Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 18

MOUNTAIN REPORT

NEW N.C. STATE PARK
And West Virginians block timber cutting in state parks.
by Cathryn McCue
FIGHTING FOX PHOTOGRAPHY/CHAD CORDELL

Watoga State Park is one of the many West Virginia state parks recently protected from commercial logging.

AROUND THE REGION

NORTH CAROLINA

TENNESSEE

WEST VIRGINIA

Citizens in West Virginia,
Virginia and North Carolina continue to vigorously oppose two proposed
massive natural gas
pipelines that, combined,
would cut 900 miles
through the three states.
This spring, developers
of both the Mountain
Valley and Atlantic Coast
pipelines started cutting
trees along the routes
even as nonprofit groups
filed lawsuits, opponents
petitioned office-holders
to stop the projects,
and several protesters
began a "tree-sit" in the
Jefferson National Forest.
A February report found
the projects, which cross
Virginia waters more
than 1,000 times, would
threaten drinking water
supplies of thousands
of people. on.nrdc.
org/2D5dcLJ

Natural resource managers are shifting their
stewardship of stateowned lands and waterways, taking a more
hands-on approach of
active management
through hundreds of
projects across the state.
Says Marshall Ellis, the
mountain region biologist for N.C. State Parks:
"We've never really
done a very good job of
actually managing our
resources. And then we
began to realize Mother
Nature occasionally
needs a little help." For
example, the state
worked with a private
contractor to repair
damage to a stream
in Stone Mountain
State Park caused by a
rock quarry company.
ncparks.gov

North Carolinians will
soon welcome a new
addition to their park
system - Bobs Creek
State Natural Area, in
McDowell County. The
2,900-acre tract was
purchased by conservationist Tim Sweeney,
who is working with The
Foothills Conservancy
to transfer it to the state
once funds are raised
for the purchase, minus
one third the cost that
Sweeney is donating.
Almost entirely forested,
the land is a key corridor
connecting the South
Mountains and Blue
Ridge Mountains. Plans
are to keep it as a natural
area, open to the public,
but less developed
than parks in order to
preserve the sensitive
ecosystems. foothills
conservancy.org

The Obed Wild and
Scenic River National
Park grew by 161 acres
in January, thanks to the
donation of land by Mary
Ann Gibbons whose
family has owned and
protected the property
for more than 50 years.
The tract has two miles of
river frontage along the
heart of the Obed and
includes major rapids
like "Widowmaker" and
"Keep Right," as well as
high cliffs, waterfalls,
sandstone features,
mature hardwood and
hemlock forests. The Gibbons family worked with
Tennessee Citizens for
Wilderness Planning and
The Nature Conservancy
on the deal.
nps.gov/obed/index.htm

Legislation proposed
by Gov. Justice that
would have allowed
commercial logging
in state parks for the
first time since 1931 was
defeated in February
after vigorous public
opposition from sportsmen, conservationists,
foresters and others.
Proponents argued that
selling timber would
pay for a backlog of
park maintenance, but
were met with broad,
bipartisan support for
protecting public lands,
which draws substantial
tourism to the state.
"Thousands of West
Virginians spoke up . .
. to demand that these
special places remain
protected," said Chad
Cordell of Kanawha Forest Coalition. wvrivers.
org/sosparks

18 BlueRidgeCountry.com

http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com

Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018

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