mushroom or fungal organism typically lives in the soil, wood, or other material it is growing in. It spreads via thread-like strands known as mycelium. The mycelium can spread underground creating circles of mushrooms commonly called "fairy rings." The mycelium can grow quite large, with one well-known individual fungus spreading over 1,500 acres in Oregon.
Mushrooms and fungi are important to our ecosystems for the roles they play as decomposers and for the many mycorrhizal relationships they have with several species of plants. These relationships are symbiotic which means they benefit both the host plant and the fungus growing on them. The fungi colonize the root system of the plant increasing water and nutrient absorption capabilities, while also providing the fungus with the energy it needs. Mycorrhizal fungi also increase protection against certain pathogens. Approximately 90% of land plants have some association with mycorrhizal fungi, and fossil records show this relationship stretches back hundreds of millions of years.
Some mushrooms taste great, while others can be deadly or at least make you sick. North Carolina is actually home to nine of the world's most toxic mushrooms, so the safe choice is to just eat ones you buy at the grocery store.
Come to our Nature Nerds program on Friday, September 17th to learn more about some of our local mushrooms and other fungi while we go explore the woods for what's out there!
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Contact us:
Lake Crabtree County Park
1400 Aviation Parkway
Morrisville, NC 27560
919-460-3390
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