Eno River Association

About us

Established in 1966, the Eno River Association is an accredited land trust and conservation nonprofit driven by a mission to conserve and protect the natural, historical, and cultural resources of the Eno River Basin.

Our vision is that the natural and human communities within the Eno River basin thrive and are resilient. The Eno River provides for the physical and spiritual health of all. The residents of the river basin act and advocate for conservation of natural, historical, and cultural resources, for their intrinsic values and their ability to fulfill our needs and enrich our lives.

The driving force behind our work is growing the protected land and waterways of the Eno River basin through conservation, and subsequently improving their public access and climate resilience through stewardship.

We work to preserve the historical and cultural resources in our watershed, in addition to the natural. We provide educational programs, events, and publications that serve tens of thousands annually. Our hands-on, feet-wet education programs include science and nature camps for ages 8-15, public school field trips, guided hikes, and other monthly culture, history, or nature programming.

Our largest awareness and fundraising event, the Festival for the Eno, brings together dozens of musical acts, regional craft artists, local nonprofits, and tens of thousands of guests to West Point on the Eno Durham City Park for an outdoor festival Independence Day Weekend, held since 1980.

Through access, events, and education, we aim to nurture future conservationists who will continue to prioritize the conservation of open spaces for human recreation, water quality, wildlife, farms, and forests.