Press Releases

In honor of Earth Day on April 22, N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources sites have some great events planned throughout April. First held on April 22, 1970, Earth Day was established to demonstrate support for environmental protection and to encourage people to learn more about pollution, climate change, endangered species, and other environmental issues. Earth Day now includes a wide range of globally coordinated events, including many in North Carolina.

Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site is excited to announce the return of its nature-themed event, “Bentonville in Bloom.” The event will showcase the natural resources and wildlife that call Bentonville home. As battlefield preservation has grown to over 2,000 acres, the wildlife communities found within those acres have also been conserved. “Bentonville in Bloom,” will provide visitors with a chance to learn more about the ecosystem from experts on the flora and fauna of eastern North Carolina.

The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation will now offer two boat cleaning stations at Lake Waccamaw State Park in Columbus County to hinder the spread of hydrilla and other highly invasive aquatic species. The stations are the first of their kind in North Carolina and became operational this month.

State officials have signed an agreement with Weyerhaeuser that protects more than 1,600 acres of environmentally rich land across eastern North Carolina. The properties will be added to the N.C. Registry of Natural Heritage Areas. The largest private landowner in North Carolina, Weyerhaeuser has agreed to voluntarily set aside eight tracts of land in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain for the conservation of rare species and high-quality natural communities, such as Tidal Swamps and Bottomland Hardwood Forests.

The State Library and State Archives of North Carolina will host “North Carolina Trivia Night,” Wednesday, March 29, 7-9 p.m.   Think you’re an expert on North Carolina history, geography, and culture? Here's your chance to show off your skills! Players can participate — as individuals or in teams — at the Raleigh Times Bar (2nd floor), 14 E. Hargett St., Raleigh. We will present fascinating trivia about the Old North State. Bragging rights are on the line in this Carolina contest of wits! We look forward to seeing you there.  

Historic Halifax State Historic Site will host the annual Halifax Resolves Day event on Wednesday, April 12 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., to commemorate the 247th anniversary of the adoption of the Halifax Resolves. The day’s activities are free and open to the public.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced today that Denise Young has been named the next director of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Young is currently the executive director of the Bell Museum in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the state’s official natural history museum and planetarium. She replaces Eric Dorfman, who left the museum in December; Young will join the museum in June.

In October 1772, Philip Alston purchased 4,000 acres of land on the bend of the Deep River. Not long after the purchase, he had a large two-story wood frame house built on a rise in the land overlooking the river. This house would become the site of an iconic battle, of which you can still see evidence today. Alston’s house became known as the House in the Horseshoe and will be commemorating 250 years of historic legacy March 25, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Nominations are being accepted for the 2023 North Carolina Award, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the state, now through April 30. Created by the General Assembly in 1961 and administered by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the award recognizes “notable accomplishments by North Carolina citizens” in the fields of literature, science, fine arts and public service.

Two farms, two families, and a year on the land. Young readers can get a taste of farm life in the North Carolina Piedmont through “Bountiful Red Acres,” a new book from the state Office of Archives and History and the N.C. African American Heritage Commission, both part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.