Rose Dairy taking shape as nature preserve

Rose Dairy will be home to nature trails and other amenities when it opens to the public in 2027.

 

County-owned Rose Dairy Farm is a nature preserve in the making.

Since taking possession of the former dairy farm in May, the County’s Parks and Open Space Department has been whipping the 308-acre tract into shape.

“We’ve been doing cleanup more than anything else,” said Parks and Open Space Director Adrian O’Neal.

But because Rose Dairy’s trails and fishing ponds could open to the public in late winter or early spring, Parks and Open Space has also been introducing itself to the farm’s neighbors. “We’ve been talking to the folks who live close by, making those neighbor connections that are important when you come into a new spot,” O’Neal said.

At the same time, the staff has been prepping Rose Dairy for visitors. Among other tasks, superintendent Austin Cross has been doing trail work with help from the Friends of Johnston County Parks and Friends of the Mountain to Sea Trail, both volunteer groups.

Also, Parks and Open Space is working with Boy Scouts on service projects that will bolster the nature preserve’s amenities.

“We’ve got one who wants to do a ‘hammock garden,’ which is space for five or six hammocks to be hung around a campfire pit,” O’Neal explained. “We’ve got another Boy Scout who is going to clean up around one of our ponds and do a loaner fishing program. He’ll have rods and reels that can be loaned out to people who want to fish. He’s also going to put some benches out.”

O’Neal said the farm’s ponds are home to catfish, bream and a few bass.

A third scout plans to build bat houses. If that sounds odd, consider that a single bat can eat hundreds of insects in an hour, providing natural mosquito control.

“This winter, we’ll be working on boardwalk to get to the farthest reaches of the 308 acres,” O’Neal continued. “Along with that, we’ll be working on the picnic shelter to get it ready for people to use.”

Staff will also be working to rid the preserve of invasive plant species. “With it being a nature preserve, we want to keep it as natural as possible,” O’Neal said.

Other plans include renovating the old dairy barn on the farm. “We’ll move all of our operations into the dairy barn,” O’Neal explained. “It’ll be a contact station and offices.”

Parks and Open Space is making its temporary offices in a house on the property. “This building will be switched back over to a house for a potential caretaker on the site,” O’Neal said. “We’d have somebody here 24 hours a day.”

As the trail volunteers and Boy Scouts attest, Parks and Open Space is adept at getting things done with few or no tax dollars. Another example is the new wheelchair-accessible deck at the old house, now the department’s temporary headquarters. Staff members built the deck themselves.

“We can use it as the starting point for tours, classes, that kind of thing,” O’Neal said. “Tell people to meet at the deck at the caretaker’s house.”

In addition to trail enthusiasts and anglers, O’Neal expects Rose Dairy to prove popular with birdwatchers. “This is one of the hot spots for birding up and down the East Coast,” he said, noting that the land along Black Creek and the Neuse River is home to a variety of heron species.

As Rose Dairy takes further shape, O’Neal expects Johnston residents and businesses will have plenty of chances to ensure its success. They might, for example, want to sponsor sections of the boardwalk construction.

“A boardwalk is an easy thing for people to get involved with because they can buy a foot of boardwalk or 10 feet or 100 feet,” O’Neal said, adding that people will also be able to purchase various park furniture. “We’re going to have some donation opportunities in the near future.”

The Parks and Open Space staff is doing much of the work themselves, including this deck.

Page last updated on:  October 16, 2026