Newsletter Sept
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The Little River Watermark Membership Newsletter for Friends of DuPont Forest Volume 5, Issue 3 September 2007 President’s Corner Gloria Clouse, FODF President DuPont Forest had many visitors over the summer. Some were Friends of DuPont Forest has agreed to act as a fiscal agent for discovering it for the first time, while others returned to explore the new organization which is in the developmental stage. We are new areas and revisit favorite places. The serenity and beauty very excited about this project and will provide you with more in- of the area can be found while riding a bike, on the back of a formation as it gets underway. horse, or using your feet to hike, run, or just stroll through the trees and rocks. It is a great place to reconnect with nature. If A few of the leaves are starting to change and that can only mean you have not read The Last Child in the Woods: Saving our that the Tour de Falls is getting closer. On October 20, and 21, Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv, I would 2007, we will again provide shuttle buses for visitors to the for- recommend placing it on your reading list. Louv writes about est. We are happy to provide this service, especially to individuals the importance of the relationship between children and na- who are not physically able to visit all the sites on the tour. It is a ture. The fundamentals discussed in the book were the stimu- big undertaking and we would welcome your involvement. If you lus for a new organization known as Classroom Earth. Dr. John are interested in helping with the tour, please contact volun- Huie, of Warren Wilson College and Sandy Schenk , director of [email protected] or call 884-2006. We have a volunteer the Green River Preserve, a have formed a collaboration with job suited just for you! the public schools in Transylvania and Henderson counties to include outdoor experiences in DuPont Forest and surrounding Gloria Clouse, natural areas as a vital part of the school curriculum. Friends of DuPont Forest President Inside this issue: Unanticipated Event & New Trail Map Info 2 Upcoming Events, Trail Boss Needed & 3 Parking Lot Hosts Move a Mtn. Day & New Fawn Lake Pier 4 Tour de Falls Flyer 5 Become a Trail Partner 6 Forest Updates by David Brown DSF Supervisor 7 Member Perspectives 8 Canoe Day & Conservation Opportunity 9 Membership Form 10 Patrick Shepherd tied for 1st place in the 2007 Friends of DuPont Forest Photography Contest. His photo was chosen to be on the cover of the 2007 edition of the DuPont State Forest Recreational Guide Map. Go to www.dupontforest.com to view other fantastic photos that were submitted. Page 2 Unanticipated Tasks By David Brown, DSF Supervisor Working for the NC Division of Forest Resources (DFR) involves a large variety of tasks. Some like fighting fire, marking timber or diagnosing in- sect and disease problems are things one would anticipate doing when working in the forestry profession. Occasionally there are tasks that are outside the norm, but never the less, necessary. Since coming to DuPont State Forest in 2002, I have dealt with a few unan- ticipated tasks. The first was disassembling a pool table. After my wife and I moved into the DSF cottage we decided we did not need the pool table in the basement. It was offered to other DFR units, and the Training Facility in Kinston was the recipient. The only way to get it out the door and loaded onto a trailer was to take it apart. After a brief discussion with a pool table manufacturer, I discovered that taking a pool table apart was not too complicated. Dealing with fatalities in a State Forest is a dreaded task, and not something I anticipated when entering the forestry profession in 1971. In the past five years we have had three. One was the result of a heart attack. The other two occurred when visitors slipped and fell, one at Wintergreen Falls and the other at Triple Falls. I am indebted to my staff for the very capable and professional man- ner in which they responded to these incidents. Recently I was met with another unanticipated task - investigating a grave robbery. There are two graveyards in DSF, Thomas Cemetery and Moore Cemetery. Both date back to the 1800s. On August 29 th I received a call from a man that had visited Moore Cemetery near Hooker Falls, and reported he found an open grave. Richard Banks and I responded to the scene. The full length and width of Clinton Moore’s grave had been excavated to a depth of five feet. The crime was reported to the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Department, and Lieutenant Jeff Smith responded. Evidence was collected, and three individuals were arrested on Sep- tember 4. On August 30 th Clinton Moore, originally buried in 1905, was re-interred by Frank Cubero, Roberta Belcher and Alvin Barnwell. I feel sure that is not a task they anticipated when they left for work that morning. Keep up to date with more events sponsored by the Friends of DuPont Forest by going to www.dupontforest.com. Updated Maps Are Here Jeff Jennings, FODF Member & Webmaster Friends of DuPont Forest has updated our recreation guide map that offers substantial advantages over other map alternatives. These maps are being sold by area merchants as a fundraiser to support trail and other needed improvements at DuPont State Forest. The improved recreational guide map features: • Greatly expanded trail descriptions • Color photos of most major attractions • Larger 17" x 22" size offers TWICE the area of other DuPont maps • Shaded relief technology makes it easier to see grade changes • New folded waterproof PolyArt synthetic stock is more convenient to handle • Major water crossing are marked • Trail Rating System (Difficult, Moderate, Easy) with distances in miles • Summary and directions to major attractions • Driving directions from several regional cities You can purchase a map online at www.dupontforest.com for $8 each +$1.25 s/h. or order a map by mail for $8 each +$1.25 s/h + sales tax (NC only). Send checks to FODF Map Sales, 330 Franklin St, Brevard NC 28712. or you can purchase a map from one of our local merchants or accommodations that carry our maps. See the Accommodations page on our website for a complete list of map vendors. Page 3 October 13 - Litter Haters Alert! The next assault on litter is scheduled for Saturday, October 13. Meet at Lake Imaging at 9 a.m. (Note the change in date, place and time from that listed in last January’s newsletter calendar). Sturdy shoes, long pants and a cap are advisable since they ward off poison ivy, ticks and the sun. If you have an orange vest and grabber, bring them. Our supply is based on first come, first serve. You've all done so well in the past. On July 14, twenty-one people from FODF and the Carolina Conservancy cleared the roadsides of thirty-nine bags of garbage, two plastic pails filled with mystery guck and an old hi-fi turntable. Sightings were noted of one copperhead, a rather large rat and several ticks clinging to their unwel- coming hosts. We were and are a determined crew! Sad but true, the roadsides are filling up again. Educa- tion and persistence is the key. If interested or if you have any questions call Peg Bresnahan at 828-884- 6806 or email her at [email protected] October 20 & 21 - TOUR DE FALLS This event becomes more popular each year. We need volunteers to park cars, open gates, sell tickets, sell maps, help visitors board the buses, work at each of the stops, act as tour guides, serve refreshments and donate refreshments. If you can help, e- mail us at [email protected] or call 884-2006 or 692-2929. Let us know which day(s) (Oct 20 or 21) and what time(s) (AM shift 8:45 - 12:45 or PM shift 12:30 - 4:45) you would like to volunteer. (more event information on next page) October 25—Cemetery Hike Experience a night hike by the full moon. Tour the cemeteries located within the DuPont State Forest. Visit some of the spirits there. Meet at Hooker Falls Parking lot at 8pm & bring a flashlight, sturdy shoes. Contact John Carney at 862-3886 to sign up. November 17th—Fall Hike FODF board member Bev Parlier will lead a fall hike on Nov 17th. This will be a moderate hike of 5-6 miles. Bring a lunch and wear sturdy shoes. We will meet at 10 a.m. at the Corn Mill Shoals Parking area. The hike will be on the trails around the rock quarry. Bev has biked or hiked ALL the trails in DuPont! Please email at [email protected] or call 828-883-9278 to register. Trail Boss Needed DO YOU KNOW WHAT A PULASKI OR MATTOCK IS? Mattock Then we would like to talk to you! We have mem- bers who are willing to be trained for trail building and trail maintenance, but we need an experienced Trail Boss who can organize the training and work sessions and coordinate work projects with the For- est Staff. This is an area where we would like to expand volunteer service to DuPont forest. Please call 884-2006 or e-mail [email protected] if you have questions or suggestions. Pulaski Fall Parking Lot Hosts Each weekend from May through October, we try to staff the shelters at Hooker Falls or Buck Forest.