North Carolina’s state parks director Dwayne Patterson is retiring from the state agency he has led for the last five years. Patterson will depart early next year. He is the first African American to serve as director of the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation.
During his tenure, Patterson helped secure historic funding levels to support both state and local parks. He also served the state as the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ chief financial officer and as chief deputy secretary for the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Allen Williford has been named superintendent of Medoc Mountain State Park in Halifax County, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
A state park superintendent manages the operations and administration of a park and has wide-ranging responsibilities including staffing, planning, environmental education, natural resources management, law enforcement and visitor services. Williford succeeds Kelley King, who retired last spring.
Bill Stanley has been promoted to lead superintendent at Kerr Lake State Recreation Area in Vance and Warren counties, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
A state park superintendent manages the operations and administration of a park and has wide-ranging responsibilities including staffing, planning, environmental education, natural resources management, law enforcement and visitor services.
The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority, which oversees the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF), recently approved $17.4 million to fund nine capital improvement projects and six land acquisitions for North Carolina state parks, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. The Authority approved the investments at its meeting held Nov. 4 at the state arboretum in Asheville.
Thanks to funds from the Connect N.C. Bond Project, Gorges State Park will open a family campground on Saturday, Oct. 29, according to the Division of Parks and Recreation. The 13-acre campground features five camper cabins, 14 campsites and 16 tent campsites. The campground also has a modern bathhouse.
Tyson Phillips will be the first superintendent of Pisgah View State Park, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. The park was authorized in 2019, but the lands will remain closed to the public while the park is planned, facilities are constructed and staff is hired. The Division estimates that the lands will open as a state park in 2025.
Located in Buncombe and Haywood counties in the town of Candler, the site of the future state park is just 16 miles southwest of Asheville.
The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation will launch a new website Aug. 30.
The campground at Pettigrew State Park in Creswell, N.C., will close on Jan.1, 2023 for the construction of new campground facilities, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. The project will include the refurbishment of existing campsites and the construction of new facilities and amenities. Construction is expected to take up to 12 months.
Matt Haynes is the new park superintendent at Bob's Creek State Natural Area in McDowell County, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. He is the first superintendent of the natural area, which was authorized in 2017.
Haynes served as a park ranger at Hanging Rock State Park for nine years before a promotion to advanced ranger at Chimney Rock, where he also served for nine years. During his time as a ranger, he periodically acted as superintendent and was the lead natural resources ranger.