This Land, Your Land

The Smoky Mountain News has a nice report about decade-long piece of detective work that will eliminate a gap in the Bartram National Recreation Trail in Macon County.

Burt Kornegay was president of the North Carolina Bartram Trail Society some 10 to 15 years ago when he set out to determine who owned land necessary to reroute the trail from the Fishhawk Mountains section to the Nantahala section where hikers have to walk along the road and boat the Tennessee River. The task required deed searches, and land sales and purchases, and touched upon a 130-year-old murder case.

The 120-mile Bartram National Recreation Trail more or less traces the path of naturalist William Bartram's 18th century travels to collect plants in northwest Georgia and southwest North Carolina.

Because of work by Kornegay and others, the Bartram Trail Society is working the build a new 3.8-mile section of the Bartram Trail on once-private land that is now part of the Nantahala National Forest.

The Arrowood Glade picnic area off U.S. 64 and Wayah Road near Franklin in the Nantahala National Forest may be closed because of lack of use, the U.S. Forest Service said in a news release today.

"Over the years, use of the Arrowood Glade picnic area has fallen off to the point where it is no longer viable for the agency to continue operating the facility as it has in the past," Nantahala District Ranger Mike Wilkins says in the release. "The Forest Service is considering re-opening the area to small groups, on a reservation-only basis for a fee, but we also want to hear ideas from the public and preferences for use of the aging facility."

The roadside attraction has fallen into disrepair in recent years, mostly due to a backlog of deferred maintenance. It was to open April 1 but remains closed. If the Forest Service decides to open the picnic area, "repairs to the bathrooms and other features will be considered," the release says.

The picnic area is a few miles east of Wayah Bald, a well-known day use site with a historic fire tower that provides panoramic views of the Smoky and Unicoi mountains, and picnic grounds.

If you have ideas or comments, mail them by June 15 to Wilkins at: Nantahala Ranger District, 90 Sloan Road, Franklin, NC 28734.

Environmentalists and boaters are squabbling after the U.S. Forest Service announced rules for boating on a stretch of the Chatooga River through the end of April, the Asheville Citizen-Times reports.

Three environmental groups — Georgia Forest Watch, the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club and Wilderness Watch — filed motions demanding the Forest Service stop letting boaters on the Upper Chattooga, a national wild and scenic river. (The northern reaches of the river are in the Nantahala National Forest in Jackson and Macon counties, North Carolina.)

The Forest Service released a notice Tuesday saying that beginning March 16 (Friday) boaters with permits may float the upper segment of the Chattooga River when flows are high enough.

Boating is allowed on the main stem of the upper segment of the Chattooga between the confluence of Green Creek in North Carolina and one-quarter mile downstream of the Lick Log Creek confluence in South Carolina from December 1 to April 30 when water levels are high enough.

Tuesday's news release restates policy that has existed since before the Forest Service announced in February that it had decided to continue a year-round ban on boating between Lick Log Creek and Georgia Highway 28.

"The basis of the environment group appeal is that the Forest Service decision violates environmental laws and would cause damage to water quality, soils, riverbank and solitude experienced by visitors to the Upper Chattooga River, which runs through the Ellicot Rock Wilderness," the Citizen-Times says.

Meanwhile, American Whitewater, a boater access and river conservation group based in Cullowhee, demanded immediate and total access to the 21 miles of the Upper Chattooga, “to the same extent that existing uses are allowed.”

The U.S. Forest Service announced its decision Tuesday to not allow boating on a disputed stretch of the Upper Chattooga River, a national wild and scenic river.

"Current management, or not boating, will be maintained year-round between Lick Log Creek and (Georgia) Hwy. 28, an area that includes the popular Delayed Harvest, a highly valued trout fishery," the three forest supervisors in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia have decided. (The northern reaches of the river are in the Nantahala National Forest in Jackson and Macon counties, North Carolina.)

To maintain the ban on boating in the northern section of the river has been the Forest Service's stated preference throughout the decision-making process, so the final ruling comes as no surprise.

"The agency’s decisions have been seven years in the making," the Forest Service news release says, "during which time many individuals and organizations haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on how to manage the upper segment of the Chattooga WSR."

The restricted area is approximately 20 miles of the river's total of 57 miles. For five of the 20 miles, the river passes through the 8,274-acre Ellicott Rock Wilderness, which is protected under the Wilderness Act.

The Forest Service will continue to allow boating in the winter and early spring between Green Creek in North Carolina and Lick Log Creek in South Carolina.

"Other actions include maintaining the current prohibition on commercial boating and boating in the tributaries on the upper segment; preventing large woody debris removal without agency approval; and redesigning, relocating or closing some trails and campsites and maintaining sustainable ones," the release says. "In addition, the agency will continue to monitor visitor use and its impacts."

The 496-page decision and it supporting and background documents are available here.

An "excellent" fall color show should begin to roll down the mountainsides of western North Carolina in the next couple of weeks and continue through October.

Kathy Matthews, associate professor of biology specializing in plant systematics at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, said in her annual prediction that “2011 should prove to be an excellent year for fall color.”

Depending upon the timing of the first frost, fall colors should peak during the second week of October in the higher elevations, and during the third week of October in the mid-elevations, Matthews told WCU's The Reporter.

Howie Neufeld, Ph.D., professor of Plant Physiology at Appalachian State University in Boone, predicted this week on his The Fall Color Guy blog that the color would peak in the Boone/Grandfather Mountain area the weekend of October 7-9 and "maybe the next weekend farther south around Asheville."

Neufeld said colors in the Highlands/Cashiers area of the Nantahala National Forest peak about the same time as in Boone or just slightly afterward. In the Great Smoky Mountains, he said, "colors will peak in early October at the higher elevations, and then work their way downslope, with a delay of about five days for every 1,000-foot drop in elevation."

In his weekly report for this week, Neufeld said he drove to Linville Falls and Grandfather Mountain State Park over the weekend and found a significant increase in color on the hills compared to last week, though they are still about 80 percent green.

"On Grandfather Mountain, color is very pronounced on the heath balds and rock outcrops," Neufeld writes. "Above 4,500 feet, color is quite advanced, and on the eastern and lower flanks of Grandfather (the side facing the Blue Ridge Parkway) there are one or two ridges with excellent color already. You can get a great view of this from the Beacon Heights parking lot, and also on the rock outcrops at Beacon Heights (take the short trail to the top for spectacular views)."

Beacon Heights, at MP 305.3 on the Parkway, is a trailhead for Section 13 the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the Tanawha Trail, which goes under the Linn Cove Viaduct.

If you don't have plans for Saturday, there are at least 20 opportunities in North Carolina to participate in cleanup and rehabilitation work as part of National Public Lands Day. There are also guided hikes on the Appalachian Trail and free admission to National Parks as part of the annual celebration.

National Public Lands Day, September 24 this year, is the nation's largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands in the United States. Last year, 170,000 volunteers worked at over 2,080 sites in every state, the District of Columbia and in many U.S. territories.

Projects planned in North Carolina (link above) range from spreading wood chips along nearly a half mile of the Lake Trail at the Carl Sandburg National Historic Site in Flat Rock to removing aquatic debris and collecting water quality data at the Rachel Carson Coastal Reserve near Beaufort, and from trail work in the Nantahala National Forest's Panthertown Valley Backcountry Area near Cashiers and in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, to removing litter and debris at hurricane-damaged Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge near Rondanthe on the Outer Banks.

Opportunities to help also exist at local sites, like Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary and Fairview Park in Hillsborough.

Up the coast from Pea Island, entrance fees are waived for the day at the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk the only National Park in the state to charge for entry.

If you find yourself deep in the state's southwestern mountains this Saturday, consider heading over to Robbinsville for the rededication ceremony for the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.

The 3,800-acre old-growth hardwood forest within the Nantahala National Forest is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Part of the celebration is Saturday's ceremony, which is to be held at the Rattler Ford campground next door to the forest.

The forest was named for writer/poet Joyce Kilmer, best known for the poem, “Trees.” Kilmer was killed in action during World War I while serving in France on July 30, 1918.

The re-dedication will include a 5K road race through a portion of the Nantahala National Forest, exhibits about the area’s rich natural and cultural heritage, guided tours of the Joyce Kilmer National Recreation Trail, and speakers on Joyce Kilmer’s life and the U.S. Forest Service’s stewardship of wilderness.

(The news release linked to above did not have a time for Saturday's ceremony. Call the Cheoah Ranger District office in Robbinsville at 828-479-6431.)

Click on the photo below for a look at our visit to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and the Joyce Kilmer National Recreation Trail.

Belated grand opening festivities for the Jackrabbit Mountain Bike and Hiking Trail in the Nantahala National Forest are set for 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 30, and are to include group rides and hikes after a ribbon-cutting and speeches. There will be music, food and other presentations as well.

The 14.5-mile trail system at the Jackrabbit Mountain day use area just outside of Hayesville in Clay County has quickly become one the most popular in the Nantahala since construction began more than five years ago and it was opened bit by bit.

Recently a practice trail and restroom were built at the trailhead.

Saturday's event will feature group mountain bike rides led by the Southern Appalachian Bicycle Association (a huge force in getting the trial system built), group trail runs led by members of the Young Harris College cross country team and group hikes led by the Mountain High Hikers.

The full-service campground at Jackrabbit Mountain will be open for those who come for the trails dedication, the National Forest Service says.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy reports in its e-mailed newsletter that the historic Wayah Bald lookout tower restoration is complete and the tower has officially re-opened.

Wayah Bald (elev. 5,385 feet) is near Franklin in the Nantahala National Forest. The Appalachian Trail and the Bartram Trail cross the day-use area, which features the lookout tower first constructed by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The 50-foot tower, below, affords views of the Smoky and Unicoi mountains of the Nantahala and Little Tennessee valleys.

The tower was closed in November 2009 for safety concerns due to its deteriorating condition. Not only has the tower had a makeover, the ATC says, but there are new pathways, a new restroom and new accessible parking as well.

The National Forest Service has found "no significant impact" in the development of a shooting range proposed for Nantahala National Forest land near the Fires Creek backcountry area in Clay County.

The decision permits construction of the range on three to five acres approximately 9 miles east of Hayesville near Perry Creek, an area with several miles of popular hiking and bridle trails.

Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine said in February that the site is within a half-mile of the Chunky Gal Trail, a 21-mile-long footpath that connects to the nearby Bartram Trail from the Fires Creek Rim Trail, "which would make the sound of gunfire a constant companion on the trail."

Building a road to the range would mar an unspoiled area, which the Wilderness Society and Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition have named it a Mountain Treasure area, the magazine said, adding that the two groups had publicly opposed the project.

The Forest Service decision says the Perry Creek site has less of a noise impact on the Chunky Gal Trail than the alternative proposal to build the range at a site on Barnett Creek Road (Forest Service Road 6236).

Because Clay County is developing rapidly, "national forest lands represent one of the few options in the county to provide a safe, secure facility for marksmanship and training in firearms safety," the 40-page decision says.

The plan, Alternative B among proposals studied, calls for the creation of five to eight shooting lanes and clean-soil earthen backstops, approximately 1,300 feet of single lane, gravel road, and a parking lot for about 10 vehicles.

"The shooting facility, designed to the safety standards set by the National Rifle Association, will include covered shooting stations, sign boards, and a portable restroom facility," it says.

The proposal for a public shooting range in Clay County debuted in November 2002 with a proposed site on Birch Cove off Nelson Ridge Road, which was deemed too close to homes whose residents would be bothered by the noise.