Our work on Mullinax trail and Estatoe trail is complete
Our Trail Crew completed major rehabilitation projects on two key trails this month: Estatoe and Mullinax.
Since beginning this work on the Estatoe trail last April, the crew has performed the following work on this crucial artery into the forest:
- Removed 580 feet of rotting wooden boardwalk
- Constructed 469 feet of new seven-foot-wide turnpike
- Built seven new trail bridges with ramped approaches
- Built seven new trail bridges with ramped approaches
Thank you to the Glass Foundation, the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, the City of Brevard, Vulcan Materials Company, Pisgah Project Day 2024 volunteers, and all of our supporters for making this rehabilitation of the Estatoe trail possible.
On Mullinax, the crew’s work has resulted in a much improved one-mile section of trail. Their work since the project began in December included:
- Filling entrenched sections
- Installing rock armoring
- Constructing 76 rolling grade dips with a mini-excavator
- Constructing 31 hand-dug drains
- Brushing the trail
These two projects are the most technical and extensive trail projects that we have taken on since our in-house Trail Crew was launched in May 2023. The successful completion of these projects is a great testament to the crew’s skills and abilities.
Coming soon: Cove Creek-Daniel Ridge Connector trail
After a site visit with our staff this past month, local trail builders from Elevated Trail Design are preparing to begin work on the new Cove Creek-Daniel Ridge Connector trail in mid-April. This new trail construction project along an old roadbed will connect Cove Creek Group Campground and Daniel Ridge Road (FS 5046).
This project will result in:
- Restored drainage
- Remediation of several severely entrenched areas
- Stabilization of a slide through the construction of a stone retaining wall
- Improvement of a stream crossing to reduce sedimentation to the waterway
Thank you to American Trails for supporting this project through a generous 2024 Legacy Trails Grant Program award.
In addition to their contracted work on this project, Elevated Trail Design will be helping us out on Pisgah Project Day. They’ll be performing mechanized trail maintenance and grade dip construction on Cove Creek trail as an in-kind donation, for which we are very grateful.
Tackling invasive species
Our Invasive Plant Management Crew has been making great progress in their initial treatment of invasives in North Mills River Campground, taking advantage of its seasonal closure to focus on infestations around the individual campsites before visitors arrive in numbers.
They will be continuing work here while returning to Catheys Creek and Kuykendall in April to begin foliar applications on newly emergent non-native invasives in previously treated areas.
These plants leaf out earlier than native plants, a strategy that allows them to outcompete natives and grow swiftly and in density. This fact also makes early spring the ideal time for foliar treatment of invasives, as potential damage to native populations in the treatment area is mitigated by their leaflessness.
It has been an exciting start to a busy year for the crew, with new and ongoing projects moving forward. The crew will receive additional capacity in May when our seasonal technician, Brendan Gilbert, returns to the team.
Thank you to our supporters, the U.S. Forest Service, Naventure, and a generous Natural Resources grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina for making the crew’s work possible.
Preparing for the Pisgah River Rangers program season
As Nina has mentioned above, our new Lead River Ranger, Hailey Dansby, joined the TPC team this month and has begun setting the stage for another successful Pisgah River Rangers season. She has been busy interviewing River Rangers intern applicants, meeting coworkers and partners, and working closely with Ivanna Knox, a U.S. Forest Service Fisheries Technician, to develop and plan programming and operations for the upcoming program season.
We are very excited to have Hailey on board as we prepare for another great summer of public education, electroshocking, surveys, snorkeling, rock dam removal, and more as the Pisgah River Rangers program enters its 7th season.
Thank you to the U.S. Forest Service, Pisgah Trout Unlimited, Land O’ Sky Trout Unlimited, Mills River Partnership, Fisher Realty, Headwaters Outfitters, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and Defenders of Wildlife for supporting this program in 2025.
Pisgah Project Day 2025
The project list for Pisgah Project Day 2025 is nearly complete, and we are thrilled to be bringing the community together again for a day of great people, great projects, and great fun, all in service to Pisgah.
This year’s projects include some old favorites like turnpike construction, split-rail fencing, and trash cleanup, as well as some exciting new projects. We will be planting low-growing native trees and shrubs in areas around the newly completed pedestrian bridge over the Davidson River with a planting plan provided by our own Will Coffee and Sam Byars.
We will also be planting more red spruce saplings up in the Graveyard Fields area, performing invasive plant treatments at three different sites, cleaning up roadsides in the 276 and 215 corridors, doing basic maintenance on the access road to the Courthouse Creek wildlife opening, and working on multiple trail improvement projects on Cat Gap, Sunwall, Grassy Branch, Bennett Gap, and more.
Thanks as always to our many partners leading and supporting projects on PPD! Their support over the years has been crucial to the event’s continued success. Hope to see you all on April 26th!
Thanks to all of you for your continued support of The Pisgah Conservancy!
