2023 is the Year of the Trail in North Carolina! This statewide campaign encourages every North Carolinian to get outside onto the trails, greenways, and blueways that stretch across the state. Hikers on Cabelands Trail On August 10th, 2021, the NC legislature passed HB 554, designating 2023 as the “North Carolina Year of the Trail.” […]
Mission, Vision, and Programs
[…] nonprofit driven by a mission to conserve and protect the natural, historical, and cultural resources of the Eno River Basin. Our vision is that the natural and human communities within the Eno River basin thrive and are resilient. The Eno River provides for the physical and spiritual health of all. The residents of the […]
Climate Change Statement
The science is clear: Our planet is facing the undeniable crisis of rapid, human-caused climate change. We have years, not decades, to address this existential threat. People, animals, and plants are already feeling the heat. Globally, we see the impacts of climate change — from intensifying storms, droughts, and heat waves to rising sea […]
A Peek into Neuse River Waterdog Research in the Eno!
[…] susceptible to such pollutants since they have permeable skin that takes in toxins from the water around them. It is undeniable that Durham is expanding and that human action will continue to impact our beautiful river, and human-caused climate change may be negatively impacting species like the Neuse River waterdog that rely on cooler […]
Eno River Association Website Redesign
Project Overview (Download RFP) The Eno River Association seeks a Web Designer with strong roots in the Triangle region to design a new website for the Eno River Association including: graphic design, coding, migration of existing content, beta testing, and launch of new site to the public. The project would begin in late Summer […]
A Q&A with Author Julie Thomson
Julie Thomson is a naturalist, certified environmental educator, writer, and lover of the Eno. She enjoys studying and sharing the natural and cultural history of North Carolina and currently resides in the Black Mountain area of the state. Below is an excerpt from an interview with Julie about her recent book, “Saving the Eno River: Margaret Nygard […]
Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve
[…] bounded on 3 sides by the Eno River as it flows eastward towards Falls Lake. Penny’s Bend supports rare plant species, a distinctive type of forest, and human sculpted open space. We hope you will visit and enjoy Penny’s Bend throughout the year. Geology The underlying rock creates the unique character of this preserve. […]
Accessible Activities
Paved or Accessible Trails Eno River State Park – Most trails within Eno River State Park are not recommended for those with limited mobility. However, accessible picnic shelters, restrooms, and short paved trails are available at the Fews Ford and Cole Mill Road entrances. Hillsborough Riverwalk – This paved, accessible, urban greenway stretches about 1.8 miles along […]
Donate
Photo by Fred Vaughn Thank You for Your Support! Did you know that Eno River State Park just celebrated its 50th Birthday? Thanks to supporters like you, the park now spans over 4,600 acres of protected natural beauty. We look forward to adding another 200 acres to the park, including the Historic Occoneechee Speedway and […]
73-Acre Historic Pope Farm Protected
In partnership with Orange County’s Lands Legacy Program, the NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (ADFP), and City of Raleigh’s Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative (UNCWI), the Association placed a “working lands” conservation easement on this Century Farm in Cedar Grove. The Captain John S. Pope Farm is owned by Robert and Gail Pope, […]
Panther Branch Natural Area
Address: 2437 Lebanon Road, Efland, NC 27243. Map it. Hours: Dawn to Dusk, 7 days a week Amenities and Attractions: 2+ miles of walking trails thru 56 acres of mature hardwood forests Picnic tables, Eno River vistas, and gravel parking area Note: No restrooms on site 3 miles from I-85 / I-40, easy to access […]
Not-So-Spooky Owls of the Eno
There is nothing quite like being outside in the dark on a chilly night, surrounded by nature, and hearing the call of a lone owl echoing through the trees. It might be a little eerie at first, but we believe it provides a feeling of enchantment and mystery that can’t be matched. Unfortunately, the mysterious […]
Walk the Eno with an Eye Towards Ferns
ENO Journal Volume 4, No. 1 -Ken Moore Spring 1976 Known for years for its profusion of colorful wildflowers, the Eno River is visited by both long-time nature lovers and new enthusiasts responding to the striking seasonal displays along the numerous well-walked river trails. The Eno’s variety of distinctive habitats, which accounts for the large […]
Happy 50th Birthday to Eno River State Park!
Check out our time lapse video, mapping the growth of the Eno River State Park over 50 years. It’s time to light the candles and sing happy birthday! This year, on August 22, Eno River State Park is celebrating the big 5-0. It’s a significant milestone in our journey to protect and conserve the natural, […]
Laurel Cliffs Trail
Winter Red-bellied woodpecker: The red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) is the most common winter woodpecker in North Carolina and is a year-round resident of the Eno! Look for this species on tree trunks where it uses its bill and tongue to extract insects from the bark! American beech: Unlike many other deciduous trees, the American beech […]
2023-2027 Strategic Plan
Established in 1966, the Eno River Association is an accredited land trust and conservation nonprofit driven by a mission to conserve and protect the natural, historical, and cultural resources of the Eno River Basin. Through a strategic planning process begun in 2021, the Eno River Association developed strategic priorities to guide and measure movement towards the […]
2023-27 Strategic Plan
Established in 1966, the Eno River Association is an accredited land trust and conservation nonprofit driven by a mission to conserve and protect the natural, historical, and cultural resources of the Eno River Basin. Through a strategic planning process begun in 2021, the Eno River Association developed strategic priorities to guide and measure movement towards the […]
SuperEno
Extended through February 14th! As an alternative to our cancelled New Year’s Day Hike for 2022, please join us for this self-guided hike program, designed to help you discover new places as you learn about the highest, deepest, longest, and oldest parts of the river. Completing challenges will make you eligible to win a FREE […]
The Eyewitness Accounts of the Eno and Related Indians
[…] the Indians who lived on the Eno. Fragmentary and scattered as these accounts are, they are lively glimpses into the past, displaying its daily dimensions and the human fears, prejudices, sympathies and separations that occurred at this extraordinary meeting of the Old World with the New. These six accounts give us some fixities: 1654: […]
How Eno River Association Contributes to Climate Resilience within the Eno River Watershed
[…] Neuse River basin.” Providing safe havens for plants and animals by identifying and conserving lands to improve climate resilience Most wildlife populations are already significantly impacted by human activity. Whether we’re talking about a salamander whose larvae are struggling to survive in a polluted waterway or a bird that has lost most of its […]
77 Acres Protected Along Little River
Seventy-seven acres of newly protected forestland will forever protect water quality and habitat along the North Fork Little River. The Eno River Association, working in partnership with a willing landowner, Orange County, the City of Raleigh, and the City of Durham, has placed a permanent conservation easement on the property located a mile upstream of […]
How We’re Advocating for the Eno
[…] only exacerbate the impacts on waterways and BIPOC communities who already disproportionately suffer from water pollution. Preserving wetlands is crucial to climate change mitigation, and to safeguarding human health. Wetlands serve as vital environmental buffers, particularly as flooding and erosion events increase. Wetlands ensure fewer pollutants enter our drinking water, and provide valuable habitats […]
Another Piece Added to the Park Puzzle
On December 30th, the Eno River Association acquired 6.4 acres of land for addition into the Eno River State Park. The property straddles the Durham – Orange county line off Sparger Road. The Association purchased the property from local landowner Curtis Crosby using funds donated to the Association’s Margaret C. Nygard Land Acquisition Fund. Many of […]
Reasons to Save Black Meadow Ridge at West Point on the Eno City Park
[…] activities of swimming, fishing, wading and canoeing in the clean Eno River, which is dependent on keeping environmental protections in place. If the wildlife habitat is preserved, human use is enhanced, because the water is clean and safe for such recreation. Should the river’s water quality be degraded, these activities cannot continue to be […]