Overview

A major focus of the Prairie Ridge project is to provide a field station in the Triangle area for all North Carolinians, teachers and their students to learn about sustainable living and to experience the natural world. The integration of the environmentally friendly building design with a wildlife friendly landscape makes Prairie Ridge the ideal setting for visitors, students, educators and researchers alike.

Exotic Treefrog Discovered

On Thursday, August 14, 2008 a Cuban Treefrog was found for the first time at Prairie Ridge Ecostation.  The large treefrog is an exotic invasive species that will eat native treefrogs.  You can help us track the possible spread of this tropical treefrog.

Nests Online

Bird nesting at Prairie Ridge is now available online.  Through a partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology we are able to provide images of birds nesting at one of several locations at Prairie Ridge.  Anyone with internet access can now enjoy the wonders of observing bird nests by visiting our online nest camera.

New Nature Neighborhood Garden

We are happy to announce the opening of the new Nature Neighborhood demonstration garden at Prairie Ridge Ecostation.  A dedication ceremony on the morning of Tuesday, May 6 marked the official opening of the garden.  A few of the many features include an innovative pavilion with a green roof, a rain garden, rain barrels, bog gardens, plantings for wildlife, and an above ground pond.  Many volunteers were involved including interns David Cole and Will Lambeth from the office of Frank Harmon Architect; landscape architects Judy Harmon and Amy Macintosh; and the fabulous Prairie Ridge garden volunteers.

Prairie Ridge in the News

Prairie Ridge's own Citizen Science Investigators were featured in the News and Observer for their recent role in banding birds. The Citizen Science Investigators is a club that meets once a week for eight weeks and focuses on exposing students to potential careers in science. In addition to the article, the newspaper has produced an audio slide show. Find out how you can become involved in our programs and events.

Paper Wasp Research to begin at Prairie Ridge

Prairie Ridge is now home to forty new nest boxes for Paper Wasps Polistes metricus. These boxes are part of a research project studying the evolution of social behavior by Dr. James H. Hunt of North Carolina State University. The nest boxes have been placed in non-public areas at Prairie Ridge. Find out more about this exciting project.

Spend your weekends with us!

In addition to our weekday hours we are now open to the public from noon until 4:30 p.m. on the weekends. Be sure to visit us on Saturdays and Sundays in addition to our normal weekday hours.