How We Got Started

Friends of Lake Johnson started officially in 2003 with a goal of preserving the natural beauty of Lake Johnson Park. This interest included the acquisition of adjacent parcels of land to expand the park, working to assist the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department in assuring the cleanliness of the lake and its surrounding area, and helping to educate the public about the natural environment available within the Park.

Our first and most important project was the purchase of additional Lake Johnson Park land. The Trust for Public Land (TPL) helped us by establishing a Lease to Purchase agreement with the Friends of Lake Johnson, the City of Raleigh and Wake County for the purchase of the last 12 acres of land available to expand and protect Lake Johnson Park. This vital addition faces Lake Dam Road and adjoins the park at the east side of the lake near the spillway.

SUCCESS: We had the opportunity to protect this precious resource for our long-term quality of life as well as to protect the environment, and we took this challenge. Through our advocacy work, the 12 acres were saved from development and added to Lake Johnson Park! We had help from many elected officials and multiple nonprofit and neighborhood organizations. As part of the Lease to Purchase Agreement with TPL, Wake County paid $350,000 from the Open Space Bond Fund and the City of Raleigh paid another $600,000 from City Park Acquisition Funds. Friends of Lake Johnson raised almost $450,000 toward this public/private partnership in the community through donations and gifts from the users of the park and general public as well as through foundation grants.

Why the 12 Acres Were Acquired

Acquisition of this 12-acre property was identified by the 1993 Lake Johnson Master Plan Committee as the most strategic for acquisition to protect the Lake.

• Water quality: The entire 12-acre parcel drains directly into either Lake Johnson or Walnut Creek; both have been identified as "impaired;" protecting this land from development is critical for the protection of our watershed.
  
  
• This park is immensely popular and highly used by citizens from all across the City and County. Park use will continue to grow at a rapid pace as urbanization of this part of Raleigh and the County expands. The population in this part of the county is projected to double in the next 20 years. Adding the last adjacent land to the Park helps protect it for the future.
  
  
• Necessary for preservation of wildlife habitat. The breakup of large tracts of forested land has disastrous effects on local wildlife, especially bird populations and small mammals. Lake Johnson Park lies at the headwaters of Walnut Creek, and the Park is a major node on one of Raleigh's primary urban greenway corridors. The Walnut Creek Greenway runs all the way to the Neuse River Greenway, part of the NC Mountains to Sea Trail. Other major parks in the Walnut Creek drainage include the future Dorothea Dix Park, the Walnut Creek Wetland Park, and the historic Pullen and Chavis Parks.