Pisgah Project Day
Thanks to everyone who came out for Pisgah Project Day this year! It was a huge success and our largest to date, with over 500 people working on 25 projects across the Pisgah Ranger District.
This year’s work has made a huge impact, with the project list including:
- Tree clearing, drainage improvement, and brushing on 13 different trails
- 200+ feet of new turnpike constructed
- 8 acres of non-native invasive plants treated at 3 locations
- 250+ feet of split rail fence constructed or repaired
- 1,700+ pounds of trash removed
- 180+ native trees and shrubs planted across 4 locations
- 2 trail bridges deconstructed and removed (2,200+ pounds of debris hauled off)
It was truly a great day with beautiful weather, good people, and a strong show of service to our shared public lands. Many thanks to all our partners who helped make this day a reality; partner organizations assisted in leading 16 of the day’s projects, a huge contribution to making all this good work possible.
Check out this article on our website for a detailed recap of everything we accomplished together.
Old Lanning Ridge Trail
Local professional trail builders from Elevated Trail Design recently completed work TPC contracted them for on a .325-mile long trail connecting Cove Creek trail and Cove Creek Group Campground to FS Road 5046, restoring this legacy trail that was removed from the system in the 1980s.
Their work exceeded expectations, with significant improvements to drainage along the entirety of the trail, excellent rock armoring work at stream crossings and seeps, and an impressive 10’x20’ rock wall installed to repair a significant slide on the trail directly above the creek.
Many thanks to the Elevated Trail Design team for their great work, and thanks to this project’s generous funders: American Trails – Legacy Trails Grant Program, The Hub & Pisgah Tavern, and Naventure. Visit this page to learn more about this project.
Trail Crew Updates
In addition to staging, coordination, prep work, and cleanup for Pisgah Project Day, our Trail Crew has spent the past month working with the mini-excavator on Thrift Cove trail. They have been improving reverse grade dips to ensure positive drainage and prevent erosion of trail tread. They’ve improved 142 drains along the approximately 2-mile trail.
This important route is heavily used by visitors and locals alike to quickly and easily access trails like Lower Black Mountain, Sycamore Cove, and Grassy Road. Regular maintenance utilizing light equipment is the best way to keep this crucial artery into the forest in great shape for years to come.
After completing their work on Thrift Cove, the crew shifted to trail bridge repair and replacement, beginning work on the Art Loeb trail at its intersection with the Estatoe trail.
This particular trail bridge was washed off its moorings by the high waters of Hurricane Helene. The crew will rig and reset this 32-foot-long bridge back atop newly constructed and more durable abutments on both ends to provide for higher passage above the water crossing.
Invasive Plant Management Crew updates
Our Invasive Plant Management Crew has been working hard treating invasives in the Catheys Creek and North Mills River areas. This past month the crew began their initial treatment at Wash Creek Horse Camp, where they have been cutting down thick Autumn Olive and foliar spraying large thickets of Multiflora Rose.
Initial treatments around the North Mills River Campground are now nearly complete, with 31 acres treated for invasives so far this year. As they continue wrapping up work in these initial treatment areas, the crew will be returning to areas they treated last year to perform follow-up monitoring and maintenance.
Moving back into the Catheys Creek watershed, we have seen promising results from last years’ initial treatment and the crew is finding small resprouts and seedlings. Their herbicide use has dropped dramatically and will continue to do so throughout the year.
At Kuykendall Group Camp there will be ongoing maintenance throughout the summer due to the high levels of infestation around the field and downstream to Catheys Creek. Since the beginning of the year, the crew has surveyed 83 acres of previously unknown infestations and they’ve treated 105 acres of invasive species in the forest.
Pisgah River Rangers updates
The Pisgah River Rangers (PRR) program season launches in earnest this month, with four interns coming onboard next week to join Hailey, our Lead River Ranger, in a full summer of educational programming, community outreach, and hands-on river stewardship in Pisgah.
Join me in welcoming our new 2025 PRR interns: Summer Crist, Laura Nelson, and Sadie Hornaday, as well as Maddy Elliot, who is returning for her second consecutive season with the program.
After next week’s training and orientation, the PRR team will hit the ground running. You can find them leading guided educational hikes; performing creel surveys; removing rock dams, cairns, and trash from our waterways; introducing members of the public to our corner of the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail; and more.
Here’s to a great summer of good work on the Pisgah! Thanks as always for your continued support of The Pisgah Conservancy and Pisgah National Forest.
