This is the thirty-third diary in my Expanding the National Parks diary series. Last Time I was in New York, this time I am in North Carolina. Previous diaries in the series are linked and located at the bottom of the diary. North Carolina has 11.8% of its land federally owned, good for 15th nationwide, and second east of the Mississippi River, behind New Hampshire. Currently, North Carolina has 1 national park, 5 national forests, 11 wildlife refuges and 15 historic sites and other NPS units. I will be giving it its first national monuments.
North Carolina
Total Area 53 819 sq miles
Land Area 48 618 sq miles
Water Area 5 201 sq miles
Coastline 301 miles
Additional monuments-4
ADDITIONAL MONUMENTS-4
* First Flight
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
Kill Devil Hill monument, part of the memorial, is shown above
Would return the site of the Wright Brothers first flight to monument status, it was originally Kill Devil Hill National Monument from 1927-53 before being renamed as a memorial. Estimated area 500 acres
* North Carolina Coastal
would set aside lands within 10 miles of shore and extend 20 miles offshore, and incorporate existing areas like the Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout Seashores ' Estimated area.1 million acres
* Dorothea Dix
would conserve the remaining land on the Dorothea Dix Hospital Campus as a national monument in honor of Dix and her efforts on behalf of the mentally ill and mentally disabled. Dix pushed the state to create a hospital for the mentally ill (then called the insane) and finally convinced the state to build one, the hospital took 14 years to finish and was open from 1856 to 2007, at one point the hospital covered over 2000 acres, but at this writing only about 300 remain estimated area 300 acres
* Lost Colony
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
Elizabethan gardens , part of the Fort Raleigh historic site, are shown above
Would rename and re-designate the Fort Raleigh Historic site in honor of the Roanoke Colony, which failed in the late 1580s and remains one of the great unsolved mysteries in American history. Estimated area 20 acres
EXISTING AREAS
NATIONAL PARKS-1
* Great Smoky Mountains Established 1934 Covers 522 419 acres (in NC and TN)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
the observation tower on Clingmans Dome the highest point in the park, is shown above
The most visited park in the country (over 10 million visitors in 2014), Great Smoky Mountains is the only national park in the state. The area that contains the park belonged to the Cherokee people, but in 1830 President Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act which forced all the Eastern Indian tribes to move west to what is now Oklahoma. white settlers moved into the area and began logging the forests- to be more precise, clear-cutting them. over the course of several decades the area turned from a green canopy to a area nearly denude of vegetation. Efforts from concerned citizens to preserve some of the area eventually resulted in Congress authorizing a national park in 1926, but due to the very limited resources of the Park Service the money wasnt there initially to buy large areas of land. Standard Oil heir and conservationist John D Rockefeller Jr pitched in 5 million dollars for the effort, and over the course of 8 years the land that was to become the park was slowly acquired, and the park officially opened in June 1934. The CCC, WPA and other Depression-era agencies put in trials built fire towers and other infrastructure for the park and region. the Park was declared an International Biosphere reserve in 1976 and an World Heritage site in 1983. more than a third of the forest (36%) is old-growth. the park was the first to be bought partly with federal funds. the previous national parks were bought with state or private funds.
NATIONAL FORESTS-5
* Cherokee Established 1920 Covers 655 598 acres (in NC and TN)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
Citico Creek, part of the forest, is shown above
Lying mostly in Tennessee ( only one county in North Carolina, Ashe County, is in the forest), the forests contains all of part of 11 wildernesses, all of which lie on the Tennessee side of the border
* Croatan Established 1936 Covers 159 885 acres
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
Patsy Pond, part of the forest, is shown above
The second smallest forest in the state (only Uwharrie NF is smaller) at under 160000 acres, fthe forests contains oldgrowth forests, large swamps and bogs, and lies near the coast of the state, providing habitat for both marine and terrestrial wildlife. 4 wilderness areas lie within the forest(Catfish Lake South, Pocosin, Pond Pine, and Sheep Ridge). like many other national forest. Croatan's approved boundary is larger than the lands currently owned by the Forest service.
* Nantahala Established 1907 Covers 531 270 acres
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
Cullasaja Falls, part of the forest, is shown above
The largest national forest in the state, Nantahala is Cherokee for "Land of the Noonday Sun', as parts of the forest only get sunlight at noon, such as the floors of the gorges in the forest. Created under the 1911 Weeks Act, the forest is divided into 3 sections (Cheoah- covering 120000 acres,Nantahala, covering 250000 acres, and Tusquitee -covering 158000 acres). 28000 acres of the forest is wilderness, and nearly 31000 is old growth. Nantahala district is the newest district, created in 2007 from the merging of the Highlands and Wayah districts, the land within the Highlands district was given to Pisgah NF.
* Pisgah Established 1916 Covers 512758 acres
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
Upper Creek Falls, part of the forest, is shown above
The second biggest and oldest national forest in the state, Pisgah was started in 1916 with the help of a large land donation from the Vanderbilt family of some 87000 acres. in 1921 the area of Boone NF was added, and in 1936 the North Carolina portion of Unaka NF was added. the forest contains 3 wilderness areas -Linville Gorge, Middle Prong, and Shining Rock- that cover over 38000 acres. the forest was the site of the first Forestry school in the US, the Biltmore Forest school, named after the estate of the Vanderbilts, and ran for about 11 years until 1909. the grounds of the school are now an historic site- Cradle of Forestry in America- covering nearly 6000 acres. the forest contains some of the tallest mountains in the Eastern Us with elevations topping 6000 feet. Mount Mitchell, the tallest mountain in the state and the Eastern US at 6684 feet, lies just outside the forest boundary, inside a state park.
* Uwharrie Established 1961 Covers 50 645 acres
the smallest national forest in the state, Uwharrie is named after the mountain range that makes up most of the forest area. the Uwharrie Mountains are an ancient range, estimated to be half a billion years old. at one time, the mountains lay on the coast and may have been as tall as 20000 feet, or close to the height of Mount McKinley, but millions of years of erosion and the lifting of the surrounding area has left the range inland and at a average height over just over 1000 feet. the first parts of the national forest were purchased in 1931 and the area was called the Uwharrie Reservation. in 1961 President Kennedy upgraded it to a national forest. the approved boundary for Uwharrie is much larger than the land currently owned by the FS.
WILDLIFE REFUGES-11
* Alligator River Established 1984 Covers 152000 acres Budget $3,900,000 (2003)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
a a black tupelo tree is seen in a marshy area of the refuge
The largest in size of the states 11 refuges, Alligator River was created to conserve pocosin wetlands (areas with deep, acidic. sandy peat soils). pocosin is Eastern Algonquian ' for "swamp on a hill' although ' raised bogs' is more accurate. the refuge provides habitat for endangered species like red wolves, alligators and red-cockaded woodpeckers. the refuge is part of the Coastal North Carolina WR Complex, along with 5 others. Alligator River manages Pea Island WR.
* Cedar Island Established 1964 Covers 14480 acres
Located just 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, the refuge preserves 11000 acres of marsh and nearly 3500 acres of forested wetlands, is managed by Mattamuskeet WR, and gets between 20000-30000 visitors a year.
* Currituck Established 1984 Covers 8316 acres
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
Monkey Island, part of the refuge, is shown above
Set aside to conserve portions of the Outer Banks barrier island chain, the refuges contains dunes, grasslands and mudflats and is home to endangered species such as sea turtles, and rare habitats. the refuge is split into several non-contiguous units and has an approved boundary of over 18000 acres.
* Mackay Island Established 1960 Covers 8231 acres (in NC and VA)
Located mostly on Knotts Island on the North Carolina side of the border, the refuge covers about 900 acres in Virginia. Located on the Atlantic Flyway, it is a important stopover for wintering birds like ducks and geese.
* Mattamuskeet Established 1934 Covers 50 173 acres
preserves Lake Mattamuskeet, North Carolina's largest natural lake and is the second-oldest (behind Swanquarter) and third largest(behind Alligator River and Pocosin Lakes) refuge in the state. the refuge was established after several attempts to drain the lake in order to convert the area to agriculture. the lake covers over 40000 acres, or 80% of the refuges area. 58000 people visit the refuge each year.
* Mountain Bogs Established 2015 Covers 23 478 acres (in NC and TN)
The newest refuge in the WR system, Mountain Bogs was established in April to conserve mountain bogs within North Carolina and Tennessee, which is a rapidly diminishing habitat, due to development. the plan calls for over 23000 acres to be conserved, with an approved boundary of over 42000 acres. this process will certainly take years, or even decades to complete.
* Pea Island Established 1938 Covers 31524 acres
Managed by Alligator River WR, Pea Island is located north of Cape Hatteras NS, and consists of 5800 acres of land and 25700 of water. home to over 350 species of birds, the refuge sees 2.7 million visitors each year.
* Pee Dee Established 1963 Covers 8443 acres
Named after the river it borders, the refuge provides habitat for wintering birds, including James Bay Canada goose. numbers vary by species but 10000 ducks and geese winter every year in the refuge.
* Pocosin Lakes Established 1963 Covers 110106 acres
Originally established in 1963 as Pungo WR and covering 12350 acres, the refuge was merged into its current size in 1990 when Pocosin Lakes refuge was created, since the land of the refuges were contiguous, they were merged into a single refuge. the lands originally in Pungo are now in the Pungo Unit of the refuge. the refuge is the second largest in the state and is located in the Inner Banks coastal region.
* Roanoke River Established 1989 Covers 20978 acres
Set aside to conserve bottomland hardwoods and swamps along the Roanoke river, the refuge conserves lands along 130 miles of river (the river is 410 miles long and extends into Virginia) . Roanoke is derived from the Algonquin word 'rawrenok' which means 'wampum'. over 200 species of birds, including herons, make their home in the refuge. the rivers floodplain is considered to have the largest intact and least disturbed bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem left in the mid-Atlantic states.
* Swanquarter Established 1932 Covers 16411 acres
The oldest refuge in the state, the refuge contains nearly 9000 acres of wilderness and conserves an extensive coastal marsh, and includes portions of islands, such as Bell and Great islands. the official boundary of the refuge is 27000 acres. the refuge is managed by Mattamuskeet WR and 50000 people visit each year.
HISTORIC SITES AND OTHER NPS UNITS-15
* Blue Ridge Parkway Established 1936 Covers 93 390 acres (in NC and VA)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
the parkway near Grandfather Mountain is shown above
Built by the CCC during the Depression, Blue Ridge Parkway is the longest parkway in the system.Parkways are scenic roads surrounded by parkland. The Blue Ridge Parkway connects Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah NPs. Originally called the Appalachian Scenic Highway, it was renamed by Congress in 1936. the parkway took 52 years to complete, finally being finished in 1987. the parkway is regularly the most visited unit in the Park Service, even though its not officially a park.Almost 13 million people visited in 2013, and the Parkway was selected to be North Carolina's national park quarter, it was the third quarter released in 2015.
* Cape Hatteras NS Established 1953 Covers 30351 acres
the larger of North Carolina's two national seashores, Cape Hatteras conserves much of the Outer Banks chain of barrier islands, and runs for a length of 70 miles. Famous as the "Graveyard of Ships" for its currents and shoals, the area now has visitors centers showcasing its maritime history. first established by Congress in 1937 it was officially opened in 1953. Nearly 2 million people visited in 2011.
* Cape Lookout NS Established 1966 Covers 28 243 acres
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
a map of the seashore is shown above
Slightly smaller in area than Cape Hatteras NS, Cape Lookout conserves 58 miles of the southern Outer Banks. the seashore has been hit by 3 hurricanes and tropical storms since 2007 - TS Gabrielle in 2007, Hurricane Irene in 2011, and Hurricane Arthur in 2014. Over 500000 people visited in 2011.
* Carl Sandburg Home NHS Established 1968 Covers 246 acres
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
Connemara, the home that Sandburg lived in 1945-67, is shown above
Donated to the government by Sandburg's widow Lillian in 1968 after his death in 1967 (Age 89) as a memorial, Sandburg spent the last 22 years of his life at the house, and wrote more than a third of his works while at the house. Sandburg won the last of his 3 Pulitzer prizes and was awarded the Robert Frost Medal while living at the house(he had lived previously in Chicago and Milwaukee where he served as secretary to mayor Emil Seidel, who was the first of many mayors of Milwaukee from 1910-60 to be socialists). Nearly 30000 people visited the site in 2006.
* Chattooga WSR Established 1974 Covers 15432 acres (in GA, NC and SC)
The first river east of the Mississippi to receive 'Wild and Scenic designation, the portion of the river straddles the borders of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, the river is one of 4 in the state to have 'wild and scenic designations(Horsepasture, Lumber, and New Rivers are the others).
* Fort Raleigh NHS Established 1941 Covers 14 acres
preserves the location of the Roanake colony as well as the site of Freedmans colony from 1863-67. the site is managed alongside Wright Brothers NM and Cape Hatteras NS. more than 275000 visited the site in 2005.
* Guilford Courthouse NMP Established 1917 Covers 220 acres
preserves part of the battleground of the Revolutionary War Battle at Guilford Courthouse which took place in March 1781 a few months before the British surrender at Yorktown. the result of the battle was an American victory. the park was estimablished in 1917 thanks to efforts by David Schenck who created the Guilford Battle Ground Company and bought up land surrounding the courthouse and state historical societies placed monuments at where they believed important people had been during the battle. however, Schenck did not preserve the land in its historic state, and later research has confirmed the battleground covered a much larger area than the small area set aside as a park. the monument locations were not in the correct places historically, but placed there for convenience. efforts to expand the park have been slowed by development in the surrounding areas.Over 275000 people visited the site in 2004.
* Horsepasture WSR Established 1986 Covers 2624 acres
one of 4 wild and scenic rivers in the state, Horsepasture, stretches 18 miles into South Carolina, a portion of the river is classed as a scenic river on the state level, and is mot included in the federal designation.
* Lumber WSR Established 1989 Covers 85120 acres
the only blackwater river in the Wild and Scenic system, the river covers 133 miles, of which all is covered as a wild and scenic river, the river connects with the Little Pee Dee River just over the border with South Carolina.
* Monitor NMS established 1975 Covers 640 acres
The first marine sanctuary created by Congress, the sanctuary protect the remains of the USS Monitor the first ironclad Navy ship, which sank in 1862 , taking 16 men with her. the wreck was rediscovered in 1973 and was declared a marine sanctuary in 1975. portions of the hull propellers and other artifacts from the ship have been raised and preserved. the wreck itself is gradually deteriorating from interaction with seawater.
* Moores Creek NB Established 1926 Covers 88 acres
https://upload.wikimedia.org/...
Moores Creeks Bridge, part of the battlefield is shown above
Conserves the site of the Moores Creek Revolutionary war battle in late February 1776, the result, a crushing patriot victory over 800 loyalists (those Americans loyal to the British), paved the way for North Carolina to declare independence from Britain, which occurred in April 1776. North Carolina was the first colony to vote to secede from Britain, in July Congress declared the 13 colonies independent. the area was declared a military park in 1926 and changed to a battlefield in 1980, with the park growing in size in 1987, nearly 50000 people visited in 2005.
* New River WSR Established 1976 Covers 16960 acres
one of the oldest rivers on earth (estimated to be between 260-325 million years old), The New Rivers is conserved as a WSR in North Carolina, and as a national river in West Virginia. the portion conserved in North Carolina was first protected at the state level, then federally protected later.
* North Carolina ERR Established 1982 Covers 10000 acres
conserves the third largest estaurine system in the country, split into 4 sections - Masonboro Island -5097 acres in area Rachel Carson (2625) Zeke Island (1165) and currituck Banks (960). the err preserves habitat for the seafood that commercially caught in the state.
* Wilson Creek WSR Established 2000 Covers 5056 acres
Preserves a portion of Wilson Creek within the Grandfather district of the Pisgah NF. the river was added to the wild and Scenic River list in 2000.
* Wright Brothers NM Established 1927 Covers 428 acres
Conserves the site of the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903. replicas of the plane and hangar used during the flight are locate within the memorial. was declared a national monument in 1927, then renamed a memorial in 1953. Nearly 450000 people visited in 2011
This concludes my study of North Carolina. Next time I'll be in North Dakota, following in Teddy Roosevelt's footsteps. As Always, Comments feedback, and imput are welcome. See you in the comments!
Prior Diaries
1.Alabama
http://www.dailykos.com/...
2 Alaska
http://www.dailykos.com/...
3 Arizona
http://www.dailykos.com/...
4 Arkansas
http://www.dailykos.com/...
5 California
http://www.dailykos.com/...
6 Colorado
http://www.dailykos.com/...
7 Connecticut
http://www.dailykos.com/...
8 Delaware
http://www.dailykos.com/...
9 Florida
http://www.dailykos.com/...
10 Georgia
http://www.dailykos.com/...
11 Hawaii
http://www.dailykos.com/...
12 Idaho
http://www.dailykos.com/...
13 Illinois
http://www.dailykos.com/...
14 Indiana
http://www.dailykos.com/...
15 Iowa
http://www.dailykos.com/...
16 Kansas
http://www.dailykos.com/...
17 Kentucky
http://www.dailykos.com/...
18 Louisiana
http://www.dailykos.com/...
19 Maine
http://www.dailykos.com/...
20 Maryland
http://www.dailykos.com/...
21 Massachusetts
http://www.dailykos.com/...
22 Michigan
http://www.dailykos.com/...
23 Minnesota
http://www.dailykos.com/...
24 Mississippi
http://www.dailykos.com/...
25 Missouri
http://www.dailykos.com/...
26 Montana
http://www.dailykos.com/...
27 Nebraska
http://www.dailykos.com/...
28 Nevada
http://www.dailykos.com/...
29 New Hampshire
http://www.dailykos.com/...
30 New Jersey
http://www.dailykos.com/...
31 New Mexico
http://www.dailykos.com/...
32 New York
http://www.dailykos.com/...