Events
Battle Park, January 2005
On January 8th, a group of volunteers ...
... including NCNPS members ...
... went with Stephen Keith, Natural Areas Curator from the NC Botanical Garden (NCBG) to move native plants threatened by new trails in Battle Park
Battle Park is a large tract of woods (93 acres) behind Forest Theater, on the UNC-CH campus. It is a steep sloped valley with a rocky stream running through the middle. The site belongs to the University, which recently transferred management responsibilities for the property to the NCBG.
Peter White, NCBG director, has described the site as a "landscape of continuity" - influenced by human activities but never completely changed from Piedmont woodland. It is a wonderfully rich, diverse and surprisingly undisturbed woodland so close to the center of Chapel Hill with mature white oak/hickory, etc. forest on the ridge tops, transitioning to beeches, sugar maples, tulip poplars, etc. with witch hazel, styrax, etc. on steep slopes and overhanging the creek.
As part of the transfer of management, the University is working with the Botanical Garden to restore the main trails through the park (as unpaved pedestrian trails). Several portions of trail will be relocated off steep slopes or rocky stream overflow areas to create a more sustainable and comfortable trail surface. Hence the need for plant relocation - there are few places where new trail can be built without displacing plants worth saving.
Small plants are the easiest to move, so the new route is designed to protect the trees and Botanical Garden volunteers are trying to move the small plants.
For more info about Battle Park and up coming volunteer work days, contact Stephen Keith at the Botanical Garden.
back to top
back to Picture Albums
