Welcome!

Thanks for stopping by the Eno River Watershed Exploration. I am a graduate student at Virginia Tech who recently moved to Chapel Hill, NC with my wife from Jersey City, NJ. As I get more acquainted with our new home I'll be taking a deep dive into the Eno River Watershed. This blog is a project for class, but also a way for me to organize and share my discoveries of the natural history and composition of our local ecosystems. I've provided links to local parks and eBird hotspots as a way to connect directly with nature (I'll expand this sections as I become more familiar with the area!) Feel free to comment and ask questions about the area, I'll do my best to answer them.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Next Steps

Our class Virginia Tech Class has come to an end this fall, however, this experience blogging and creating information has been great for me to organize my thoughts and to better get to know my new environment. I fully intended to keep this site going as I continue my exploration of the Eno River Watershed and Greater Triangle independently from class. In the coming months I'm looking to start some plant ID classes at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens so be on the lookout for more dendrology posts as well as information about animals of the Eno River. Let me know if you have any topics that you'd like to see covered on this site, or any questions that I can answer! Happy Holidays! - Thomas

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Today we're looking at the flood plain of the Eno River! Flood plains are areas that expectantly flood throughout the year, often with few negative ramifications. These periodic floods are important for soil development, and are one of the reasons why the soil of the Piedmont is so successful for agriculture! The below presentation takes a look at the scope of the Eno Watershed, the effects on soil creation, and the potential risks for Durham, NC in a 100 year flood scenario. The information was generated using FEMA Flood Mapping and the USDA's Soil Survey results. These are both free resources I encourage you to look at in order to get a better idea of the geologic make along the Eno River! I created the maps in ArcGIS Online, and I'm working on having an interactive map that I can post here as soon as I can get some more of the soil information uploaded. As always, please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Hi all, This week our class is taking a look at the issue of invasive species. This topic is one of my primary interests in conservation and I've already talked about it some on this blog with the look at the issue of Hydrilla. I've created a power point on four additional invasive species that can be found in our area, and that a watchful eye should be kept out for. If these plants are seen, you can contact your local extension agent, or find more resources at the NC Invasive Plant Council. Let me know if you have any thoughts or questions.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

This week we're taking our class has been looking at some of the tools that can be used to help with watershed management. I've chosen to take a deeper dive into a more macro style kind of tool: Riparian Buffers. These are incredibly important vegetative zones along waterways that can be the difference between healthy aquatic ecosystems or not. All it takes to install a buffer is a bit of planning and installation of plants, and they are a tangible way that property owners along the Eno can make a difference. I've provided some background information in the following presentation, as well as some resources for buffer design and locations to find native plants (which are better suited for wildlife and erosion control). Take a look:

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The weather is getting cooler, and the rain is finally back! That means that fall is here again. Its my favorite time of year, and a great time for exploring. I have two different posts that I want to share pertaining to some of the wildlife that we can see in the Eno River Watershed this time of the year: I have the good fortune of working at a small farm property that serves as an outdoor lab for students at a private school in Durham. A few days ago I saw my first Pied Billed Grebe of the season, which is what got me thinking about the first presentation here. I've put together a slide show of some of the most common bird species that will be calling this area home for the winter. Not all of them are here yet, but all of them are on their way and will stay until next spring. These slides have some fun facts and helpful ID hints. Please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions!





The second of these two presentations is part 1 of a dendrology (Woody Plant ID) project I've been working on for my Masters. The following are 8 common trees of the Eno River Watershed, and how best to identify them. I'll be posting an additional 10 trees shortly, let me know if there are any species that you're curious about!





Cheers, Thomas

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Current drought conditions in Durham County

The Department of Environmental Quality has recently declared a moderate drought in Durham County due to the extremely dry conditions over the last few weeks. The National Weather Service isn't predicting any new precipitation for the next week, so I thought I would take a look at the changes in water flow on the Eno:

Hydrilla on the Eno River

The below is a quick rundown and update on the state of Hydrilla (an invasive aquatic plant) in the Eno River. The plant has been an issue in Orange County since the 1990's. This summer saw the Eno River Hydrilla Management Task Force releasing small batches of Fluridone in order to control the plant.