Written by: Maggie Heraty, Forest Restoration Intern
This summer, I served as a Forest Restoration Intern at the Duke Forest, leveraging funds from the New Hope Creek Teaching and Research Fund, established last year through a generous gift from Tim and Lori Rowe. Previously, I was the Duke Forest’s Senior Program Coordinator. During my time with the Forest team, my passion for environmental conservation grew, and in 2025 I decided to return to school to strengthen my skills in ecology and land management. I’m now a graduate student in NC State University’s Master of Natural Resources program, focusing specifically on Ecological Restoration. When it came time to choose a master’s project for my degree, it was a no-brainer to contact the Duke Forest and ask if I could study the New Hope Creek Restoration Projects. Executive Director Sara Childs and the rest of the Duke Forest team welcomed me back this summer for an internship.
My task as a Forest Restoration Intern involved conducting “post-restoration” monitoring at the two sites targeted during the New Hope Creek Restoration Projects: the Concrete Bridge (CB) and the Billy Erwin Dam (BED). Over time, the data from these monitoring efforts will allow the Duke Forest to observe changes in New Hope Creek and determine if the creek is reaching a new, healthier equilibrium due to the restoration efforts. This summer, I read through the research literature and monitoring protocols that the Duke Forest collected in 2025 (“pre-restoration”) and replicated a series of monitoring surveys to collect the first round of “post-restoration” data:
Figure 1. Maggie (me!) conducting a stream cross-section survey in an area next to the new Concrete Bridge.
Stream Cross-Sections: This survey method uses a level measuring tape and graduated pole to measure the depth of the streambed. From these measurements, a graph can be created that shows a “slice” (or cross-section) of the stream and the shape of the streambed from the left bank to the right bank. By taking these measurements from year to year, we can observe how erosion and deposition are changing the shape of the streambed.
Figure 2. I was joined by Assistant Director of Engagement Tyler Gibson and Duke Forest Management Intern Lige Nie to survey a transect upstream of the Concrete Bridge. This serves as a “reference site” or “control” for the restoration project, a site that remains unimpacted by the construction footprint or by any water flow originating near the bridge.
Sediment Surveys: At each transect, we measure the depth of fine sediment in the creek. This provides data on the “micro” texture of the creek and on how fine particles move along the streambed over time. This is especially important after stream barrier removal to monitor the impact of a possible “pulse” of sediment released after removing the barrier.
Figure 3. Maggie conducting a pebble count survey downstream of the Concrete Bridge.
Pebble Count Surveys: Pebble count surveys are a standardized method used by hydrologists and geologists to assess the “macro” texture of a streambed. By randomly sampling 100 rocks at each transect annually, we can evaluate the distribution of large particles in the creek and get a sense of how the water’s force has changed after the removal of the in-stream barriers. Additionally, we can assess the habitat conditions for aquatic organisms, which often use pebbles and rocks for shelter.
Figure 5. Senior Program Coordinator Erin Hecht and I joined a crew of Master Naturalist volunteers surveying aquatic macroinvertebrates—the larval stage of insects such as mayflies and dragonflies—in New Hope Creek.
Macroinvertebrate Surveys: These surveys are conducted monthly, alternating between the Concrete Bridge and the Billy Erwin Dam sites. In addition to assisting with data collection, I created an updated data entry system for the volunteers. This update will help the volunteers submit their data to the Duke Forest more easily. It also ensures that the data are recorded in a streamlined, easy-to-use format for future research studies.
I snapped a series of images at photopoint sites established by the Duke Forest in 2025. These photos are an incredibly effective tool for seeing changes in the geomorphology of New Hope Creek over time. By taking photos at the same location on a regular basis, we can observe shifts in the shape of the creek and the impacts on the surrounding riparian vegetation.
Figure 6. During one of our surveys in a downstream stretch of New Hope Creek, three minks crossed our transects—about 10 feet from where I was standing—one right after the other. In this photo, you can see a mink crossing right under the measuring tape!
Recently, our staff and recreational visitors have reported sightings of minks at the new Concrete Bridge. Dr. Nicolette Cagle, a professor at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of Duke Forest’s Advisory Committee, studies wildlife and told us that she was unaware that minks were living in the area. She is now adding minks to the list of species that she teaches in her Wildlife Surveys course. These were truly special animal sightings!
Finally, in addition to New Hope Creek monitoring, I spent a small portion of my time in the Duke Forest on special projects. One project involved a different, but equally important, phase of the restoration process: initiation. Under the guidance of Executive Director Sara Childs, I conducted a literature review of studies on roadways that amphibians and reptiles—collectively known as herpetofauna, or herps, for short—cross to reach breeding sites. Herps are abundant in the Duke Forest, which provides habitat for these sensitive animals in an otherwise developed urban and suburban landscapes. However, roadways that cut through sections of the Duke Forest are a threat to these animals. In the coming years, the Duke Forest is interested in studying a known road-crossing hotspot for breeding salamanders. As a starting point for this project, I created an annotated bibliography of existing projects across the United States that have monitored or restored herp road-crossing hotspots. This was a unique way for me to gain direct exposure to ecological restoration through multiple phases of the restoration process—the monitoring and evaluation phases of New Hope Creek and the initiation phase for herp road crossings.
This summer internship has truly been an unforgettable experience. Not only did I engage in hands-on fieldwork along beautiful New Hope Creek, but I also gained direct guidance from the Forest’s expert staff and developed valuable skills that will feed into my future career in land stewardship. This experience would not have been possible without Tim and Lori Rowe’s generous donation to the Duke Forest to create the New Hope Creek Teaching and Research Fund. Thank you so very much, Tim and Lori!