Looking for friends in Raleigh, NC area

Howdy Carolinans (Carolinians?),
My wife and I have just moved to the triangle area from Texas and I'm hoping to find people interested in foraging, homesteading, permaculture, etc., mainly to hike with and from whom to learn about the plants, ecology, natural history, folklore, etc. of the region.
All the groups and organizations I can find dedicated to this kind of thing aren't meeting at this time, but maybe there are some people interested in meeting in small groups in natural places to share what we can with each other?  Are there communities doing this around here already?
Also, any recommendations of good plant guidebooks or other resources, and places to visit would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Sam. I'm not in your area, so I can't help with that, but I do want to welcome you to Permies! It's a wonderful online community, so please feel free to join in any of the topics.

For plant ID books, I really like the Peterson Field Guides. I have some of the Audubon guides too, but I always seem to reach for Peterson first.