Stream Watch
Together with the Friends of New Hope and the New Hope Improvement Association, we invite you to participate in a long-time running community science effort called Stream Watch. Volunteers meet once a month at the bridge over New Hope Creek (just before the waters enter the boundary of the Duke Forest) on Old 86 south of Hillsborough to sample water and look for signs of water health or degradation.
Please contact John Kent with any questions: 919-933-5650; jnkent25@gmail.com
Butterfly Pollard Surveys
Love butterflies? Interested in our local butterfly populations and learning how to do surveys? Former Duke researcher and butterfly expert Jeff Pippen would be happy to work with 1-2 volunteers at a time on an ad hoc basis.
If you are interested in participating in Butterfly Pollard Surveys, please contact Jeff Pippen at jeffpippen9@gmail.com.
Duke Forest Bird Surveys
Another ongoing project with biologist Jeff Pippen, these surveys are conducted by volunteers who are interested in monitoring bird usage in the Duke Forest. Established in 2003, surveys are conducted along established survey routes (two in the Blackwood Division and two in the Korstian Division) on a seasonal basis:
- Winter ~ 1 Feb – 28 Feb
- Spring Migration ~20 April – 15 May
- Summer Breeding ~1 June – 15 June
- Fall Migration ~1 Sep – 30 Sep
Occasionally surveys are conducted outside of these time frames (e.g. as part of the local Christmas Bird Counts), and those data are included in the compiled RESULTS data files as well. Survey design is a modified line transect conducted in the style of the National Audubon Society’s “Christmas Bird Count” program, with participants walking an established route and recording all individual birds seen and heard, regardless of distance. Distances from transect to the encountered birds are not recorded. Routes are generally conducted first thing in the morning, and each route takes about 2-3 hours to complete.
If you are interested in participating on Duke Forest Bird surveys, please contact Jeff Pippen at jeffpippen9@gmail.com.