The LandTrust for Central North Carolina is hosting a nature walk at the “Spencer Woods” property, on Saturday, Sept. 17, beginning at 10 a.m. Lisa Wear and Anne Ellis, science specialists from Horizons Unlimited in Salisbury, will lead the walk. Children will use a variety of sampling techniques to study the property’s biodiversity and learn about the importance of diverse communities.
There is no admission for this event; children and adults of all ages are invited to attend. Participants should wear long pants and shoes that can get muddy and/or wet.
Follow LandTrust signs to one-way parking on Rowan Avenue, headed south to north. Directions are below. The event will end at approximately noon.
The 40-acre “Spencer Woods” property, bounded by Salisbury Avenue, 17th Street, Rowan Avenue, and others, was slated to be clear-cut, graded flat, and re-planted in loblolly pine trees in 2010. The LandTrust entered into a purchase agreement with the landowner to acquire the property by the end of 2011 but needs to raise more than $100,000 to complete the transaction. The organization’s goal is to create a publicly accessible and natural park in honor of Fred and Alice Stanback, longtime conservation advocates in Rowan County and across North Carolina.
“As we raise funds to complete the acquisition of the Spencer Woods property, we want to highlight the many ways this unique urban forest will benefit the community as a public park,” notes Jason Walser, executive director of The LandTrust for Central North Carolina. “We are honored to have Lisa and Anne from the Horizons Unlimited in Salisbury leading us on biodiversity walk. I know our friends and supporters, and their children, will enjoy this hands-on nature experience at one of our community’s truly special places.”
For more information about this event, please call 704-647-0302 or send e-mail to landtrust@landtrustcnc.org.
To reach the “Spencer Woods” property, turn north onto 17th Street from North Main Street in Salisbury. At the first intersection turn right/north onto South Rowan Avenue and follow the LandTrust signs to one-way parking along the street. Participants who approach the property on Rowan Avenue from Spencer, heading south, will be asked to continue to the end of the road and turn around so they can park in a northward facing direction in order to insure an open traffic lane along Rowan Avenue.