January 2024: A Message from Our Executive Director

Dear Friends of the Conservancy,

2024 is upon us and the Wolf River Conservancy couldn’t be more excited for the year ahead!  We kicked off our annual Wolf River Restoration Series presented by Brother International Corporation earlier this month with our Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at the Epping Way Greenway.  This 1.2-mile section of the Wolf River Greenway in Raleigh is surrounded by a beautiful and diverse ecosystem that includes wetlands, a twenty-acre lake, and forested areas that provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife.  Working in the spirit of Dr. King’s vision of greatness through service, volunteers from the community removed 15 large bags of trash, installed new nest boxes for native birds, and planted 100 trees in an area that was once a dumping site.

The Wolf River Restoration Series comprises a total of four events during the first quarter of the year starting with the MLK Day of Service.  We will be hosting our 19th Annual Tree Planting on March 2nd at New Chicago Park, celebrating World Water Day with a cleanup event on Mud Island on March 23rd, and will be completing the series on April 20th with the Earth Day on the Greenway event at the Shady Grove Trailhead.  We would also like to thank our presenting sponsor for the Wolf River Restoration Series, Brother International Corporation.  Their generous support makes these important community service projects possible.  Please visit our online Activity Calendar for full event details.

I am also pleased to announce the hiring of Natalie Schuh, our new Development Manager of Communications and Events.  As our work in the community deepens it becomes necessary to bring on exceptional talent to help communicate the value and impact of our work. Natalie brings a wealth of experience to our team, and we look forward to sharing even more of our important conservation, education, and outreach work through her effective storytelling and at events hosted by the Conservancy throughout the year.

The Wolf River Conservancy has ambitious goals for 2024.  We will begin construction on new phases of the Wolf River Greenway later this spring.  We will continue to make significant headway in protecting the most valuable wetlands in the Wolf River watershed, adding to the more than 20,000 acres protected to date.  And we will continue to provide high quality environmental education and recreational experiences to thousands of participants of all ages and backgrounds.  I look forward to sharing more details about our progress in the months ahead.  Thank you for your continued interest in and support of the Wolf River Conservancy.

Erik Houston

Executive Director