This Land, Your Land

A.T. Journeys, the monthly magazine of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, looks at quick opportunities to bag peaks on the AT, and all three it suggests are in North Carolina.

"ATC’s Laurie Potteiger notes that deep in the heart of the southern Appalachians are magnificent A.T. 'peak' experiences that require little more effort than turning off your vehicle’s motor, silencing your cell phone, and stretching your legs," the article says.

Potteiger visits Wayah Bald, with its "expansive views of rows and rows of other pristine mountains in the distance," Clingman’s Dome, at 6,643 feet the highest peak on the A.T., which features "a large concrete observation tower with a circular ramp that provides spectacular 360-degree views of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park," and Roan Mountain, where "flower lovers make the pilgrimage to see one of the most notable displays anywhere in world" when wild rhododendron blooms in June.

Though some of the A.T. at Roan Mountain is inaccessible most of this summer as the day use area is renovated, hikers can still access the mountain from nearby Carver’s Gap, Potteiger says.

The July issue of The Steward, the State Parks newsletter, provides an overview of May's public airing of the ongoing development of a master plan for Chimney Rock State Park.

The park encompasses some 4,300 acres in the Hickory Nut Gorge area at Lake Lure, including the formerly private Chimney Rock Park tourist attraction.

Nearly 200 people, most of them from the area, attended the day-long public planning session in Lake Lure.

The article describes three types of development plans:

- The “conservation-focused” alternative, which considers protection of eight significant natural heritage areas to be paramount and would allow limited public access. "It includes about 10 miles of hiking trails, two new day use areas, and a visitor center near Lake Lure, but otherwise, very little development outside of the existing Chimney Rock access."

- The “low impact recreation” alternative proposes using only previously disturbed areas for future park development. It would establish a visitor center at “the Meadows,” which is at the lower elevation of the existing Chimney Rock Park and would serve as a hub opening to an extensive network of trails and backcountry camping options on the gorge’s south side. The park would have three day use areas leading to mountain biking, climbing and additional hiking trails, with two of these on the north side of Hickory Nut Gorge.

- The “intensive recreation and use” plan calls for a visitor center on the summit of Chimney Rock Mountain above the developed area, in an abandoned 25-acre orchard. It would be a hub for backcountry and tent/trailer camping, picnicking and hiking. There would be five day use areas on the north and south sides of the gorge with access to camping, mountain biking, climbing, equestrian and hiking opportunities. A secondary visitor center and satellite park administrative offices would be built on the Rumbling Bald Mountain access area – property now under the protection of The Nature Conservancy.

The intensive recreation plan would require either access to the visitor center from the side of the park farthest from the Lake Lure area or construction of a "very expensive" road through the eastern area of the park.

Chuck Flink, president of Greenways Inc., the Durham-based environmental planning and landscape architecture firm responsible for completing the plan this year, said it’s highly likely the final master plan proposal will be a hybrid that sifts the best ideas from all three versions, the article says.

The public comment period for development of the Chimney Rock State Park master plan closed June 23, the Greenways site says.

The state Division of Parks and Recreation will dedicate the new visitor center at Raven Rock State Park in Lillington on Saturday, July 17.

Raven Rock State Park, named for the large rock face on the Cape Fear River (below), was established in 1969 and now encompasses 4,694 acres.

The project to build the 7,190-square-foot visitor center also included a picnic shelter, improvements to the picnic grounds, an accessible nature trail, a paved entrance road to the park and paved parking areas with space for 139 vehicles, a news release says. It all cost $4.3 million and came from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, the principal funding source for state park capital projects and land acquisition.

The new visitor center will present exhibits that explore the natural history and the unique geologic events that resulted in the Raven Rock landscape, the history of Cape Fear River navigation and the river’s importance to local culture and commerce.

The center is also designed to be LEED certified, with a geothermal heat pump, solar hot water heating and low-flow water fixtures, low-energy light fixtures, solar lights in the parking area, recycled building materials and natural landscaping.

President Barack Obama wants to hear from you about how to "reconnect Americans, especially children, to America's rivers and waterways, landscapes of national significance, ranches, farms and forests, great parks, and coasts and beaches."

The America's Great Outdoors Initiative is meant to develop a 21st century strategy for America's great outdoors, and is gathering information through a series of public meetings, one of which is in Asheville on July 15.

The hearing at Asheville-Buncombe County Technical Institute, at 340 Victoria Road, will run from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday.

Representatives from the Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency and the Council on Environmental Quality will be at the meeting to "hear your thoughts and to participate in a conversation with you about land conservation, recreation and reconnecting Americans to the great outdoors," information from the Initiative says.

You have to pre-reguister by Monday to speak; get details here.

The Initiative its to present the President with an action plan by November 15 and follow-up reports about the plan's implementation in September of 2011 and 2012.

Repairs and renovations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District's Lock and Dam #1 on the Cape Fear River will require the area's boat launch and picnic area to close tomorrow until the project is completed, the Corps says.

The first part of the project, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will repair a 40-foot-deep scour hole from almost 100 years of water pouring over the low-head dam.

The Corps will host a visitor day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 10 to show off the project, which will be visible from the overlook at the old lockmaster's house.

Boaters traveling up or down the river can still get through the locks by booking at least 48 hours in advance. To book a lockage, call Lockmaster Phil Edge at 910-483-7746 or Ranger Tom Charles at 910-874-0883. Canoe portage may be available – call well in advance to inquire.

An alternative boat launch is available at Elwell's Ferry, operated by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, about six miles upstream of Lock and Dam #1 on Route 87.

Authorities are looking for people who know about the death of a nesting female loggerhead turtle that was hit and killed by an vehicle on the beach at Ocracoke Island last Friday night. The National Park Service says it's the first time a nesting sea turtle has been killed by an ORV at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

(Note: there's a photo of the dead turtle at the first link above. It's not pretty.)

The turtle had crawled out of the ocean and attempted to lay a nest between Ramps 70 and 72. The turtle was hit by an off-road vehicle and dragged approximately 12 feet, causing fatal injuries.

The vehicle that struck and killed the turtle is likely to have been a four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle or pick-up truck, the Park Service says.

Vehicles are prohibited on the beach from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. during turtle nesting season. Loggerhead turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

If you know anything about this incident, call the Dare Community Crime Line at 252-473-3111.

The Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy is under contract to buy an 8,000-acre tract in Transylvania County that it eventually wants to sell to the state, in order to allow public access, Blue Ridge Now reported earlier this month.

The Conservancy will pay the family of former U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor $33 million, 40 to 50 percent less than the appraised value of the land.

It is one of the largest single tracts of private land in Western North Carolina, and is described as pristine and mostly level with large open meadows and numerous water features. The endangered green salamander can be found on the land.

"The forested tract, home to native brook trout, extensive timber resources, rare bogs and stunning waterfalls (see below) encompasses most of the pristine headwaters and main stem of the East Fork of the French Broad River," the Conservancy says in a news release.

"One of the significant features of the tract is Sassafras Mountain," Blue Ridge Now says. "The conserved tract occupies the northern end of the mountain, which is the highest point in South Carolina. It is bordered by the Jocassee Gorges Management Area, Greenville Watershed and the Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve in South Carolina."

A section of the 80-mile Foothills Trail also runs through the tract.

Conservancy Executive Director Kieran Roe said the tract would most likely fall under the authority of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and become a game land.

"The acquisition ... will open up over 50 miles of streams teeming with rainbow, brown, and the elusive Southern Appalachian-strain of brook trout, the region’s only native trout," the news release says.

The Conservancy is "seeking private funding sources to purchase the property and has submitted a $5.4 million application to the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. Roe, however, understands that getting money from the state could be challenging," Blue Ridge Now says.

This is not usually a commentary blog; we're trying just to update folks on what's going on in parks, forests and other public recreation land in North Carolina.

But one thing we advocate on the main Carolina Outdoors Guide site and elsewhere is do not screw around at the top of waterfalls. It's way too easy to lose your footing and wind up dead. It happens every summer.

On June 7, a 28-year-old Asheville woman wading in the pool above Rainbow Falls in the Pisgah Forest was swept over the 125-foot falls and killed. Two friends hiking with her saw her slip, and pulled her body from the river below the falls, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

"The Rainbow Falls death is the second at a Western North Carolina waterfall in less than two weeks," the newspaper said.

"A Wake County man died at Elk River Falls in Avery County on May 29. The following day, a man and woman were injured in an accident at Upper Whitewater Falls near Cashiers in Jackson County."

The National Forest Service recently announced its plan to increase or establish fees at several day-use sites in each of the four National Forests in North Carolina.

"Public input is welcomed, and will be evaluated by a regional advisory board this fall before any changes are approved by the Regional Forester," news releases from the Forest Service say. "Fee changes are being considered due to the increasing costs of operating and maintaining recreation facilities, and to enable the Forest Service to add amenities requested by forest visitors at various recreation sites."

In addition to individual day-use areas, the Forest Service is proposing a change in the cost of seasonal passes for OHV trail complexes in all national forests within North Carolina.

News releases for the individual forests (below) detail the amount of the fee increases. Approved changes would go into effect for the 2011 recreation season.

The site in the Croatan National Forest being considered for a fee increase is Black Swamp OHV Trail Complex.

Sites in the Nantahala National Forest being considered for fee increases include Wayehutta OHV Trail Complex, Dirty John Shooting Range, Panthertop Shooting Range and Jackrabbit Recreation Area (swimming beach). New fees are being proposed at Moss Knob Shooting Range and Wine Spring Horse Camp.

Sites in the Pisgah National Forest being considered for fee increases are Brown Mountain OHV Trail Complex, Sliding Rock Recreation Area and Roan Mountain Recreation Area. A new restroom is being installed at Wolf Ford Recreation Area, with a new fee being proposed there.

Sites in the Uwharrie National Forest being considered for fee increases include Badin Lake OHV Trail Complex and Canebrake Horse Camp. Some trails at Badin Lake OHV Trail Complex are being improved with Recovery Act funds, but will still have significant and recurring maintenance needs.

Comments should be mailed by July 30 to USDA Forest Service, National Forests in North Carolina, ATTN: Recreation Fee Proposals, 160A Zillicoa Street, Asheville NC 28801, or e-mailed to comments-southern-north-carolina@fs.fed.us with “Recreation Fees” in the subject line.

Several organizations have combined to offer a reward of up to $10,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the deaths of two radio-collared red wolves that were found in Hyde County in April.

The red wolves, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act, were found dead on April 23 near Englehard in the eastern part of Hyde County and on April 27 near Scranton in the western part of Hyde County.

The maximum criminal penalties for the unlawful taking of a red wolf are one year imprisonment and $100,000 fine per individual animal.

The red wolf (Canis rufus) was declared extinct in the wild in 1980. By 1987, enough red wolves were bred in captivity to begin a restoration program at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, and today more than 100 red wolves roam their native habitats in five northeastern North Carolina counties.

The Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust, and Humane Society National Council member Cathy Kangas have contributed to the reward.

Anyone with information on the deaths of these red wolves or any other red wolves, past or future, should contact Special Agent Sandra Allred at (919) 856-4786, Wildlife Refuge Officer Chris Smith at (252) 926-4021 or North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Officer Robert Wayne at (252) 216-8225.