Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve Travis Crane

I visited the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, which is right down the street in Cary.  The preserve encompasses an area of 140 acres and contains more than 3 miles of hiking trails.  The preserve has a visitor center called Stevens Nature Center where visitors can go to get more information about the history of the area, and information about the plants and animals that live there.  Many different types of animals can be found here ranging from small animals such as squirrels and small birds to larger ones such as owls, deer and foxes.

The purpose of this place is to protect and preserve the native Eastern Hemlock trees.  These are normally found in mountain areas, but they were somehow able to make their home on the steep bluffs.  I talked to one of the women who worked there for a good 30 minutes about how unique it is for these trees to grow in an area so far away from the mountains.  She also told me that these trees have lived in this area since the ice age. 

They also have programs in which volunteers can come out on weekends and help to remove some of the invasive plants that are killing off native species.  Species of vines are wrapping up and killing the Hemlock trees which are dramatically reducing their numbers.  Some of the native flowers and other plants are also in endanger because of there invaders.