by Crystal Cockman

April 4, 2017

The LandTrust will host our 5th annual Uwharrie Naturalist Weekend on May 13th this year. The Naturalist Weekend is a one of a kind event in the Uwharries. It is a day of nature exploration and showcases the 1,300-acre Low Water Bridge Preserve on the Uwharrie River in Montgomery County.

John Gerwin, ornithologist at the North Carolina Museum of Sciences in Raleigh, will lead a morning hike, pointing out unique bird species by sight and sound along the way. Neotropical migrant songbirds will be abundant at this time of year, and the hike will also feature discussions about native plants, reptiles, amphibians, and other species found along the way. The hike will begin at 9:00am.

We will also have a paddle down the Uwharrie River during the morning, starting at 11:00am. The event is free if you bring your own boat. If you would like to use one of our boats, the fee is $35.

Paddlers will enjoy the cool water of the river and the unique wildlife that can be found along the 7-mile stretch of river from Low Water Bridge down to the Hwy 109 take out. There will be shuttles from the take out to the put in. If you can help with the shuttle, please email Crystal at crystal@landtrustcnc.org.

The approximate address for the Low Water Bridge Preserve is 860 Low Water Bridge Rd, Troy, NC 27371. Hike will begin at 9AM. The paddle trip will begin at 11AM. Please bring a lunch! We will be on the water approximately 3.5 hours. We hope you can join us! Participation is limited to the first 50 people for both events. Please only sign up if you plan to attend, so as not to prevent others from joining. The hike will finish in time for you to join the paddle trip.

For those  who want to meet earlier, John will be at the property at 7:30am. He will also stick around for the afternoon and may go to another site should folks be interested.

You can register online for the event at tinyurl.com/unweekend, or you can contact Crystal at crystal@landtrustcnc.org or 704-647-0302.