Bond Park

Last updated
Fred G. Bond Metro Park
Bond Park
Bond Park waterfront.jpg
The waterfront from the multi-purpose field.
Bond Park
TypeMunicipal
Location801 High House Road, Cary, North Carolina
Coordinates 35°46′54″N78°49′27″W / 35.78167°N 78.82417°W / 35.78167; -78.82417
Area310 acres (130 hectares)
Elevation367 feet (112 meters)
Opened1985
Owned byTown of Cary
Operated byCary Parks and Recreation
AwardsTriangle J Award for Landscape
Hiking trailsBlack Creek Greenway

Greenway Trail
Hiking Trail
Lake Trail
Oxxford Hunt Greenway
Paw Paw Trail
Pinecone Trail
Tree ID Trail

White Oak Greenway

Contents


WaterBond Lake
ParkingFree
FacilitiesAthletic fields

Boat House and waterfront
Buehler Shelter
Bond Park Community Center
Cary Senior Center
Compost Education Center
Kiwanis Shelter
Lazy Daze Playground
Preston Soccer fields
Rope Course

Sertoma Amphitheatre
Website Bond Metro Park

Fred G. Bond Metro Park is the largest municipal park in Cary, North Carolina. It is also one of the largest municipal parks in Wake County. [1] [2] It is located at 801 High House Road, physically the geographic center of the town. [3] [1] The park has been described as "an oasis in the middle of Cary". [4]

History

The park was originally the buffer zone and a water reservoir, created by an earth dam on Crabtree Creek in 1970. [5] [6] The dam is owned by the Town of Cary and was designed by the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service. [6]

In 1981, the property was named after Fred G. Bond Jr. who served on Cary's Town Council for eighteen years and was mayor of from 1971 to 1983. [7] Cary developed the $7 million park which opened on May 31, 1985. [8] [9] The Fred G. Bond Metro Park was dedicated on June 1, 1985. [9] At that time, it featured 3 mi (4.8 km) of trails, three baseball fields, two shelters, and a boathouse. [9] The children's play area, auditorium, boat docks, and other athletic fields were still under construction. [9] In 1985, the Triangle J Council of Governments gave the park a Triangle J Award in the category of landscape/institutional. [10]

In 1986, the Parkway housing development donated 27 acres (11 ha) to the town for Bond Park. [11] This additional acreage was on the northwest side of the park and consisted of open space. [11] The developer committed to donate an addition 32 acres (13 ha) once their development was completed. [11]

During the winter months of January 2016 to January 2020, repair works were undertaken on the Fred G. Bond Dam on Bond Lake. [5]

Description

Bond Metro Park has 310 acres (130 ha) of recreational space, all in a natural setting. [2] It includes an amphitheater, a community center, hiking trails, a lake with a boathouse, the Lazy Daze playground, picnic shelters, restrooms, a senior center, a challenge rope course, two soccer fields, and seven fields for baseball and softball. [1] [12] [2] [13]

Activities

The park hosts a range of events on weekends and holidays, including kite flying, fishing contests, lakeside movies, pickleball tournaments, plant swaps, Earth Day celebrations, and Pedal Boats and Soda Floats. [14] [15] [16] [17] In the winter, there is sledding hill when it snows, plus snow tubes with manufactured snow. [15] [18] The park offers a basic orienteering course, compost education, a Tree ID Trail, and the Pokémon Go game. [2] [15] The park's largest event is the Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival which features 175 artists, four stages for performing artists, and food. [16]

The Sertoma Amphitheatre is an outdoor stage that seats 350 spectators. [14] [15] It's stage showcases local acts such as the Triangle Brass Band. [19]

The park was a site for COVID–19 testing in 2021. [20]

Bond Lake and Boathouse

The 42 acres (0.17 km2) Bond Lake is a man-made freshwater lake open to fishing and boating. [4] [9] The lake was created in 1970 when the Crabtree Creek W/S Structure #3, now known as the Fred. G. Bond Dam, was built on Crabtree Creek. [6] It is stocked by trout by the North Carolina Wildlife Commission. [21]

The park's Boathouse & Waterfront features a 200-foot boardwalk, concessions, a screen porch overlooking the forest, fishing access, a small beach for launching kayaks, and rentals of canoes, kayaks, pedal boats, rowboats, and sailboats. [1] [4] [15] The Boathouse provides the required life jackets and sells cane poles and bait. [22] The lake is governed by North Carolina's Fishing Regulations which requires a valid fishing license for individuals ages 16 and older who want to fish. [22] Classes are taught in canoeing, kayaking, and sailing for all ages. [22]

Buildings

Within Bond Park, is the 16,000 sq ft (1,500 m2) Cary Senior Center which is "designed to promote active retirement years." [14] It features a variety of activities, including arts, fitness classes, recreation activities, technology education, an annual health fair, and volunteer opportunities. [14] [15] [23]

The 29,000 sq ft (2,700 m2) Bond Park Community Center, has classrooms, rental space, a gym, and courts for badminton, basketball, pickleball and volleyball. [2] [24] Cary Parks and Recreation hosts a variety of programs ranging from arts to history.to esports and day camp. [24]

Public art

The "Fred Bond Bust" is a bronze sculpture that is installed adjacent to the Bond Park Boathouse. [25] In 1998, artist Carl Reguitti created this artwork which is part of Cary's public art collection. [25] There is also a gallery with changing art exhibits inside the Bond Park Community Center. [24]

Trails

The park's most popular feature is its 4.2 mi (6.8 km) of trails, including Black Creek Greenway, Lake Trail, Oxxford Hunt Greenway, Paw Paw Trail, Pine Cone Trail, and White Oak Greenway. [4] [15] [26] [13] [27] [28] The 2.1 mi (3.4 km) Lake Trail is the longest of the six, and circles Bond Lake in a natural wooded setting with both paved and unpaved sections. [4] This "easy and picturesque hike" is popular with walkers, mountain bikers, joggers, and bird watchers. [4]

Bond Park is part of a town-wide trail expansion plan, which makes the park a hub of several trails, connecting it to the Crabtree Creek Greenway and the Swift Green Greenway, which in turn will connect the park to the American Tobacco Trail and Umstead State Park. [13] The new expansions are highly controversial with local residents.

Bond Park Bond Park.png
Bond Park

Animals

Domestic

Dogs are allowed in Bond Park but must be on a leash no longer than six feet. [4] Dogs are not allowed on rental boats. [1] The Dog Days of Cary is an annual event for pet owners and their dogs where dogs can get baths, vaccinations, or microchips. [29] There are food vendors and also rescue organizations with animals looking for a new home. [29] During Dogs Days of Cary, dogs are allowed on pedal boats. [29]

Wildlife

In the summer of 2011, Cary began having problems with beavers at Bond Lake. [30] The beavers flooded an area on the southeast side of the lake by building a dam. [30] There was a public outcry when the town tried trapping the beavers. [30] The town tried destroying the beaver's dam; however, the animals would just rebuild. [30] The town tried poking holes in the dam; the beavers filled the holes with mud. [30] In 2012, the town implemented new technology, a flow control device that would let water through the dam without the running water sound that causes the beavers to make repairs. [30]

Bond Park offers regular classes in birding, helping people learn how to identify the many birds that can be found in the park's various habitats [31] [32] In the Great Backyard Bird Count of 2019, spotters counted 32 species in the park. [32] Hermit thrushes, pine warblers, and yellow bellied sapsuckers can be spotted in the woodland areas. [31] At the edges of the woods, birdwatches can spot Carolina chickadees, brown headed nuthatches, and white breasted nuthatches. The meadows are home to eastern bluebirds, eastern phoebes, white throated sparrows, and yellow rumped warblers, while the wetland areas bring belted kingfishers, red shouldered hawks and winter wrens. [31] Double crested cormorants, pied billed grebes, and ruddy ducks like Bond Lake. Eddie Owens, who teaches “Bird Walks in Bond Park," says bald eagles are spotted several times a week near the lake. [31] Other birds in the park include brown creepers, cedar waxwings, crows, golden crowned kinglets, the great horned owl, northern cardinals, and pine siskens. [31]

In 2018, the park posted signs asking people not to feed the ducks and Canada geese at Bond Lake. [33] Experts say that bread unhealthy for the waterfowl, and regular feedings attract unusually large populations that can overwhelm the lake's ecosystem with the bird's fecal matter. [33] Sam Trogdon, senior operations and program supervisor at Bond Park, said, "Bread is not part of a bird’s diet so it just gives them diarrhea." [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake County, North Carolina</span> County in North Carolina, United States

Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the United States, with Cary and Raleigh being the 8th- and 15th-fastest growing communities, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cary, North Carolina</span> Town in North Carolina, US

Cary is a town in Wake, Chatham, and Durham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, its population was 174,721, making it the seventh-most populous municipality in North Carolina, and the 148th-most populous in the United States. In 2022, the town's population had increased to 180,388.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morrisville, North Carolina</span> Town in North Carolina, United States

Morrisville is a town located primarily in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population was 29,630. Morrisville is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region. The regional name originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located midway between the cities of Raleigh and Durham. The Research Triangle region encompasses the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area. The population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area was 2,106,463 in 2020, while the population of the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area was 1,413,982 in 2020. The operational headquarters of Lenovo is located in the municipal limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronx River</span> River in New York, United States

The Bronx River, is a river that is approximately 24 miles (39 km) long, and flows through southeastern New York in the United States and drains an area of 38.4 square miles (99 km2). It is named after colonial settler Jonas Bronck. Besides the Hutchinson River, the Bronx River is the only fresh water river in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William B. Umstead State Park</span> State park in North Carolina, United States

William B. Umstead State Park is a North Carolina state park in Wake County, North Carolina in the United States. It covers 5,599 acres (22.66 km2) nestled between the expanding cities of Raleigh, Cary, and Durham, North Carolina. It offers hiking, bridle, and bike trails, boat rentals, camping, picnic areas, and educational programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verde River</span> Perennial stream in central Arizona, US

The Verde River is a major tributary of the Salt River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is about 170 miles (270 km) long and carries a mean flow of 602 cubic feet per second (17.0 m3/s) at its mouth. It is one of the largest perennial streams in Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cachuma Lake</span> Reservoir in Santa Barbara County, California

Cachuma Lake is a reservoir in the Santa Ynez Valley of central Santa Barbara County, California on the Santa Ynez River adjoining the north side of California State Route 154. The artificial lake was created by the construction of Bradbury Dam, a 201 ft (61 m) earth-fill structure built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1953. Its surface area covers 3,100 acres (1,300 ha), with a maximum design capacity of 205,000 acre⋅ft (253,000,000 m3), but it is currently limited to 188,000 acre⋅ft (232,000,000 m3) due to sediment accumulation. The late-December 2022 and early-January 2023 storms dramatically raised the water level in the lake, from an average of 33% full to 100% full for the first time in 12 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Canadian River</span> River in Oklahoma

The North Canadian River is a river, 440 miles (710 km) long, in Oklahoma in the United States. It is a tributary of the Canadian River, draining an area of 17,955 square miles (46,500 km2) in a watershed that includes parts of northeastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Jed Johnson</span> Reservoir in Oklahoma, US

Lake Jed Johnson, named for Jed Johnson (1888–1963), is third largest of thirteen small reservoirs in the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, located in southwestern Oklahoma. Lawton, Oklahoma, southeast of the lake and the fourth largest city in the state, is the nearest major population center. Smaller communities of Cache, Medicine Park and Meers lie north of the lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Accotink</span> Reservoir in North Springfield, Virginia USA

Lake Accotink is a reservoir in North Springfield in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Lake Accotink is formed by the damming of Accotink Creek. The lake is surrounded by Lake Accotink Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crabtree Creek (Neuse River tributary)</span> Stream in North Carolina, USA

Crabtree Creek is a tributary of the Neuse River in central Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The creek begins in the town of Cary and flows through Morrisville, William B. Umstead State Park, and the northern sections of Raleigh before emptying into the Neuse at Anderson Point Park, a large city park located in East Raleigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mill Creek Park</span> Metropolitan park located in Ohio, United States

Mill Creek Park is a metropolitan park located in Youngstown, Ohio. It stretches from the near west side of Youngstown to the southern borders of the city and neighboring Boardman, Ohio. The park "encompasses approximately 4400 acres (10.5 km²), 20 mi (32 km) of drives, and 15 mi (24 km) of foot trails" as well as a variety of bridges, ponds, streams, well-tended gardens, and waterfalls. The Trust for Public Land ranks one part of Mill Creek as the 142nd largest park located within the limits of a U.S. city.

Lake Crabtree County Park is a park in Wake County, North Carolina. It is a forested area between Cary, Morrisville, and Raleigh-Durham International Airport, bounded by the northeastern shore of Lake Crabtree, I-40, and Aviation Parkway. The main entrance is on the Aviation Parkway side and is equipped with two playgrounds, a boat dock, bathrooms, an observation tower, and other amenities. A system of hiking and biking trails crosses through the park, with the most used one along the lakeshore. This trail connects the park entrance to the Black Creek Greenway-Old Reedy Creek Road intersection, near the entrance to William B. Umstead State Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakwoods Metropark</span>

Oakwoods Metropark is a park in the Huron-Clinton Metroparks system, located along the Huron River near Flat Rock, Michigan. The park consists several miles of bike trails, numerous nature trails, horse trails, a canoe and kayak launch, and a Nature Center. It is directly connected to Willow and Lower Huron Metroparks, as well as Huroc Park through a branch of the Downriver Linked Greenways.

Piney Run Park is a nature park in Sykesville, located in Carroll County, Maryland. It is Carroll County's oldest developed park and hosts thousands of visitors annually. The park encompasses 550 acres of fields, forest and open spaces, features over 15 miles of hiking trails, a 300-acre lake and many sports and recreational facilities. Prior to being a park, this land was a private farm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuse River Trail</span> Greenway trail in North Carolina, US

The Neuse River Trail is a 34.5-mile (55.5 km) long paved greenway located in the Raleigh area of North Carolina, running along the banks of the Neuse River from Falls Lake Dam to the town of Clayton. The route passes through the jurisdictions of Raleigh, Wake Forest, Knightdale, and Clayton in Wake and Johnston counties. The Neuse River Greenway trail is part of the Capital Area Greenway system as well as the Mountains-to-Sea Trail that crosses North Carolina from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. Open to both cyclists and pedestrians, the Neuse River Trail is the longest greenway trail in North Carolina and the longest paved trail between northern Virginia and western Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Lynn (Raleigh, North Carolina)</span> Man-made lake in Wake County, North Carolina

Lake Lynn is a man-made lake in Raleigh, North Carolina. The lake was created for flood control purposes in 1976 by damming Hare Snipe Creek, a tributary of Crabtree Creek. The lake has an area of 55.7 acres (22.5 ha) and lies entirely within the city of Raleigh's 75-acre (30 ha) Lake Lynn Park. The park includes a 2.8 mi (4.5 km) paved trail around the lake, as well as a community center, playground, and tennis courts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi Gorge Regional Park</span> Urban park in Minnesota, United States

Mississippi Gorge Regional Park is a regional park along the east and west bluffs of the Mississippi River in the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The two-city park area is between Mississippi river miles 848 and 852, from just south of Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9 to just north of Minnehaha Regional Park, and lies within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. The park area protects scenic and natural areas of the Mississippi River gorge, the only true gorge along the entire length of the 2,320-mile (3,730 km) river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Matoaka</span> Lake in Williamsburg, Virginia

Lake Matoaka is a mill pond on the campus of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, located in the College Woods. Originally known both as Rich Neck Pond for the surrounding Rich Neck Plantation and Ludwell's Mill Pond for Philip Ludwell who owned it, Lake Matoaka was constructed around 1700 to power a gristmill. The pond was renamed after acquisition by the college to bear the Powhatan name for Pocahontas. Construction projects by the Civilian Conservation Corps, college, and others have contributed to the lake becoming a site for outdoor entertainment and recreation.

Fred Gaines Bond Jr. was a tobacco industry representative and politician, associated with the Flue Cured Tobacco Stabilization Corporation and a three-term mayor of Cary, North Carolina.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Fred G. Bond Metro Park and Boathouse". Visit Raleigh. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Fred G. Bond Metro Park | Town of Cary". www.townofcary.org. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  3. ↑ Chester, Lindsey (2012-05-03). "The Future of Parks & Rec in Cary". CaryCitizen Archive. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Makepeace, Craig (2021-10-05). "Don't Miss the Lovely 2-Mile Lake Walk at Bond Park Cary, NC". This is Raleigh. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  5. 1 2 "Bond Lake Dam Repair". Alpha & Omega Group. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  6. 1 2 3 "Fred G. Bond Dam". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-03– via National Dams.
  7. ↑ "Former Cary Mayor Dies at 68:". WRAL.com. 1997-06-02. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  8. ↑ "Town of Cary". The News and Observer. May 31, 1985. pp. 4D. Retrieved March 3, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Cary to Dedicate Bond Metro Park". The News and Observer. June 1, 1985. pp. C1. Retrieved March 3, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Triangle J Award". The News and Observer. September 26, 1985. pp. 2C. Retrieved March 3, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 3 "Business Doings". The News and Observer. September 11, 1986. pp. 32A. Retrieved March 3, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Fred G. Bond Metro Park and Boathouse". Visit NC. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  13. 1 2 3 "Fred G. Bond Metro Park (Map)". Town of Cary. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Turchetti, Carla. "Escape to the Lake". Cary Living. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Visiting the Fred G. Bond Metro Park". Crescent Dental. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  16. 1 2 "Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival". The News and Observer. March 1, 2020. pp. D5. Retrieved March 3, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Lakeside Movies". The News and Observer. May 17, 2019. pp. C3. Retrieved March 3, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Best Bets". The News and Observer. January 25, 2019. pp. C4. Retrieved March 3, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Brass For The Fun Of It!". Happening Next. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Wake County Partners with Raleigh, Cary and Garner to Host COVID-19 Testing in Parks Next Week". Wake County Government. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  21. ↑ "Surplus Trout Coming to 38 Impoundments in Central and Western North Carolina this Winter". N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  22. 1 2 3 "Bond Park Boathouse | Town of Cary". www.townofcary.org. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  23. ↑ "Cary Senior Center | Town of Cary". www.townofcary.org. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  24. 1 2 3 "Bond Park Community Center | Town of Cary". www.townofcary.org. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  25. 1 2 "Fred Bond Bust | Town of Cary". www.townofcary.org. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  26. ↑ "Cary: Fred Bond Metro Park". Great Runs. 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  27. ↑ "Walking & Biking Trails". Oxxford Hunt Homeowners Association. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  28. ↑ "Oxxford Hunt Greenway | Town of Cary". www.townofcary.org. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  29. 1 2 3 "Dog Days of Cary". The News and Observer. October 4, 2019. pp. C2. Retrieved March 3, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kenney, Andrew (December 5, 2012). "Cary Will Try to Put one Past Beavers". The News and Observer. pp. B3. Retrieved March 3, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 Lindquist, David (2013-01-23). "Birding at Bond Park". CaryCitizen Archive. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  32. 1 2 Lindquist, David (2019-03-01). "What I Learned From the Great Backyard Bird Count". CaryCitizen Archive. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  33. 1 2 3 Papich, Michael (2018-02-02). "New Public Signs Warn Against Feeding Lake Birds". CaryCitizen Archive. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.