This Land, Your Land

The State Forest Service will present the recently completed Land and Resource Management Plan for DuPont State Recreational Forest at a public hearing on November 3 in Hendersonville.

Forest Service staff will "explain the planning process and provide an overview of the plan as it relates to the management of natural communities, wildlife habitat and recreation," according to a news release. The plan doesn't appear to be available online at this point.

DuPont was transferred to the state Department of Agriculture and designated a "state recreational forest" (as opposed to "state forest") earlier this year, and forest supporters feared the transfer from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources could change the primary orientation of the forest from recreation to timber production.

"Topics of discussion at the meeting will include how that new designation will affect current and future projects involving recreation, invasive species control, prescribed burning and timber harvesting," the release says.

Thursday's meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Henderson County Public Library, 301 N. Washington Street, Hendersonville.

"Meeting participants are encouraged to ask questions and offer comments regarding the current and future management of the forest," Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says in the release.

The Friends of DuPont State Forest have announced dates for a fall version of Tour de Falls, a 12-mile shuttle bus tour to four spectacular sites in DuPont State Recreational Forest.

Buses departing from the High Falls Access Area every 30 minutes will take visitors to Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Julia from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on September 24 and 25, a Saturday and Sunday.

The Tour de Falls has also been held in May.

The High Falls Access Area is at 1300 Staton Road, Cedar Mountain, N.C. (N35E11.356', W082E 37.425').

The tour takes three hours or longer, depending on how much time you spend at each stop, according to the Friends. There are no food concessions at the forest, so visitors need to bring food and water. Light refreshments will be available at the lodge overlooking Lake Julia, which is the last stop on the tour.

The tour is free but a donation of $6 for ages 6 to 17 and $12 for ages 18 and older is requested. There are no advance reservations.

Donations to the nonprofit Friends of DuPont Forest "are used to finance construction projects such as shelters and steps at the waterfalls, to maintain 90 miles of trails, and to support research and educational projects that protect historical and natural resources within DuPont State Recreational Forest," the group says.

Click on the photo of Triple Falls for more information about DuPont State Recreational Forest.

Supporters and users of DuPont State Forest are concerned that the budget passed last week by the N.C. House of Representatives could change the primary orientation of the forest from recreation to timber production. They want the forest to be given a designation of its own that retains its recreational mandate (.pdf).

The budget proposal transfers the Division of Forest Services, including DuPont and Bladen Lakes state forests and seven Educational State Forests, from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources — which includes the Division of Parks and Recreation — to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Treating DuPont State Forest as a source of agricultural products could hurt recreation at the 10,400-acre forest in Transylvania and Henderson counties, Fred Roane, a board member of Friends of DuPont Forest, told Nanci Bompey of the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Supporters think the move will mean less of a focus on hiking, biking and horseback riding in the forest, and a move instead toward more logging.

"With the transfer of Forest Resources to Agriculture ... we now have a Division of Forest Resources with no recreational budget or mandate reporting to a department with no recreation budget or mandate," the four past presidents of Friends of DuPont Forest wrote in an op-ed appearing in the Henderson Times-News. "Did you know that Agriculture does not even report to the governor, but to the elected agriculture commissioner?

"The only other state forest in North Carolina is Bladen Lakes, which is run as a self-sustaining commercial tree farm with no discernible recreation system. There is discussion of closing some educational state forests. How will recreation at DuPont fare under the new management in times of severe budget cuts? Or in several years when our current dedicated supervisor retires?"

The four Friends leaders call for keeping the current hunting and fishing policies at DuPont as "a core mission of the property," and, where possible, maintaining multiple trail use, including mountain biking and equestrian use, and say they support "responsible timber management on the property outside of the current nature preserves."

Leaders of various user groups began meeting about two weeks ago as news of the potential transfer circulated, and chose Roane to lead the fledgling DuPont Recreational Working Group. They call for supporters to contact their state representatives.

"All of the persons who have begun meeting support the current recreational and land management practices, and we want to prevent any changes that would threaten the current management priorities," Roane said in a news release from the group. "We are researching whether DuPont should be something other than a 'state forest.' Perhaps some other legal recognition is necessary — like a 'state recreational forest' or a 'state recreational area' would be a better designation.”

DuPont State Forest Supervisor David Brown told the Citizen-Times he wouldn't expect management of the forest to change drastically if the transfer went through, and that some timber harvesting is likely anyway.

"I don't think it will have a significant impact on visitation, and of course, we're not going to be clear-cutting around the waterfalls," he said. "We would protect areas where we have the highest concentration of visitors."

The annual Tour de Falls at DuPont State Forest, a 12-mile shuttle bus tour of the forest's four most scenic sites, is this weekend, May 6 and 7.

Buses will leave the parking area approximately every 40 minutes from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday to visit Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Lake Julia.

Triple Falls - Click on the photo for more information about DuPont State Forest.

Because the buses run continuously, visitors can get off and explore each area. The Friends of DuPont State Forest, the tour sponsors, estimate three hours of more to complete the circuit.

The tour starts at the parking lot at 1300 Staton Road (N35E.11.356', W082E.37.425') in Cedar Mountain, which is just up the road from the High Falls access area. DuPont State Forest straddles the border of Henderson and Transylvania counties in southwestern North Carolina.

Bring your own food and water; the 10,400-acre forest has no facilities. Light refreshments will be available in the rustic lodge overlooking Lake Julia, which is the last stop on the tour.

The tour is free, but a $10 donation is requested.

Donations to the nonprofit Friends of DuPont Forest "are used to finance construction projects such as the shelters and picnic tables at High and Triple Falls, to maintain the 90 miles of trails, and to support research and educational projects focused on historical and natural resources with DuPont State Forest," the group says.

Gov. Bev Perdue's budget proposal would close most state parks two days a week and close Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest in Wilkes County and Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest in Bladen County altogether to save money.

A proposal floated in November targeted Mount Jefferson State Natural Area in Ashe County and Singletary Lake State Park in Bladen County for closing.

Under the budget Purdue presented this week, state parks would close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except for Carolina Beach, Chimney Rock, Fort Macon, Haw River, Jockey's Ridge and Mount Mitchell, which have contracts requiring them to remain open, according to The News & Observer, and Hammocks Beach and Umstead, which are impractical to close.

Closing Rendezvous and Turnbull Creek educational state forests is attributed to low attendance and is to save $131,000, according to NBC 17.

"The governor's recommendation is to save $3 million by reducing funding to the Division of Parks and Recreation by 10 percent," the Journal says. "Staff reductions would be avoided by closing most parks two days a week. The division would be given flexibility in how to manage that."

Purdue's budget also closes the state's nine welcome centers two days a week and would eventually privatize them to save $1.9 million, the Journal says.

North Carolina's state parks reported this week they had 14 million visitors in 2010, second in attendance only to the record year of 2009.

The state has added more than 1,500 acres of natural woodlands to the Bladen Lakes State Forest near Elizabethtown, The Fayetteville Observer reported Tuesday.

Bladen Lakes State Forest encompasses about 33,000 acres adjacent to Jones Lake and Singletary Lake state parks and Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest. White Lake is nearby, as well.

Bladen Lakes is one of the largest state-owned forests in North Carolina, The Observer says. It has 130 miles of dirt roads, and is open for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and horseback riding, but requires permits.

The 1,562-acre addition comprises an approximately 777-acre Prestage tract, a 683-acre Boyette tract and the approximately 140-acre Stevens tract.

Trails at Dupont State Forest re-opened earlier this week upon completion of work to clear them of debris from winter storms, Forest Supervisor David R. Brown says on the Friends of Dupont Forest Web site.

"This does not mean that trails will be completely free of hazards," he adds. "Visitors to the forest must always be aware of their surroundings, and watch for hazards."

The winter of 2009-'10 was wetter and colder than any winter in recent years, and ice storm debris created hazards on many trails.

The Vista Trail will not be cleared or reopened, the message says.

Dupont State Forest encompasses 10,300 acres on the Transylvania/Henderson county border between Hendersonville and Brevard. The forest has four major waterfalls on Little River, including Triple Falls (below), and several more on Grassy Creek.

In another note on the site, the Friends group has announced that it will not hold the Mother's Day Tour de Falls this year. It cites "a lack of affordable buses."

DuPont State Forest has closed many trials because of debris fallen in recent snow and ice storms, the State Division of Forest Resources announced last week.

"The February 5th ice storm broke lots of tree limbs and tops," the Division says. "Freezing weather and additional snows have hampered cleanup operations. ... Main forest roads are clear, but are muddy when not frozen. ... Most single-track trails have debris in them. They may be passable for hikers, but mountain bikers and horseback riders will find them difficult to negotiate.

"Some trails will be closed temporarily until the ground is completely thawed and we have at least a week without rain or snow."

A list posted March 6 shows 20 trails closed indefinitely because of wet conditions and debris. The list is to be updated weekly.

The 10,300 acre DuPont State Forest is located in Henderson and Transylvania counties between the towns of Hendersonville and Brevard.

The Friends of DuPont Forest will sponsor the annual Tour de Falls Saturday and Sunday, offering a 12-mile tour by shuttle bus to four of Dupont State Forest’s spectacular sites: Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Julia.

Shuttles will run from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., allowing visitors the chance to enjoy each site for as long as they like. The tour generally takes about 2 hours.

DuPont State Forest is located in Henderson and Transylvania counties in western North Carolina. The beginning of the tour is located adjacent to the Buck Forest entrance on Staton/DuPont Road.

The Friends group will have volunteers on each shuttle and at the four stops to provide information about the history of the forest and the work now being done to preserve and protect it. At Lake Julia, the last stop before returning to the parking lot, refreshments will be served in the rustic lodge overlooking the lake.

No advance reservations are required. A $10 per person donation is requested.