“This drought is getting worse and worse,” wrote Duke University professor Kent Wicker, posting pictures of a dry creek bed on Facebook.
“Below are pictures of Seven Mile Creek, the nearest to my house. In the past, it has had duck families and beavers in it.”
Landon Olerud, a 17-year-old hiker from Wake Forest, noted how significantly the water levels shifted over the past year along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
“I was out here last July,” said Olerud, standing on the boardwalk, “and this bridge was underwater.”
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Further south in Fayetteville, drying conditions have transformed local waterways and waterfalls inside Clark Nature Park into empty stone paths.
“I've noticed our waterfalls going from flowing to a trickle to a drip to dry,” said Michael Morales, a park ranger with Clark Nature Park.
Morales noted that the local wildlife displays visible signs of hydration difficulties due to the heat wave.
“It's just been getting worse and worse,” Morales said.
Park staff expressed deep concern regarding the impact on native flora and fauna as watering holes diminish.
“So I'm noticing the plants are drying out, the animals seem stressed, I'm seeing more birds visiting puddles and to get water,” he said.
Morales pointed out that while Cumberland County has avoided strict municipal mandates so far, the continuous dry weather keeps the community on the edge of regulations.
“So it's stressful for us. We've luckily avoided water restrictions like they're having in Raleigh and Durham right now.
But if this drought don't break, you know, we're we're headed that way,” he said.
Park visitor Kristopher Thomas expressed his concern while walking through the unusually silent nature reserve with his family.
“You can hear like the stream, the background noise and stuff coming from it. But yeah, today is definitely, definitely dry,” Thomas said.
Thomas questioned the long-term impact on the regional water table if current weather trends persist throughout the summer.
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“What could that be doing with the wells and stuff? You know, just the water period,” he wondered.
