North Carolina, South Carolina Agree to Jocassee Gorges Access Solution
September 8, 2008
Agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina have agreed on a solution to the problem of accessing the Jim Timmerman Natural Resources Area at Jocassee Gorges through North Carolina.
The Jocassee Gorges was purchased by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 1998, and certain sections can only be legally accessed over roads in North Carolina. The South Carolina DNR secured an easement across certain roads to ensure public access in 1998. In 1999, the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources bought the property that supports those roads and established Gorges State Park.
South Carolina DNR and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources have differed in opinion as to how the easement roads will be managed and used by the public.”This was a tough situation, where we want to be good neighbors, protect the environment, yet use the privileges we secured for public access at the same time,” said Mark Hall, South Carolina DNR Jocassee Gorges project manager. “With help from Duke Energy, which also has a vested interest in the road system, we’ve finally worked out an arrangement we can all live with.”
Access to Crossroads Mountain for the fall and winter of 2008 will be on the old Auger Hole Road, which starts on Frozen Creek Road, at the North Carolina Gorges State Park’s Frozen Creek access point in Transylvania County, N.C., near the town of Rosman. The Auger Hole gate and road will remain open until Gorges State Park completes construction activities at its main entrance, near Sapphire on NC Highway 281. Once construction is complete at the Sapphire location, permanent access will then be provided from the point on NC Highway 281, through Gorges State Park and down Grassy Ridge Road.
Visitors will be required to abide by North Carolina Parks’ regulations and may not stop or leave their vehicles until they reach North Carolina Game Lands at Turkey Pen Gap. Hunters must have guns cased. After reaching Turkey Pen Gap, visitors can travel west about one-half mile on Auger Hole Road, then south on Bear Creek Road to South Carolina’s Crossroads Mountain.
Interested visitors may contact South Carolina DNR’s Mark Hall at (864) 878-9071 or North Carolina’s Gorges State Park at (828) 966-9099.
DNR protects and manages South Carolina’s natural resources by making wise and balanced decisions for the benefit of the state’s natural resources and its people.
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Coastal Program Meeting on Funding priorities, June 25
May 28, 2008
The DNR Lake Michigan Coastal Program (LMCP) and the Coastal Advisory Board kick off the 2009 Coastal Grants funding cycle with a public input meeting, Wednesday, June 25.Â
The meeting will be at Valparaiso’s Forest Park Golf Course Club House, 1155 Sheffield Dr., at 6:15 p.m.
“The first step of each funding cycle is to gather input from the public, as well as potential applicants, on what they feel funding should be focused on,” said Jenny Orsburn, LMCP program specialist. “The Board will then take a vote and determine the priorities.”
Applications submitted for funding that meet a priority identified at the meeting will receive additional points in project evaluation and scoring. The Lake Michigan Coastal Grants Program is an annual competitive grants program that awards up to $700,000 to units of local government, regional and state agencies, colleges and universities, as well as to non-profit organizations.
Eligible projects include low-cost construction activities such as habitat restoration and public access improvements; land acquisition; planning and coordination projects, including comprehensive planning; as well as education and outreach projects. Projects must be located entirely within the coastal area, which comprises the northern portion of Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.
The LMCP was created to coordinate efforts between local, state and federal governments, as well as local organizations, and to support projects that protect and restore natural, cultural and historical resources in the region.
The LMCP is funded through the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Coastal Resource Management.
Fore more information visit the program’s Web site: dnr.IN.gov/lakemich
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McQuade Access to Open in July
May 20, 2008
The public access at McQuade Road to Lake Superior is not open to the public yet because construction is not complete, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
A grand opening for the McQuade access is planned for Friday, July 18 from 2-4 p.m. The public is invited to join the festivities and celebrate the opening of the long awaited facility.
“The facility may look like it is ready to use, but it is still a work-in-progress,” said DNR Harbor Coordinator Larry Killien. “We are asking the public to please wait just a little longer until it is complete and open to the public”.
Use of the facility at this time may impede construction activities, create hazards for both the public and the workers on site, and it may cause further delays, Killien said.
The contractor controls access to this construction zone and requires hard hats and safety vests for those allowed on site.
The McQuade facility has been under construction for the past two years. Finishing work includes a pedestrian walk and tunnel under Highway 61 and along the harbor, completion of the restroom facilities, boat ramps and docks, parking lot, fishing pier and landscaping.
The McQuade access promises to be an attractive and well-used facility that will provide access to Lake Superior for boaters, area residents and visitors alike, Killien said.
For more information, visit http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/water_access/harbors/mcquade.html
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