Great Outdoor Blog

Photo © Dr. David Blevins, all rights reserved

Research Triangle Park, NC – This past weekend the North Carolina Wildlife Federation presented the 48th Annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards to 20 winners dedicated to conservation in North Carolina.

The following remarks accompanied the presentation of the Governor’s Business Conservationist of the Year award to Tom Valone, owner of Great Outdoor Provision Co.

“Walk the talk. That’s a phrase that means practicing what you preach, leading by example, and letting your actions spread your message. For two decades, the Great Outdoor Provision Co. has walked the talked when it comes to meaningful green business practices. In fact, the Great Outdoor Provision Company walks the talk, paddles the talk, climbs the talk, hikes the talk, fly-casts the talk, and camps the talk. With seven stores in North Carolina and a legacy of giving back, the Great Outdoor Provision Co. is for many many customers as much a beloved part of the state’s landscape as a mountain view or Piedmont waterfall. Under the leadership of local owners Tom and Becca Valone, the stores have celebrated Land Trust Day for 20 years, donating profits back to local land trusts. The company provides trail crew assistance every month for the Mountains-to-the-Sea trail, supports Boy Scouts and Girl Scout Programs, helped establish the N.C. State Parks Junior Ranger Program, and contributes to conservation groups from the Wildlife Federation to the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, another half-dozen local lands conservancies, the Audubon Society, Coastal Conservation Association, and more.

The Great Outdoor Provision Co. puts its money where the wild is, and where it can inspire North Carolinians to do the same. For that kind of leadership, it is the 2010 Governor’s Business Conservationist of the Year.”

Awards winners are nominated by the citizens of North Carolina and decided upon by a committee of scientists, environmental educators, and conservation activists. “This awards program brings together a remarkably diverse group of conservationists to highlight the `good news’ about wildlife conservation in North Carolina,” said Gestwicki, “Our primary focus is to applaud and honor these people who work so hard for wildlife and the air, water, land that they and all of us depend upon”.

Rydr $65, Revolvr $65

I highly suggest trying on a pair of the new Kuhl Revolvr and Ryder pants. For guys who like a slightly more fitted pair of outdoor pants, these feel great and still give you all the flexibility of a more loose fit. The long gusset in the crotch and the articulated knee make it very easy to do just about anything without having to feel like you’re swimming in pants.

The Uberkuhl fabric in the Revolvr is a mix of nylon woven in with an oxford cotton that gives the pants a vintage and hard look of an old pair of carhartts without the abrasiveness. It also allows moisture to pulled to the nylon for quick evaporation and a feeling of an ultralight pair of pants. It’s truly a set of pants that can make it from the office to the trail without worry. You’ll get hooked as soon as you try them on!

- Ira Rushing, Greenville Shop

Providing Raleigh with a "new sense of place"

Raleigh received a precious gift today. Our first Nature Preserve. The benefactress was accustomed to making special deliveries such as the Park dedicated in her honor today. As a pioneer in medicine Annie Louise Wilkerson, MD delivered over 8,000 babies. Dr. Annie was the first female doctor of obstetrics and gynecology in Raleigh and the first woman to serve as chief of staff at Rex Hospital and at Wake Med. She always put her patients first and the gift of this park provides a haven for generations to come.

View across the prairie at the Wilkerson Preserve

Dr. Annie passed away in 2005 at the age of 91 and in her will gave the City of Raleigh a 157-acre farm. The terms of the gift include:
“That the property herein conveyed shall be maintained as a nature preserve park, and used for the primary purpose of nature and wildlife education, the study of research into methods of conservation, and shall not be used for general recreation or any other purpose inconsistent with the primary purposes set forth above.

The park shall be name the Annie Louise Wilkerson, MD Nature Preseve Park.”

Located in at 11408 Raven Ridge Road, this park, as Raleigh Parks & Recreation Manager Stephen Bentley put it, “gives Raleigh a new sense of place.” A great lover of nature, Dr. Annie outlined specific themes in her will as goals for the park. Just walking from the Park Office (former family home) down to the pond you recognize that Mr. Bentley and the team at City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation have honored the wishes of Dr. Annie and the Wilkerson Family.

View of Wilkerson Preserve Pond

The preserve includes trails, prairie areas, picnic areas and thick forest to help visitors find their own sense of place. The preserve was designed using Low Impact Development (LID) and Sustainable principles. Permeable pavers are used as an alternative to more traditional hardscapes. The wastewater treatment and water reclamation system is unique and provides a model for future park projects. The system treats the wastewater from the Park Office and restrooms into recycled water used to flush the toilets and urinals in the restrooms. This is the first small scale Membrane Bio-Reactor reuse system of this type and application in the State of North Carolina. Visitors will also find a car charging station provided for electric vehicles.

But this is just the beginning. Phase 2 will bring additional features to the Wilkerson Nature Preserve as the park compliments and connects with the other services of the North district boundaries within the Falls Lake watershed. Discover the park yourself and take along a friend. Dr. Annie would like that.

Enjoy this fantastic video by Randy Johnson about this year’s Big Dig in Watauga County. Seeing this makes us appreciate our dedicated MST volunteers even more (if that’s even possible!). Thanks for a great video of the weekend, Randy!

>> Learn more about the MST

2012 Wilderness Systems Ride 115

We’re excited to officially announce the 2012 Ride 135 has arrived in our Charlotte and Raleigh shops. The new Ride 115 has arrived in Greenville.

Big-Time Stability and Versatility. Small-Time Kayak. The New Ride 115.

It’s everything anglers and paddlers ask for in a sit-on-top kayak and expect from The Ride name. Massive capacity, straightforward storage, versatile performance, rigability and rock-solid stability. What makes the all-new Ride 115 stand above all others is the one thing they were nervous to even ask for: portability.

• Length – 11′6″ / 351 cm
• Width – 33″ / 84 cm
• Weight – 76 lbs* / 35 kg (*with seat removed, kayak weighs 68 lbs / 31 kg)
• Deck Height – 16.5″ / 42 cm
• Seating Well – 67″ x 21.5″ / 170 x 55 cm
• Capacity – 500 lbs / 227 kg

2012 Wilderness Systems Ride 135

Fully redesigned for 2012 as a stable powerhouse with versatility, capacity, and configuration capabilities that take our celebrated Ride series to a whole new level.

Specifications

• Length – 13′6″ / 411 cm
• Width – 31.5″ / 80 cm
• Weight – 82 lbs* / 37 kg (*Average weight without removable seat 74 lbs. / 33kg)
• Deck Height – 16.25″ / 41 cm
• Seating Well – 67″ x 21.5″ / 172 x 55 cm
• Capacity: 550 lbs. / 249 kg

*These are pre-production specs and subject to slight change.

Friday, September 9
7-10pm
Hanes Brand Theatre – Winston-Salem, NC

You don’t have to journey to Banff each fall to see these exciting films! Great Outdoor Provision Co. will host Banff Mountain Film’s Radical Reels – a special screening of the wildest high-adrenaline films entered in the Banff Mountain Film Festival. So many action films were being submitted to the film festival that they could not fit into the regular screenings, resulting in the creation of the hugely successful Radical Reels evening presentation.

The established Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour has been thrilling audiences since 1981. Most World Tour screenings include a range of different themes (adventure sports, environment, mountain culture, heritage, etc.) and styles (action-filled shorts; longer, more comprehensive films; amateur and professional productions; etc.). The Radical Reels Tour presentations incorporate all these elements, but the focus is on dynamic, high-adrenaline films featuring sports such as skiing, climbing, kayaking, BASE jumping, snowboarding and mountain biking. These activities continue to be included on the World Tour, but Radical Reels Tour is for audiences who prefer all action films.

The Radical Reels Film Tour visits approximately 19 states and provinces, reaching over 35 different locations. Most screenings take place in the September to October and February to May time periods.