This Land, Your Land

North Carolina's state parks had a banner year in 2011, recording 14.25 million visits, which matches the all-time record set in 2009 and slightly exceeds the 14.19 million park visits in 2010, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation said in a news release today.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Dare County had the highest attendance last year at 1.32 million visits, which was actually a bit fewer than 2010's 1.47 million.

Among 39 state parks and state recreation areas, 15 reported increases in attendance in 2011.

Parks with significant increases in visitation include Dismal Swamp State Park in Camden County (34 percent), Elk Knob State Park in Watauga County (50 percent), Jones Lake State Park in Bladen County (26 percent), Kerr Lake State Recreation Area in Vance County (24 percent) and Medoc Mountain State Park in Halifax County (31 percent).

Several parks with new or improved amenities opening last year saw big jumps in attendance. A new 700-foot swim beach and picnic area at Lake James State Park opened for its first full season, and the park saw a 70 percent jump in visitation. A renovated marina opened at Carolina Beach State Park, a new equestrian trail network opened at Medoc Mountain and a number of hiking trails, including a volunteer-built summit trail, opened at Elk Knob.

Full attendance figures are available here.

Jones Lake State Park in Bladen County, below, was one of several state parks to see attendance increases in 2011. Click on the photo for more information about Jones Lake.

Update: The burn is to be conducted on 600 acres near the park’s northern boundary and adjoining Alcoa property, a news release posted Thursday says. Once a day is selected, the burn will begin in the late morning and will end by late afternoon.

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State Parks officials announced a prescribed burn at Morrow Mountain State Park that will close several sites and trails in the park's Fall Mountain area sometime between January 4 and 13.

On the day of the burn, the park will close the the boathouse and boat ramp areas, the group campground, the lower picnic area with Shelters B and C, the Kron House reconstruction site, and the Long Loop of the Bridle Trail, the Fall Mountain Trail, Three Rivers Trail and Quarry Trail.

The weather will determine the precise date of the burn, and closures won't be confirmed until the day they commence. Notice of the burn was on the park system's alert page as well as the Morrow Mountain page.

The alert advises checking the website or phoning the park at 704-982-4402 during the indicated week before going to the park.

The alert does not indicate the size of the burn nor how long the affected areas will remain closed.

State parks officials have announced plans for a prescribed burn in the Linwood Access area of Crowders Mountain State Park sometime between December 5 and 15.

The project will require that some areas of the Gaston County park be closed to the public during the event, a news release says.

The precise date of the fire will depend on weather conditions, but it will begin in the late morning and end by late afternoon. Follow-up operations could last for several days, and all areas on or around the Crowders Mountain summit will be closed to the public, including the Linwood Access parking area and trailhead, Tower Trail, Crowders Trail (Linwood section only), Backside Trail and Rock Top Trail, until the park staff determines the area is safe for visitors.

In addition to helping plants and animals that rely on periodic fire for their existence, prescribed burns reduce the amount of potential wildfire fuel.

Monitor the state parks alerts page, at http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/alerts/main.php, for notice of when the burn will be conducted.

Bruce Henderson of the Charlotte Observer took a look at North Carolina's state parks this week and found that budget cuts mean "visitors will pay more to camp, swim or picnic" and "find fewer rangers and more peeling paint."

"The park system also will lose millions from the trust fund that has helped it grow by about 5,000 acres a year since 1996," the report says.

But, no parks have closed, despite an early proposal to close some and shorten the week at others.

State legislators cut the parks budget by 25 percent this year and took $8.4 million from the trust fund to help balance the state budget. They also shifted another $6 million from the trust fund to be spent on park operations. The latter move means the overall parks budget is effectively 5.6 percent less than last year's, Henderson said.

The trust fund is supposed to be spent on land acquisition, capital projects, major maintenance expenses and local grants. This is the first time it has been spent on operations.

Meanwhile, parks officials have continued to hold the line against charging entrance fees, which a N.C. State University study shows would not pay off anyway, the newspaper says.

If you're into turtles, the North Carolina State Parks system is for you.

The state parks have declared 2011 the “Year of the Turtle” and plan turtle-themed programs all year long.

North Carolina is home to 21 turtle species, including the familiar box turtle, which burrows up to two feet beneath its upland forests in winter, and the rare loggerhead, leatherback and green sea turtles that lumber ashore to nest on its beaches, a parks system news release says. Every state park has resident turtle populations, and the United States has more turtle biodiversity than any other country.

Part of the celebration is an original bandana (below) that features illustrations of eight turtle species, designed from photos by state park rangers. The bandanas are available for $3 at state parks and through the parks' online store.

We had a chance to visit South Mountains State Park south of Morganton a few weeks ago, by chance showing up on Nature Day, and have added a page with photos and information to the Carolina Outdoors Guide section about State Parks.

Besides the back country, South Mountains' main attraction is the 80-foot High Shoals Falls. Take a look here.