Honoring Assistant Park Manager Colleen Bockhahn

Thank you Colleen for 16 years of outstanding service as Assistant Park Manager of Environmental Education at Lake Crabtree County Park. Good luck on your next adventure, we are going to miss you!

Holiday Closures

Lake Crabtree County Park and it's trails will be closed on Saturday and Sunday, December 24th-25th as we observe the Christmas holiday. We will also be closed on Sunday, January 1st for New Year's Day.

Happy Trails: Christmas Tree Recycling

Don't know what to do with your tree once the holidays are over? Give it new life by recycling your Christmas tree into mulch trails at Wake County Parks. Drop off your undecorated holiday trees at designated locations from Dec. 26, 2022, until Jan. 22, 2023. Note that all facilities will be closed for New Year's Day on Sunday, Jan. 1. Learn more HERE!

Crabtree Nature Crafts



Next time you bring the kids out to the park to enjoy the playgrounds, trails, or other facilities, be sure to stop by the Manager's Office for a free craft! Look for signs posted at the restrooms and playgrounds indicating that the craft is available that day (generally Mondays through Thursdays from 10 am to noon). 

Each month we will feature a different craft and theme. This month's feature is opossums! Stop by to make your very own opossum themed craft. 

Join Project FeederWatch

This winter you can be a citizen scientist from inside your house! From November through April you can submit records of bird activity around your home and contribute to a continental data-set of bird distribution and abundance. If you are interested in joining in on the backyard birding fun click THIS LINK to go to the Project Feederwatch home page.

UPCOMING PARK PROGRAMS 

Come out to Lake Crabtree and discover more about the natural world while exploring the park. Click the links (program titles) for more details and to register. Spaces are limited to allow for social distancing at in-person programs, so register today. For a full listing of all programs visit our website.

All public programs are FREE!

Lake Crabtree also offers group programs! If your group is interested in booking a program, contact Charlie McClay at charles.mcclay@wakegov.com.

In-Person Programs for Everyone

Birding with Vernon

Saturday, December 3rd from 8:30-10 am

Join our bird enthusiast, Vernon, for an easy walk while looking and listening for our feathered friends. Discover different types of birds and their habitats.

Bring your own binoculars and field guides if you have them. Beginners and experienced birdwatchers are welcome! Ages 8 and up. 

Winter Birding: Waterfowl and More!

Monday, December 12th from 9-11 am

Join park staff in search of winter waterfowl and other birds around the park. Learn how to identify some of our common winter species, along with year-round residents.



Bring binoculars and spotting scopes if you have them. A field guide or ID app will be helpful as well. We will have binoculars to borrow and at least one scope to share. Ages 8 and up. 

Winter Tree Walk

Saturday, December 17th from 1-2:30 pm

Winter is a bleak time of year for most plants, with most of our local plants going dormant. This can mean losing their green leaves, or disappearing altogether. Come take a walk with park staff as we learn about some evergreen plants that are still brightening up the landscape and try to identify some trees that have lost their leaves for the winter.

All minors must be accompanied by registered adults and all participants must be registered.

Ages 8 and up.

Afternoon Orienteering

Sunday, December 18th from 1-4 pm

Come get your bearings at Lake Crabtree County Park. We will give an introduction to orienteering, including using compasses, reading bearings, and calculating your strides, then go out together to explore our orienteering course! Ages 8 and up.

WILD SIDE: Winter Trees

As Ned Stark famously said “winter is coming.” The days are getting shorter, colder, and if you look around you will notice the natural world is changing too. 

Trees leaves are changing and falling to the ground as a way of preparing for the winter season. During summer, leaves are used to produce food for trees through the process of photosynthesis by converting sunlight and Carbon Dioxide into glucose. This is the main function of leaves and they are green in color because chlorophyll absorbs the red end of the visible light spectrum and the other end (the green end) is reflected. In fall and winter as night length increases, this chlorophyll production slows down and eventually stops. Other chemicals then are “unmasked” and show their colors. Then the trees will start dropping their leaves since it takes a lot of energy to maintain them. With less energy going into maintaining their leaves, trees are able to slow their growth and metabolism, too. We call this period dormancy. 

It is still possible to figure out what type of tree it is even without their distinct leaves. In winter we turn to things like branches, bark, twigs, and buds to help identify trees. If you want to practice your identification skills and learn some of the trees you can spot this winer you should join us for the Winter Tree Walk program on Saturday, December 17th from 1-2:30 pm. We hope to see you there!