This Land, Your Land

Boat and canoe rentals will not be available at Morrow Mountain State Park in Stanly County this year, the state Division of Parks and Recreation said Wednesday

Storms that eroded the shoreline and flooding from Lake Tillery have damaged the boathouse, as well as much of the nearby Fall Mountain Trail, which remains closed.

Construction to replace the boathouse should begin later this year, and rentals should resume in 2011.

Elsewhere, docks damaged by winter flooding have been removed from the Ebenezer boat ramp access at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, although the boat ramps remain available for use.

Boaters that require or prefer the use of courtesy docks should launch from the Robeson Creek or Farrington Point boat ramp areas, which are open 24 hours a day, or from the New Hope access, which is open during normal state park operating hours.

The state parks system will gradually replace all of the existing floating courtesy docks at Jordan Lake with ones that do not rely on permanent pilings.

A pavilion-style picnic shelter, picnic grounds, play fields, a half-mile hiking trail and a ranger contact station open at Mayo River State Park Thursday, the long-awaited opening of the newest park in the state system.

The 1,961-acre state park was authorized by the N.C. General Assembly in 2003. The interim facilities are on a 398-acre site just north of Mayodan on N.C. 220 Business and known locally as Mayo Park, a news release from the Division of Parks and Recreation says.

The pavilion-style picnic shelter (below) and a cooking shelter were designed by renowned architect Antonin Raymond, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright who introduced a Japanese style of architecture to the U.S. incorporating natural materials. The pavilion and cooking shelter have been fully restored in wood and natural stone.

Land acquisition for Mayo River State Park continues within a 12-mile river corridor from Mayodan north to the Virginia state line. The state parks system owns about 400 acres contiguous to the state line, which could be developed as a second principal access to the park.

North Carolina's National Forests have adopted proposals announced in February that limit geocaching and use of metal detectors on forest lands as a means to protect special areas and historical artifacts from damage.

Friday's news release announcing the decision says there's a list of areas affected by the new ban on the National Forests in North Carolina Web site - http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/ - but we could only find a geocaching brochure that has no such list.

Geocaches, hidden containers that game participants try to find by using GPS coordinates or other navigational techniques, are prohibited in wildernesses, experimental forests (such as the Bent Creek Experimental Forest near Asheville) or Wild and Scenic River corridors, the release says. "Virtual caches," which refer to existing features such as waterfalls and scenic vistas, are still allowed.

The second rule limits possession or use of metal detectors to approved areas, primarily swimming beaches like those at Lake Powhatan in the Pisgah National Forest, Jackrabbit Mountain in the Nantahala, Flanners Beach in the Croatan, and Kings Mountain Point in the Uwharrie. Forest visitors can still get permission to use metal detectors to find lost personal property in other areas.

The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge last week debuted an open-air tram equipped with a speaker system (below) it will use to take visitors on interpreted tours. A news release says tourists on the maiden voyage Saturday caught glimpses of a bear (below, right), a Northern Harrier eating a meal it had just caught, and several freshwater turtles - mostly yellow-bellied sliders.

The refuge will offer the tours this summer from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. each Thursday, the release says. They will usually begin at Creef Cut Wildlife Trail and follow along the Wildlife Drive, making one of several possible loops. The new tram will also be used for regularly scheduled Bear Necessities programs, which run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. each Wednesday during the summer.

"The general interpretive message for the tour includes all the basics (message of the USFWS, message of the NWRS, goals and objectives of the refuge, things to see and do on the refuge, etc.), plus an assortment of hands-on activities ranging from using telemetry to track red wolves to hunting for deer, bear and raccoon tracks, to finding the wet trails where bears crossed the road!," the release says. "We examine water control structures and learn how they work, identify some trees, birds and turtles, and talk about fire and how we use it on the refuge to make habitats better."

Other times of the year, at least one monthly Saturday tour will be conducted. During the Wings Over Water wildlife festival in November, there will be many special tram tours offered at Alligator River and a couple at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore has set five public hearings for consideration of the draft environmental impact statement/Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan for the seashore. "The Plan/EIS will guide the management of ORV use at America’s first national seashore for the next 10 to 15 years," a news release says. The National Park Service is also developing an ORV regulation for the seashore.

The hearing schedule includes dates in Ocracoke, Buxton, Kill Devil Hill, Raleigh and Hampton, Virginia, April 26 - 29. The meetings will follow a hearing-style format, which includes a brief presentation, with time allotted for public comments.

Federal law requires an annual report on the status of the herd at Cape Lookout National Seashore, and the latest says there are 114 horses on Shackleford Banks, according to a news release. Five foals were born in 2009; one died shortly after birth. Four young horses were removed to go to adoptive homes.

Six older horses died last year. At least two foals are expected this spring.

There's more information and the contact for the full report here.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore has released a photo of the newest member of the Ocracoke Island pony herd. Paloma, a filly, was born on a warm spring morning, March 22, 2010, to Spirit, a full-blooded Ocracoke pony.

The Knoxville News Sentinel has posted a roundup of opening dates for popular sites and roads in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, several of which are delayed because of road improvement projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or the Federal Lands Highway Program. (See our previous post about these projects here.)

Two of the more popular are the road to Clingmans Dome, which is to open May 29, and Cades Cove Loop Road, which closed for refurbishment March 1 and will reopen May 21.

The U.S. Forest Service has decided not to raise the camping fees private concessionaires charge holders of National Park Service passes for the elderly and handicapped. Those who hold Golden Age and Golden Access Passports and Senior and Access Passes will instead continue to get 50 percent discounts, a news release says.

The Forest Service had proposed cutting the discount to 10 percent.

"The Forest Service conducted a 60-day public notice and comment period on the proposed changes," the news release says. "More than 4,000 comments were received."

Seniors age 62 and older pay a one-time $10 fee for the Senior Pass. Lifetime Access Passes for people with disabilities are free.

Concessioners are not required to accept passes at day use sites.

National Forest campgrounds in North Carolina operated by private companies include Standing Indian and Van Hook Glade in the Nantahala National Forest, and Black Mountain, Briar Bottom Group Camp, Carolina Hemlocks, Davidson River, Lake Powhatan and North Mills River in Pisgah National Forest.

Cape Lookout National Seashore has selected a contractor to perform the repairs necessary to make the lighthouse safe enough for the public to climb on a regular basis. Completion of the work is anticipated sometime this summer, a news release says.

The Seashore is also looking at what it needs to charge climbers to recoup part of the expense of staffing and custodial maintenance. Officials are proposing a fee like the one charged to climb the lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore - $8 for adults and $4 for ages 8 - 12 and 62 and older.

Plans are to have the tower open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from May until the end of September each year, though it will open later this year. Currently, it is only open four days a year.

A public meeting for comments about the proposed fee is scheduled for the Duke Marine Lab auditorium from 7 to 8 p.m. March 26.

Until April 14, comments may be sent to Cape Lookout National Seashore, Lighthouse Fee Comments, 131 Charles Street, Harkers Island, North Carolina 28531, or they may be e-mailed to Wouter_Ketel@nps.gov.