Durham County, N.C. - The Durham County Open Space Program will host a volunteer workday at the New Hope Creek Bottomlands Trail on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, from 9 a.m. to noon. Participants will use various hand tools to remove privet, an invasive woody shrub, along and near the trail.

Those who sign up to volunteer will meet at the New Hope Creek Bottomlands Trail, located at Old Chapel Hill Road Park, 3791 Southwest Durham Drive. This opportunity is for volunteers ages 6 and up. Please note that participants under 14 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

This event is part of the Open Space Program's mission to conserve ecosystems throughout Durham County, but it is also part of a much broader effort to manage the threat that invasive species pose on a global scale. A recent report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) found that invasive species are a key factor in the planet's ongoing biodiversity crisis and have been implicated in 60 percent of recorded extinctions. By participating in this upcoming workday, volunteers can help protect the remarkable diversity of life on Earth.

Residents and groups interested in volunteering should sign up using the following link: https://x.gldn.io/e/OiFgKnDgBDb.

Contact Open Space Specialist David Bradley for more information about the New Hope Creek Bottomlands Cleanup. Contact him by calling 919-943-3997 or emailing dabradley@dconc.gov. Visit the Open Space Program website here.