There’s more nature in Cabarrus County than you might think. Abby Weinshenker wants people to notice it

The environmental educator is helping residents discover the wildlife, waterways and green spaces in their own backyards — including through the return of Creek Week.

Abby Weinshenker holding a turtle found at a local wetland. Photo courtesy of Abby Weinshenker.

Across the street from Concord Mills, in the middle of one of Cabarrus County’s busiest commercial corridors, Abby Weinshenker has found one of her favorite places to escape into nature.

Just off the Rocky River is a wetland easy to pass without noticing.

Weinshenker has spent mornings there hiking, watching birds and paying attention to the kind of place that can disappear into the background of a fast-growing county.

“It’s hidden, nobody would know,” she said.

That is, in many ways, what Weinshenker wants people to understand about Cabarrus County: There is more natural beauty and wildness here than they might think.