Topics Related to North Carolina State Parks

Brian Strong, a 23-year veteran of the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, has been named director of the division by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

“Our state parks are an unparalleled resource that preserve North Carolina’s natural beauty for future generations while making our communities even better places to visit and call home,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Brian Strong is a proven leader who has shown his commitment to making North Carolina’s state parks even stronger and I’m confident he will serve our state well.”

Tracy Minton, the longtime superintendent at Elk Knob State Park, has been named superintendent of New River State Park in neighboring Alleghany and Ashe counties, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.

Minton succeeds Joe Shimel, who was promoted to east district superintendent last year. Ranger Scott Robinson served as acting superintendent during the interim.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) announced that its N.C. Trails Committee had awarded 17 grants totaling $1.6 million to local governments and nonprofit organizations for trail projects across the state.

Amanda Lasley, a veteran park ranger, has been named superintendent of South Mountains State Park in Burke County, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. Lasley takes the helm after longtime superintendent Jonathan Griffith retired earlier this year.

A park superintendent leads operations and administration at a park with wide-ranging responsibilities that include staffing, training, law enforcement, planning, natural resources management, environmental education and visitor services.

Several North Carolina state parks, in partnership with the North Carolina chapter of the American Canoe Association (ACA) and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, will offer low-cost kayaking instruction at state parks statewide Saturday, May 20 The event is in celebration of National Safe Boating Week, which begins the same day.

The event follows a collaboration between the ACA and the state of Tennessee in 2022, which hosted more than 170 participants and earned a Four-Star Award for an innovative program from the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association.

Celebrate North Carolina’s Year of the Trail and Pick Your Own PATH at Lake James State Park. A two-day event April 15-16 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., will allow visitors to experience the cultural and natural histories of Lake James State Park with excursions on the Overmountain Victory Trail and the Fonta Flora Trail.

The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation will now offer two boat cleaning stations at Lake Waccamaw State Park in Columbus County to hinder the spread of hydrilla and other highly invasive aquatic species. The stations are the first of their kind in North Carolina and became operational this month.

In honor of Earth Day on April 22, N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources sites have some great events planned throughout April.

First held on April 22, 1970, Earth Day was established to demonstrate support for environmental protection and to encourage people to learn more about pollution, climate change, endangered species, and other environmental issues. Earth Day now includes a wide range of globally coordinated events, including many in North Carolina.

The N.C. Division of State Parks and Recreation will hold a March 10 ribbon-cutting event at Lake James State Park to celebrate the park’s new state-of-the-art visitor center.

     Date: Friday, March 10

     Time: 1 p.m.

     Location: Lake James State Park, Nebo, N.C., Visitor Center at Paddy’s Creek Access