Lessons Learned

By Natalie C.

The story of Rochester Heights demonstrates that citizens speaking up and taking action can lead to successful change. Many local citizens have joined together to help the area. PEJ has taken action by getting the people of Rochester Heights and neighboring Biltmore Hills to work together to clean and restore the creek and to spread awareness about this special ecosystem. This has led to reduced flooding in residential areas, regular wetlands clean-ups, and strong relationships among the citizens. There is still work to be done, though. P lans are in place to build a wetlands education center and park in the area at the corner of State Street and Peterson Street. When the education center is built, the hope is that more people will realize the beauty of the wetland and help preserve it as a natural resource for the City of Raleigh.