When the Neuse rises, the Nature Park must adapt

The Neuse River at Kinston has experienced its fair share of flooding in recent years. One of the local landmarks impacted when the Neuse floods is the Nature Center at Neuseway Nature Park. If the river exceeds 16 feet, the campground has to be evacuated. 

At 17.3 feet, the playground is compromised and at 18 feet, the train has to be moved. At 19.5 feet, the Cave has to be stripped and the animals removed, the lowest birdcage (behind the Nature Center) has to be cleared. The animals are placed in temporary cages at the Exchange Meeting Room. In November of 2020, the Neuse River crested in Kinston at 21.51 feet. 

At 22.5 feet, the meeting room will begin to flood. “This means, all animals must be evacuated from the park. They will be relocated at our maintenance facility on McLewean Street,” said Bobby Cox, Recreation Center Supervisor at the Nature Center. 

In 2018, the Neuse River crested at 25.78, which impacted both the main floor of the Nature Center and the Planetarium. 

“During an evacuation, the animals are the easy part. They are easily maintained by myself and our staff. The hard part is cleaning, disinfecting, and reinstalling the exhibits,” said Cox. 

The levels of the Neuse River continue to be impacted by population and property development growth in other parts of the state. 

 “All we can do is better accommodate our facilities and exhibits to better handle flooding impacts. This includes waterproof exhibits, exhibits that are easily removed, and having staff prepared for the emergency,” said Cox.

As the Neuse begins to gradually fall back to normal levels, the Neuseway Nature Park will continue to do all it can to keep everything operational. 

“We do everything possible to ensure our Parks and Recreation provide parks and recreation. This is why we work so hard to keep our facilities well maintained and provide all the programs we can,” said Cox.