I grew up in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Hanging Rock, Pilot Mountain and Morrow Mountain State Parks were close by and favorite spots for family camping trips, Boy Scout outings and day hikes. In the early 1960s my family camped at Umstead State Park, which seemed like a long way from Raleigh at the time. On my first rugged winter backpacking trip in 1973, two friends and I climbed Mount Mitchell. And although I’ve missed a few state natural areas, I’ve visited every state park and recreation area in North Carolina.

Chimney Rock State Park. Photo courtesy North Carolina State Parks.

Since 1916, the North Carolina State Parks system has grown to nearly a quarter-million acres conserved for wildlife, recreation and education. This includes 35 state parks, 20 natural areas, four recreation areas and a number of state lakes, rivers and trails. From the beaches and shores on the coast to the ridges and summits along the Appalachians, our recreation and natural areas and parks provide places of adventure, exploration, rejuvenation, wonder and escape. In 2015, these treasured places welcomed more than 17 million visitors, which provided millions of dollars in revenue to local communities through tourism.

Hikers enjoying Grandfather Mountain State Park. Photo courtesy North Carolina State Parks.

My first conservation campaign was to help create New River State Park and prevent the river from being drowned by a dam. I’ve helped create several other parks since the New River campaign. In the last three decades, The Conservation Fund has helped the State protect more than 57,000 acres across North Carolina, including at Hammocks Beach, Grandfather Mountain and Chimney Rock State Parks. The Fund is currently working with N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation to protect and add more than 2,700 acres to Mount Mitchell State Park that will allow for additional public access to the Park’s unparalleled year-round hiking, fishing, and camping opportunities. This effort will also protect a section of the Black Mountain Crest Trail, which leads hikers over a dozen scenic peaks taller than 6,000 feet.

Mount Mitchell State Park. Photo courtesy North Carolina State Parks.

The creation and protection of these and other prized state lands and waters have been possible thanks to both public and private support, including from North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, NC Natural Heritage Trust Fund (now merged with Clean Water), the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Fred and Alice Stanback, and many generous landowners.

While it is exciting to celebrate the successes of the last 100 years, it is also imperative to look ahead at the conservation challenges and needs of communities, wildlife and the environment as we embark on the next century. The Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Asheville, Piedmont Triad and Wilmington metro areas are growing rapidly. A system of state and local parks connected by trails and greenways is needed to maintain access to nature and recreation. Rural counties benefit from the visitors that state parks attract. We need, now more than ever, to protect the natural resources that are critical to the health of our communities and the diverse ecosystems found across North Carolina.

“North Carolina State Parks wouldn’t exist without the grassroots support of North Carolinians. Over the decades, much of this support has been channeled through dynamic and efficient conservation organizations and land trusts such as The Conservation Fund,” said Mike Murphy, State Parks, director. “Its efforts have nourished the State Parks and even helped create new ones such as at Chimney Rock and Grandfather Mountain. We look forward to more such successes that will endure for generations.”

I love my home state. Our state park system protects and provides free access to many of the iconic places that make North Carolina special—from Jockey’s Ridge to Lake Waccamaw to Chimney Rock and Mount Mitchell. It’s a labor of love to help protect these places and to provide access to all that want to visit, enjoy and appreciate them.

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For more information:

N.C. State Parks Centennial Timeline - http://timemapper.okfnlabs.org/ncpedia/north-carolina-state-parks-centennial-timeline

Video - Here in this Place: A Celebration of North Carolina State Parks - https://vimeo.com/154071005

Take a virtual hike of Grandfather Mountain State Park Chimney Rock State Park and the Black Mountain Crest Trail near Mount Mitchell State Park with the Fund and Google. http://www.conservationfund.org/what-we-do/conservation-acquisition/google-trekker

The Conservation Fund is helping Mount Mitchell State Park expand with the acquisition of 2,700 acres of adjoining land. http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2016/08/25/mount-mitchell-states-first-park-growing-poised-future/88402754/