Orange County Creek Week

Orange County's Annual Creek Week is March 17-26, 2023.

Orange County Creek Week celebrates the streams, lakes, and rivers that connect our human and non-human communities. It's a weeklong series of activities like a litter cleanup challenge, DIY Stormwater Runoff 5K, community science BioThon, invasive plant removal, green infrastructure tours, and more! Contact Heather Holley at 919-918-7426 or HHolley@CarrboroNC.gov if you want for more information or if you have an event you would like to include.

Visit the Orange County Creek Week website for more details on activities and resources from all the participating partners.

All the Orange County Creek Week activities are open to everyone. The Carrboro Stormwater Division Staff is hosting the following activities:

Weeklong Activities

Social Media

Follow Carrboro Stormwater on Instagram (@townofcarrborostormwater) to see postings from Heather Holley as she is out and about all week exploring Carrboro Waterways and sharing all things creek! Follow the Orange County Creek Week tag (#occreekweek) and tag us!

Orange Co NC Creek Week BioThon

Discover how water connects us by documenting plant and animal species in you community as part of a county wide citizen science project. During Creek Week observations logged into iNaturalist will become part of the Creek Week BioThon. iNaturalist is an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature. Data collected will help researchers, conservation organizations, or other people interested in this data.

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/orange-county-nc-creek-week-biothon-2023

Orange Co NC Creek Week Virtual Clean-up

Litter in a stream does not always start at the streambank, but it will end up there. If it is on the ground, chances are that it will end up in our local streams and creeks. By cleaning up trash around your neighborhood or business, you are helping protect our local waterways from pollution.

Orange County Creek Week invites you to host your own litter clean-up for a chance to be recognized via social media and win prizes. Winners will be selected based on the following criteria:

1. The largest group

2. The weirdest find

3. The most litter picked up in poundage

4. The most litter picked up by volume (measured in total # of bags)

We will recognize all winners via social media. Winners will also have the option of picking up a certificate and prize at the Town of Chapel Hill’s Stormwater office.

Sounds fun, so how do I participate?

1. Read the “Stay Safe” Tips

2. Gather your group. Ensure your group reads the “Stay Safe” Tips.

3. Pick a location, or, if you don’t have one in mind, reach out to Heather Holley at HHolley@CarrboroNC.gov for suggestions.

4. Gather your materials:

You will need gloves or trash grabbers, bags, and safety vests if you’re hosting a roadside clean-up. Contact Heather Holley at HHolley@CarrboroNC.gov if you need help acquiring materials.

5. Pick up litter!

6. Take pictures!

7. VERY IMPORTANT: Fill out this data sheet for a chance to win!

https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/9d06e367fc52464e924614a02f1233e5

8. Post pictures of your clean-up and tag us on social media @Townofcarrborostormwater @chapelhillgov @carrborotowngov @hillsboroughnc @orangecountync @unc_ehs @sustainable_unc or use the hashtag #occreekweek

Carrboro Creek Cache

Join Carrboro in celebrating Orange County Creek Week with geocaching! Caches will be hidden on Town-owned properties highlighting nearby creeks and other stormwater explorations. Find them all and you will be entered into a drawing for a Watershed Explorers Kit. A children's and adult's kit will be given away.

Visit https://townofcarrboro.org/2761/Carrboro-Creek-Cache for more information or email Heather Holley at 919-918-7426 or HHolley@CarrboroNC.gov.

DIY 5K Runoff

~~More information coming soon!~~ Cancelled

Waterway Roving with the Stormwater Specialist

Stormwater Specialist Heather Holley will be roving around Carrboro during Creek Week to highlight the unique and wonderful waterways of our Town. Follow us on Instagram for live steam and posts. Got a burning question about watersheds or stormwater? Message, DM, post, email, or stop by in person to ask you questions! Check back for specific times. Contact Heather Holley at 919-918-7426 or HHolley@CarrboroNC.gov for more information.

Send your questions via:

Instagram: @townofcarrborostormwater
Email: HHolley@CarrboroNC.gov
Text: 919-548-9412

Roving Locations:

Mon, March 20th: Westwood Cemetery, Wilson Park, Addams Tract
Tue, March 21st: Frances Shetley Pathway
Wed, March 22nd: Roberson Place Pathway, Libba Cotten Pathway
Thu, March 23rd: Anderson Park
Fri, March 24th: Dr. MLK Jr Park

March 17th 5:30-7:00 pm Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

Teen Science Cafe: "Canaries of the Creek: Bioindicators of Water Quality"

Do you like scavenger hunts? How can you tell if creek water is clean and healthy. Join environmental educators Heather Holley (Carrboro Stormwater) and Sammy Bauer (Chapel Hill Stormwater) at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for a walk through the science of looking for certain kinds of stream bugs (aquatic macroinvertebrates) that need clean, unpolluted water to survive. What will you find as you dig through real-world data in local creeks and streams.

Visit https://moreheadplanetarium.org/calendar/teen-science-cafe-canaries-of-the-creek-bioindicators-water-quality/ for more information.

March 18th 11:00am-2:00pm Anderson Park

Creek Cache Kickoff

Carrboro Creek Cache Event—For all ages! Join Carrboro in celebrating Orange County Creek Week with geocaching! Caches will be hidden on Town-owned properties highlighting nearby creeks and other stormwater explorations. Find them all and you will be entered into a drawing for a Watershed Explorers Kit. A children's and adult's kit will be given away.

Stop by our table to find out about this fun event and how you can participate during Creek Week.

Visit https://townofcarrboro.org/2761/Carrboro-Creek-Cache for more information or email Heather Holley at 919-918-7426 or HHolley@CarrboroNC.gov.

March 18th 1pm-4pm Roberson Place Pathway Carrboro, NC

3rd Annual Joint Creek Clean-up Event

Join staff from Chapel Hill Stormwater Division and Carrboro Stormwater Division in celebrating our local waterways by helping clean up a major tributary of Morgan Creek. For more information and to sign up to participate: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/7898fcb236ef44d8a086fac32f955e6c.

March 20th Westwood Cemetery

Public Works Staff Clean-up Event

Public Works Streets and Grounds and Stormwater Divisions will join forces to clean up the creek and riparian zones located at Westwood Cemetery. (Rain date: March 21st). For more information contact Heather Holley at 919-918-7426 or HHolley@CarrboroNC.gov.

March 25th 10am-Noon

Kids Buffer Ball Activity

Join Town staff for this fun, kid friendly hands on activity at Martin Luther King Jr Park on March 25th. Kids will learn about wetlands and vegetative water quality buffers while making seed balls with wetland buffer seed mixes. We will be launching the Buffer Balls into the wetland buffer in the park to help add diversity and habitat to the parks natural wetland.This activity is free and RSVP only, space is limited to 20 kids, so please sign up early. Parents must be present. Suitable for Kindergarten through 5th grade age group. To sign up use this form or contact Heather Holley at hholley@CarrboroNC.gov or 919-918-7426.

Did you attend an event? Tell us how we did!

Please take a moment to fill out this quick survey to tell us about your experience and to give any suggestions you may have for future events. Your feedback helps us develop activities and events that are fun and informative.

https://www.carrboronc.gov/FormCenter/Public-Works-Department-23/Creek-Week-Feedback-Survey-220