NC Sierra Club Foothills Group outings leader Henry Fansler will lead a fun and informative creek crawl along Bethania’s Black Walnut Bottom Trail, where creeks feed into Muddy Creek. We will be joined by Ken Bridle of the Piedmont Land Conservancy, whose group helped to preserve Walnut Bottoms.
We will meet at the picnic tables beside the Bethania visitor center for an overview of the creeks of Wachovia. We will then hike the Black Walnut Bottom Trail and see what makes a healthy creek, explore the area bordering the creek, and consider why the Moravians made their second settlement here.
Along the hike, we will search a creek for macro-invertebrates whose presence will tell us about the water quality. In water quality, “buggy is better.” Anyone wishing to join in this activity must have boots or water footwear and expect wet and muddy conditions. Towels and spare socks and shoes are recommended. The trail is 1.4 miles in length and rated easy by the Foothills Group.
More details of the area can be found at http://townofbethania.org/trails/black-walnut-bottom-trail/.
Register by sending an email to Henry Fansler at henryfansler@windstream.net or call 336-473-0283. Note that the Sierra Club requires all outing participants to sign a standard waiver. Participants under 18 must be with a parent or guardian.
Meet in the parking lot for the Bethania Visitors Center, 5393 Ham Horton Lane (near the intersection of Bethania Road and Main Street).