Duke University ecologist Curt Richardson led some local elected officials and conservationists on a field trip the other day. They got some surprises.
The fieldtrippers visited the headwaters of a stream that rises, in a nigh-natural state, at the Stagville historic site and wends its way to the Flat River, thence to Lake Michie and Falls Lake.
It's a case of what a piedmont creek ought to look, feel and smell like, Richardson said: enclosed by a forest of hardwood trees, which haven't always been appreciated for their water-retaining powers (play audio below):
It was also a case of an endangered species of water source (play audio below):
Read more about the field trip, and why Richardson's opinions matter, in this Saturday's Durham News.
Audios:
Richardson on pines
Richardson on headwaters
