Volunteer

Join our community of volunteers who help make a difference in the Lower Haw River State Natural Area!  We have a variety of opportunities and flexible time commitments.  Contact lowerhawevents@gmail.com and let us know your interests.
Current volunteer opportunities include:
Invasive Plant Species Workdays
Birdhouses and Wildlife Cams Monitoring
Trash Can Litter Reduction Team
Clean-Up Events 

Invasive Species Removal Workdays

Friends of Lower Haw is planning invasive plant species workdays led by State Parks biologists.  Our first morning workday was held on June 29th in the Bynum Mill section of the Lower Haw River State Natural Area.  We plan to schedule additional workdays throughout the year.  Our next one will be in August or September.  Learn about invasive plant species and removal techniques.  All tools will be provided.  Bring work gloves.  Wear long pants, long sleeve shirt, and sturdy shoes.  Bring insect repellent and water.  Contact lowerhawevents@gmail.com with "Invasives" in the subject line to sign up for our Whack-Attack Team.


Birdhouses and Wildlife Cams Monitoring

Looking for a fun way to volunteer this spring and summer?  Friends of Lower Haw is recruiting volunteers for our new birdhouse and wildlife camera project in the Lower Haw River State Natural Area!  The birdhouses and wildlife cams were funded by a generous donation from bePhilARThropy's 2018 Bynum Bridge Fest.
Friends of Lower Haw and New Hope Audubon are partnering on a bird nest box project around the Lower Haw River State Natural Area. We have installed 14 nest boxes intended to accommodate a variety of bird species. These boxes can be found in 4 general areas, described further below. We are ready to start monitoring them for nesting activity, but we need your help beginning this March!  The idea is that each volunteer will check nest boxes in a given area roughly once a week, and then report the results. We would like to begin with coverage of all the boxes from March through June.


We have also installed 2 wildlife cameras to capture the action, which will also require volunteer monitors.  The wildlife cameras will be monitored year-round, downloading the images every month.


Please let us know if you are interested in signing up as either a birdhouse monitor, or a wildlife cam monitor, or both!  Contact lowerhawevents@gmail.com if you want to volunteer. 
Nest box locations (see map):

  1. Bynum Mill (the field where Bynum Mill once stood, on the NE side of the river) has 5 bluebird boxes
  2. Bynum Trail (down the trail accessible from the Bynum Mill parking lot, on the NE side of river) has 2 prothonotary warbler boxes
  3. SW Bynum (downstream from Bynum Beach Road on the SW side of the river, adjacent to Chatham Parks land) has 1 wood duck box, 1 bluebird box
  4. Bynum Dam (just north of the Bynum Dam on the NE side of river, accessible from 15-501) has 1 brown-headed nuthatch box, 2 prothonotary warbler boxes, 1 wood duck box
Trash Can Litter Reduction Team

We initiated an ongoing project to help with the trash problem along the riverbank. We installed trash cans at popular access points at the Haw River, and volunteers empty the bins on a regular basis, since State Parks does not have the staffing resources to do it. Locations include US 15-501 near the Bynum Dam, next to the old Bynum Bridge, the Bynum Mill lower parking lot, and US 64 on the SE side. We augment annual clean-up efforts by tackling the trash problem on an ongoing basis. Litter is not only an eyesore that detracts from the beauty of this state natural area, it also harms wildlife, their habitats, and water quality.  This project has been successful in reducing the amount of litter from recreational use at popular access points!  Join us in helping to keep the Lower Haw River State Natural Area beautiful. Volunteers sign up on a monthly basis for locations and months of their choice.  Contact lowerhawevents@gmail.com if you want to volunteer to help tackle the trash problem. 


Clean-Up Events
Friends of Lower Haw coordinates volunteer clean-up teams during spring, fall, and winter. We will post dates of future clean-up events on this page.  If you are interested in volunteering for a clean-up event, please contact lowerhawevents@gmail.com with "Clean-Up" in the subject line.