Pisgah Project Day
Pisgah Project Day (PPD) is nearly here and we are excited to get some good work done on the forest with a broad variety of projects.
This week we gathered with our partners for the annual pre-PPD crew leader dinner to talk through logistics and safety on event day and to learn more about each partner’s work for the benefit of Pisgah. Thanks to Pilot Cove for hosting us!
This year’s work on PPD will include:
- Improvement projects on various trails led by TPC, the USFS, the National Forest Foundation, Pisgah Area SORBA, Carolina Mountain Club, Carolina Climbers Coalition, Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, Back Country Horsemen of Pisgah, and Elevated Trail Designs
- Invasive plant removal projects at three sites led by TPC and EcoForesters
- Trash cleanup at two sites led by Trout Unlimited and Friends of the North Fork of the French Broad River
- Gardening improvements at the Ranger Station led by Transylvania County Extension Master Gardeners
- Rebuilding damaged split rail fence at two sites led by the USFS and Trout Unlimited
- Tree planting at two sites led by TPC, the USFS, Southern Highlands Reserve, and the NC Wildlife Resources Commission
- Wildlife field and access road maintenance led by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and the NC Fish and Wildlife Conservation Council
- Demolition and removal of two trail bridges led by TPC and Pisgah Cowboys
- Trail maintenance at the Cradle of Forestry led by FIND Outdoors
Transylvania County Rescue Squad will be stationed at the Ranger Station to provide additional emergency response capabilities during Pisgah Project Day, helping to ensure a safe day in the forest for the 500+ community members who will be joining us.
Great thanks to our dedicated partners for supporting these projects and the workday at large through their expertise and leadership!
Grade dip and slide repair on Thrift Cove trail
In addition to preparing for PPD, our crews have been busy in the forest working on a number of important projects.
The TPC Trail Crew and Invasive Plant Management Crew worked together the last few weeks to address a significant landslide caused by Hurricane Helene on Thrift Cove trail. They utilized coir matting, stakes, seeding, and straw logs to stabilize the 50’x60’ slide located directly above Starens Branch.
It was good timing as well as we are just getting into rainbow trout spawning season, and this mitigation of potential sedimentation and adverse impacts to the watershed will ensure a healthier waterway this season and into the future as new vegetation reclaims and stabilizes this streamside slope.
The TPC Trail Crew has also been continuing their work further up on Thrift Cove trail. Using our new mini-excavator, a much-needed tool to maintain effective drainage on a trail as wide and heavily used as Thrift Cove, they’re working to improve reverse grade dips along the trail. So far, they have completed machine-dug restoration of 75+ grade dips on this trail.
They’ve also recently finished work on the Estatoe trail and have teamed up with sawyers from Pisgah Area SORBA to clear major windfall from Bradley Creek and other trails in the South Mills River area.
Invasive Plant Management Crew updates
The Invasive Plant Management Crew has completed the majority of their initial treatment at North Mills River Campground and they have shifted gears to begin initial treatment at Wash Creek Horse Camp. They’re also starting to perform follow-up foliar applications at sites in the Catheys Creek watershed that received initial treatment last year.
Seeing the difference in invasive infestations at Kuykendall Group Camp after one year of focus by our Invasive Plant Management Crew is striking, especially in spring with fresh growth, blooming mayapple and bloodroot, and an open understory cleared of dense thickets of invasives.
The crew has also provided some community outreach and education this past month, including a presentation at Bent Creek Experimental Forest last week about non-native invasive plants and their negative impacts to our local Pisgah ecosystems.
Pisgah River Rangers season will kick off next month
We’re also busy preparing for the upcoming Pisgah River Rangers season. This year’s intern crew has been selected and they’ll join TPC in mid-May to kick off the 2025 season alongside our Lead River Ranger, Hailey Dansby.
Hailey has been busy scheduling the program’s outreach, education, and field work activities. She also attended the first annual North Fork Festival in late March, representing TPC and the Pisgah River Rangers program at this great gathering focused on watershed stewardship in our local communities.
Coming soon: Cove Creek-Daniel Ridge Connector trail
We’re excited to announce the start of a new trail construction project this week. We’ve contracted the crew from Elevated Trail Design (WNC-based) to begin work on the Cove Creek-Daniel Ridge Connector trail project.
This work will improve an abandoned, degraded connector trail between Cove Creek Group Campground and Lanning Ridge Road (FS 5046). They’ll remediate a major slide that is causing stream sedimentation, restore drainage, repair entrenchment, armor and improve stream crossings, allowing us to reestablish it as a USFS system trail.
We anticipate that the work will take approximately one month, meaning this connector trail will be ready for hiking and riding for the upcoming summer season.
Funding for this project was provided by the American Trails – Legacy Trails Grant Program, Naventure, and The Hub & Pisgah Tavern. We’re also grateful to the Pisgah Cowboys for assisting with culvert removal.
