Great Outdoor Blog

Ride for the Land 2008
Nearly 200 cyclists rolled out July 19 for Ride for the Land 2008: The Little River Roll. The tour brought attention to TLC’s Little River Priority Area and raised awareness of our efforts to preserve this critical piece of our natural heritage. While we at TLC have packed away the water jugs and signage until next year, you can reminisce about this year’s ride by reviewing our photos online.

Burrito Bash - Sept 9
TLC is teaming up with Haw River Assembly and the General Store Cafe of Pittsboro for a Burrito Bash! Join us on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at the General Store Cafe (39 West St, Pittsboro) for music, dancing, a silent auction, and of course, burritos! If you are interested in volunteering at the event or would like to donate an item to the silent auction, please contact Marisa Bryant at mbryant@tlc-nc.org or 919-833-3662 ext. 111. For tickets and to view the growing list of auction items, click here.

Haw River Paddle Day - August 30
Join us for an all-day paddling extravaganza on the Haw River at the Lower Haw State Natural Area upstream of the Bynum Dam. We’re offering a different kind of paddle trip on August 30 — six different two-hour trips allowing different ways to see the Haw River. Some of the trips will be themed guided trips: birding, natural history, and geocaching. Others will be “freestyle” do-it-yourself explorations. Details and registration

Hot off the Press - The Raleigh News and Observer is doing a 4 part series about the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Click Here for all of the articles, video’s, and interviews about the MST.

Falls Lake Trail Workday - August 23, 2008

Come help FMST extend the Falls Lake Trail to Durham. Great Outdoor Provision Co. will be providing Chick-fil-a breakfast for the workers! Great Outdoor Provision Co. also joined forces with Patagonia to purchase a trailer to store & transport all the Trail Crew tools.

Meeting Location: Rolling View State Recreation Area - MST Parking Lot at 9:00 AM for the start of work.  Please RSVP this week with Jeff Brewer (jdbrewer@bellsouth.net) so we put the finishing touches on our projects for this workday. With a good turn out we will reach the 40 mile mark at Falls Lake as we close the gap at Santee Road. Once we close the gap at Santee we will move over near Patterson Road and start building the trail to Hickory Hill Boat Ramp - about 7.2 miles. We have some trail work to do at the dead end of Boyce Mill Road  for a group of about 10-12 workers. Your RSVP is a huge help in knowing our total attendance for the workday.

» MORE INFO

Late this afternoon, we received the following video dispatch from Lin Peterson at Great Outdoor Provision Co. Marketing. He was on the summit of Middle Teton with Chad Baird (Footwear Product Manager), and took time out to enjoy some of the Trail Mix Crunch that samples that Grassroots retailers passed out this summer.

In June, Grassroots Retailers worked with Post Cereal to promote Trail Mix Crunch to benefit the environment. Grassroots Outdoor Alliance and Post Cereal partnered to benefit American Forests’ Global ReLeaf Program. In a joint effort, Post Cereals donated $50,000 to American Forests-enough to plant 50,000 trees in 2008. The partnership brings together the effort of 34 independent retailers across 22 states to lend support to the program.

The effort is highlighted in Grassroots’ member stores across the country in conjunction with the launch of Post’s new Cranberry Vanilla cereal. Customers will receive samples of the new cereal and learn more about getting involved with the American Forests restoration program in each location. American Forests is a world leader in planting trees for environmental restoration, a pioneer in the science and practice of urban forestry, and a primary communicator of the benefits of trees and forests. The joint effort is kicking off this weekend with National Trails Day and Land Trust events at Grassroots’ retailers throughout the U.S.

Grassroots President, Dave Matz says of the partnership, “We were approached by Post to help them develop a conservation program in all of our member locations, and we are excited for the opportunity.” About the restoration initiative, Matz says, “We are committed to supporting conservation efforts, and helping companies do their part for the environment. Post has pledged to donate $50,000 to plant trees via Global ReLeaf, and we are happy to be the leaders helping them coordinate this outreach.”

For more information on the Global ReLeaf Program and to support local Grassroots’ members, please visit, www.americanforests.org

Beautiful images of the natural wonders of North Carolina have inspired generations of people to be better stewards of our precious natural resources. The Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition aims to encourage people to participate in nature photography, thereby fostering greater appreciation of North Carolina’s wildlife and wild places.

All winners will be published in the January 2009 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine and exhibited at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. Winners will also receive a print of their winning entry and products from sponsor Great Outdoor Provision Co.

• Grand prize: Your photo published on the cover of the January 2009 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine, plus $200
• First place, all categories: $100
• Second place, all categories: $75
• Third place, all categories: $50

Special state parks prize: One photo taken in North Carolina state parks, regardless of category, will be selected as Best of State Parks. The winner will receive camping passes at their choice of North Carolina state parks and other noncash prizes to be determined. Finalists in consideration for this honor will be exhibited at various parks across the state.

» Enter Online by Sept 15

July 4, 5 & 6 - On the banks of the fabulous Eno River!

Earlybird Tickets available NOW on-line

Presented by the Eno River Association, the Festival features a variety of activities, all with an environmental or cultural connection to the river. The Eno River Association is committed to the preservation of the nature, culture, and history of the Eno River basin. To learn more about the Association, click here.

As you may know, the North Carolina State Trails Program is launching a research project designed to collect information from both resident and non-resident paddlers who enjoy the lakes, rivers and coastal areas of our state. We will use the results from this project to promote paddling, enhance paddling experiences, and increase awareness of paddle tourism throughout North Carolina.

The survey will take approximately ten minutes of your time - you can begin by clicking on this link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ogSiusYwE3APwc_2fq6Pn3MA_3d_3d

Each respondent will be entered into a drawing for a $200 gift card to the Great Outdoor Provision Co.!

The results of this survey will be posted on the NC Parks website in the fall of 2008 at www.ncparks.gov under Items of Interest.

If you should have questions about the study, our Project Manager, Jennifer Beedle, will be happy to answer them. She can be reached at Jennifer.Beedle@ncmail.net or by phone at 919-715-9613.

Please share this information with fellow paddlers both inside and outside North Carolina; we would like to hear from as many people as possible.

Thank you very much for your participation,
Darrell McBane, State Trails Program Coordinator

Guided hikes, trail building and raffle tickets for outdoor equipment will launch the first Mountains to Sea Trails Month in October co-sponsored by Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail (FMST) and Great Outdoor Provision Co.

The Mountains to Sea Trail is a linear state park that will eventually stretch from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. Approximately half of the 1,000 mile length has been completed, most on federal and state lands.

“October is one of the best months to experience the trail,” said Kate Dixon, FMST executive director. “The temperature is cool for hiking or trail building and the fall colors will be terrific.”

Throughout the month FMST will offer guided hikes at some of the most scenic spots along the trail. There will also be trail construction days. Some of the handful of people who have hiked the entire trail will be making presentations across the state. The trail is roughly the equivalent of the distance from Raleigh to Boston.

Great Outdoor Provision Co.. a local outdoor retailer based in North Carolina, will conduct a raffle during the month with all proceeds going to help pay for additional construction of the trail. Great Outdoor Provision Co. will raffle prizes with a total value of more than $5000.

“The Mountains to Sea Trail is everything that’s good about the outdoors,” said Tom Valone, president . “It provides opportunities for families for a great selection of day hikes and the challenges and multi-day wilderness experience that backpackers are seeking. Our company is pleased to be part of this effort.”

Starting in mid-August more detailed information about Mountains to Sea Trail Month will be available on the FMST website at www.ncmst.org and www.greatoutdoorprovision.com.

RALEIGH, NC – Customers of Great Outdoor Provision Co. got more than a great deal on outdoor gear this month – they helped preserve open space within North Carolina.

Customers voted for natural areas to save as a new recreation destination. The contest was a part of Great Outdoor Provision Co.’s celebration of Land Trust Day, an annual celebration in which local businesses and the state’s land trusts work together to save natural areas in the community. Patagonia, the manufacturer of outdoor clothing and equipment, provided underwriting for the contest with a $3,000 grant to help protect the chosen site which was the Piedmont Regional Greenway. To read about details of this project, visit: http://greatoutdoorprovision.com/culture/wesupport/patagonia-land-grant/

In addition to sponsoring the contest, Great Outdoor Provision Co. donates 10 percent of sales on Land Trust Day from each of its nine stores to land trusts that serve the stores’ regions. Volunteers from the local land trusts were on hand to share information with customers. The North Face, Royal Robbins and ExOfficio provided gifts for those who joined the land trust that day. Including the grant, Great Outdoor Provision Co. donated $13,000 to local land trusts this year.

“We wanted to use this year’s Land Trust Day to highlight the rapid rate at which North Carolina is losing – and will continue to lose – its beautiful open spaces to development.” said Tom Valone, Great Outdoor Provision Co. president. “The contest was a way for us to make our customers aware of the work land trusts are doing to save the places we all love.”

Land Trust Day was founded by Great Outdoor Provision Co. in 1992 as a way to celebrate National Trails Day, which is always the first Saturday of June. To read more about Land Trust Day, visit: http://greatoutdoorprovision.com/culture/wesupport/land-trust-day/

“We see Land Trust Day as a way for businesses to participate in a self-imposed ‘earth tax’,” said Valone. “Many people do not realize the important work land trusts are doing in their communities. We hope by supporting land trusts we are calling attention to their good work and contributing to it.”

We had 70 volunteers out working at Falls Lake this past Saturday - what a HOT Day!  We put in over 550 hours of work in one day on the MST!

We built about 1 mile of trail, 3 boardwalks, and carried two dump truck loads of trash out of the woods. We had a cookout afterwards courtesy of the Corps of Engineers.  Bruce Wisely received a plaque from the Army Corps - Partnership Award for all of his hard work at Fall Lake - Congrats Bruce!

Thanks to Parks and Rec for allowing us to use the shelter for free at Rolling View.  FYI - if you would like to camp out the same weekends as we work at Falls Lake - Rolling View will allow you to camp for free since we are working on the Falls Lake Trail.  Prior arrangements will need to be made for this - so please plan ahead as needed.

Thanks to Wildlife for the truck to remove trash - we have about 2 more loads to go.

Next workday is July 19, 2008 - Let’s hope its cooler than 102.

Thanks to everyone that worked on the MST at Falls Lake - what a great National Trails Day!

Jeff Brewer
FMST
www.ncmst.org

The Tar Heel state is a treasure trove of superlatives: she is home to the highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains (Mt. Mitchell, elevation: approx. 6,684 ft.), and sports the highest sand dune on the Atlantic coast (Jockey’s Ridge). As luck would have it (or perhaps, fate?), we have also been blessed with a trail that not only provides an opportunity to experience the highlights of North Carolina’s “great outdoors,” but also serves as an enjoyable tour for the points in-between.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail, established in 1973 with the approval of the North Carolina Trails System Act, has sought to connect the western and easternmost reaches of the state. According to Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the nonprofit organization charged with maintaining the trail’s integrity and original vision, the trail runs over 1000 miles, “consisting of footpaths, roads, and state bike routes.” And fortunately, most of the trail is easily accessible – perfect for the outdoor enthusiast with a busy schedule.

Over the next several months, Great Outdoor Provision Co. will reveal some of the best “weekend getaway” trips along the MST. Additionally, experts who have experienced the trail firsthand will discuss helpful hiking tips to make your backwoods experience in North Carolina, be it a simple scramble to the summit of Dare County’s looming sand dunes, a “dart” to the top of one of North Carolina’s many rhododendron-covered peaks, or something in-between. Guided hikes, trail workdays, and information sessions will also be held by Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail organization on a regular basis, with updates posted on our website at frequent intervals. Ultimately, it’s all about getting you “there and back with gas left in your tank.”

-TFV