LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

William B. Umstead State Park

Land worn out from poor planting practices has become a beautiful park for all to enjoy in the Raleigh area. Students will learn about reforestation, erosion, and environmental stewardship at this state park.

Preview your trip on the web: William B. Umstead State Park

Learn more

  • North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission - Wildlife Species and Habitat Information A North Carolina Wildlife Resources site with detailed information about wildlife resources and management in the state. Information about animals such as the wood duck, white-tailed deer, beaver, wild turkey, quail, sea turtles, and predators such as various owls, osprey, black bear, wild boar and the gray fox is found here.
  • Visible Earth Earth images, mostly satellite. Most are satellite images, and some, such as the Environmental Impact images, are very effective in demonstrating human impact upon the environment.
  • Investigate and Report on Erosion Wind, water, ice, insects, and even people help to move soil and wear away the surface of the planet. Your mission is to investigate one way that erosion shapes your neighborhood and then write about it.
  • Lesson plan: Why preserve biodiversity? In this lesson from the National Geographic Xpeditions website, students discuss the importance of maintaining ecosystems and find out about the various arguments that people make in favor of preserving the Earth's biodiversity.
  • Lesson plan: Take Action! Steward Our Land This resource includes ideas on how families can learn more about their local public lands and develop an appreciation for them in both their young and older children.

Related pages

  • Carolina Beach State Park: Developed in the late 1960s, this state park preserves the unique environment along the Intracoastal Waterway. The Venus Flytrap and other plant life, the dunes, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals are all protected in this special place.
  • Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve: A visit to the Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve gives insight into the uses of the land from prehistoric times to the end of the twentieth century. Students can explore trails and learn about the plants and animals that are found there as well as the importance of protecting nature and our natural resources.
  • Jones Lake State Park: A visit to Jones Lake Park not only teaches students about the habitats and animals that can be found there, but the phenomenon of the Carolina Bays is also explored.

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A green gem in the midst of Raleigh, North Carolina, William B. Umstead State Park offers respite from the hustle and bustle of daily lives. Once farmland, the property has been reforested and is slowly being restored.

Rangers hold regularly scheduled educational and interpretive programs about William B. Umstead State Park. Educational materials about the park have been developed for grades 3-5 and are correlated to North Carolina’s competency-based curriculum in science, social studies, mathematics and English/language arts. The William B. Umstead program introduces students to resource management, from land-use practices that can destroy natural resources to proper land management, restoration, and preservation. Major concepts covered include forces and causes of erosion and sedimentation, erosion and sedimentation laws, resource management and stewardship. Accompanying the program is a teacher’s booklet and workshop, free of charge to educators.

Each state park and recreation area has an EELE (environmental education learning experience) curriculum guide that includes on-site activities, pre- and post-visit activities, student information pages, worksheets, fact sheets, vocabulary, and references. You can receive a free copy of an EELE by attending its corresponding workshop at a park, or you can borrow these guides through interlibrary loan at any public library in North Carolina. The EELE for William B. Umstead State Park is “Dirt…Cheap?” for grades 3, 4, 5, and 6.

The North Carolina State Parks website offers a search feature for finding the plants and animals that can be found at each state park. Using the drop-down menus, you can choose a park and either an amphibian, bird, reptile, mammal, fungus, insect, or vascular plant. You can search within each group by family, scientific name, or common name. There are photographs from the state parks and fun facts for some of the species.

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