In 2005, the City of Raleigh received a donation of 148 acres of land, for a completed total of 157 acres, in the Falls Lake Watershed from the estate of Dr. Annie Louise Wilkerson, the first female obstetrician in Wake County who delivered over 5,000 babies in her career. This land was created into the City of Raleigh’s first Nature Preserve Park. CLH created a sustainable Nature Preserve Park which will celebrate her life while teaching our delicate balance with nature. Our small footprint theme is both literal and interpretive since this project will be a model for low impact development.
CLH and our design team developed the Master Plan and Phase I for the City of Raleigh’s first sustainable Nature Preserve Park which celebrates the life of Dr. Annie, while teaching future generations about sustainability and our delicate balance with nature. The small footprint theme is both literal and interpretive since this project is a model for low impact development and sustainable design.
As part of our landscape architecture design and civil engineering services, we developed Phase I amenities which included: walking trails, natural play areas, boardwalk and pond study station, new shelter and bathroom facilities, and a park office converted from an existing house. The small boardwalk and pond study station provide an opportunity for visitors and staff to be involved in water quality learning activities. The natural surface trail leads from the office area to the pond, connecting to a small boardwalk that overlooks the pond and programming area. Phase II consisted of the renovation of existing building to create the environmental education center.