Hike - Save trails - Make friends
February 24, 2012
From the Editor
More and more outdoor and environmental nonprofts are finding that the CMC eNews is a great place to advertise their programs and functions. They're also letting our readers know what's happening on the CMC Facebook page. So news from the Smokies, the Wilderness Society, ATC and the newly formed Friends of Chimney Rock are featured in this issue. CMC news will always be the most important news in here but other environmental nonprofits are welcome to send in their news. And if there's room and interest, we'll let our readers know. Danny.
News and Happenings
Spring Social - Saturday April 28
Come to the seventh annual CMC Spring Barbeque, held in the beautiful NC Arboretum (http://www.ncarboretum.org) on Saturday, April 28, from 2:30 until 8:30.
The program will be all about the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (www.ncmst.org). There will be a slide show and discussion about the 1,000 miles through North Carolina. Where does the trail go after it leaves the CMC section at Black Mountain Campground? What's it like to complete the whole trail?
Danny Bernstein will be our after dinner speaker, along with CMC members Sharon McCarthy and Matt Kirk, all who have recently completed the entire MST. Kate Dixon, Executive Director of Friends of the MST, will also attend.
Highlights include
2:30 pm Casual hike around Lake Powhatan, about five miles
3:00 pm Wildflower hike on the Arboretum trails, about three to four miles
5:00 pm Social hour in the main building.
6:00 pm Dinner by Bubba Q. The menu will include barbeque pork and chicken, sides and dessert. Vegetarian lasagna will also be available.
7:00 pm MST Program
All questions should be directed to Les Love at lesrlove55@gmail.com.
Please register with the form at Springsocial2012 and mail it with your check to Les Love.
Carolina Mountain Club decals and patches
Carolina Mountain Club car decals and patches are available. To get yours, email Barbara Morgan, barbc129@gmail.com
Hot Springs TrailFest - Friday to Sunday April 20-22
On April 20-22, the town of Hot Springs will hold the 16th annual Appalachian Trail Fest. This is a great event to get out and socialize with other hikers. Activities for all ages will range from fantastically hilarious hiker games to, bike decorating, a spaghetti dinner, and so much more. Various outdoor gear vendors will be at the event, as well as a silent auction for gear and crafts. There will be a stage with entertainment, and plenty of large tents, just in case of rain!
You can see more at www.hsclc.org/newsevents/trailfest.html
Anyone interested in volunteering one to two hours at the CMC booth on Saturday April 21, please contact Kayah Gaydish kayita79@gmail.com
Volunteers in the Smokies - From Danny Bernstein (danny@hikertohiker.com)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is looking for volunteers. As one who has done this for two years and is coming back for a third, I can tell you that there's nothing more rewarding and fun. And oh yes, you get to wear a uniform. On the North Carolina side, there are three opportunities.
1. Volunteers are needed at Clingmans Dome visitor contact station to work alongside Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA) employees in the GSMA bookstore from April 1 through December 1. Each volunteer will be asked to serve at least one 4-hour shift per week where they will be working at the information desk and roving the trail to the Dome Tower from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Interested persons will be required to attend one of two 7 hour orientation and training sessions which will be given on March 9 at the Sugarlands Training Room and March 20 at the Oconaluftee Multipurpose Room.
2. The Oconaluftee Visitor Center, near Cherokee, North Carolina, is also recruiting for new volunteers. Volunteers will work behind the visitor center desk assisting visitors plan their trip and answering questions about the park as well as the interpretive programs offered. Volunteers will be asked to commit to 4 or 8 hours shift once per week and must be able to stand for long periods.
3. Positions are available in the Oconaluftee areas for roving volunteers. These positions are needed to walk the River Trail, Mountain Farm Museum and fields along Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road) to provide information to visitors about various park regulations including littering and viewing wildlife. In addition, these volunteers serve as a point of contact in the field to educate visitors on the park history and natural features. Interested persons will be required to attend one 7 hour orientation and training session on Friday, April 13 at the Oconaluftee Multipurpose Room.
This last one will be perfect for CMC members. After all, we're hikers.
To sign up as a volunteer or for more information about these volunteer opportunities please contact Park Ranger Florie Takaki at 828-497-1906.
North Carolina State Parks may be closing in the winter
A commission is looking into closing our North Carolina State Parks in the winter to save $2.4 million. The headlines said "millions of dollars" but the details show only 2.4 millions. They're also talking about the possibility of closing cultural resources and state museums. Look at this report www.ncleg.net/PED/Reports/documents/Attractions/SA_Report.pdf
The legislature ordered the study last year to determine whether the state could save money by consolidating administration "and to suggest optimal operating schedules for sites."
We, in Western North Carolina, are blessed with Federal lands, such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Pisgah National Forest, which cannot be totally closed. The Blue Ridge Parkway is closed for various reasons in the winter and therefore Mt. Mitchell State Park is also often closed as well. But we have Chimney Rock, Gorges and South Mountain near, all state parks that could be closed in winter.
The subcommittee will report back to the committee in March with potential recommendations for the full committee. The full legislature would have to approve any changes. This is the time to write to your North Carolina state representatives and state senators.
Friends of Chimney Rock Park group forming
A Friends of Chimney Rock State Park group is forming to help support activities and improvements at the state park. An organizational and informational meeting is taking place on March 1 at 6pm at the Lake Lure Town Hall. All are invited to attend and learn what a friends group does and help determine the priorities of the group. Membership levels will be developed soon.
Chimney Rock State Park is much more than the main tourist attraction the public has known for years. The park now encompasses over 5,000 acres of public land of both sides of Hickory Nut Gorge. The needs of the park and its staff have grown along with the park and this proposed Friends group would be a critical partner to helping the park grow and bring new offerings to the public.
For more information find the group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Chimney-Rock-State-Park/146649895453773) or e-mail them at chimneyrockfriends@gmail.com.
Free Movie Screening - Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for our Times
You might know Aldo Leopold from his classic work A Sand County Almanac, but this is the first full-length documentary film ever made about the legendary environmentalist. Green Fire highlights Leopold’s extraordinary career, tracing how he shaped and influenced the modern environmental movement and how he remains relevant today, inspiring projects all over the country that connect people and land. Four free screenings in our region are part of the national film tour, with special guest Curt Meine, the author of the Green Fire book and host of the film. The event sponsors include the NC Leopold Education Project, the NC Cooperative Extension, The Wilderness Society, the Western North Carolina Alliance, the United States Forest Service, and the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee.
The WNC Green Fire screenings are:
March 15th: Sylva, NC, Jackson County Public Library, Community Room, 6:00 pm
March 16th: Asheville, NC, University of North Carolina-Asheville, Highsmith University Union Grotto, 6:30 pm
March 17th: Crossnore, NC, Crossnore Forestry Training Facility, Main Cafeteria, 6:00 pm
March 21st: Swannanoa, NC, Warren Wilson College, Canon Lounge, 8:00 pm
For more information, visit www.greenfiremovie.com or e-mail jill_gottesman@tws.org.
Interview
Meet Stuart English
Stuart English earned one of CMC’s major honors in 2011 – the Award of Appreciation – for his years as editor of our newsletter, Let’s Go. Stu is mild-mannered and rather self-effacing, and he likes to write, so we did most of this interview via email and the rest while trudging up Mt. Pisgah on a spring like day in February.
Read the interview with Stuart English.
The Small Print
The next issue will come out on Friday, March 30. Wednesday hike reports for the hike just before the eNews comes out will be published in the next eNews.
Hiker leaders, please send all your eNews hike reports and photos to hiking@carolinamountainclub.org
So send me your news by Monday evening at 9 P.M. before the newsletter comes out, that is, by Monday evening March 26 to Danny Bernstein at danny@hikertohiker.com. Include your email address at the end of your story. Thank you.
The CMC Calendar is meant to answer the perennial question "When is this happening again?" It is also meant to prevent conflicts between competing CMC events. Please check it often.
Westgate parking - Park in the northernmost part of the lot - past EarthFare, in the last row of parking spaces.
How to join the Carolina Mountain Club
1. Go to www.carolinamountainclub.org
2. Click on “Join CMC” on the right side and follow the instructions
For CMC members only - Send all address and email changes to Gale O'Neal at gogalemail@gmail.com. Do not resubscribe yourself to the eNews. That will be done automatically.
If you are a non-member subscriber, you need to go back to the eNews and make the change yourself.