Work to begin in Joyce Kilmer forest, staffing increases planned
At Nantahala National Forest’s Cheoah District, which encompasses around 2/3 of Graham County, it’s been a rough couple of years.
Flooding in 2018 and 2020 undercut part of a major trail in Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, forcing closure of half of the lower – and most traveled – trail loop for much of the past five years, while other parts of the trail have fallen into disrepair.
And at least one Joyce Kilmer advocate says lack of attention is making it easy for visitors to damage the forest’s old-growth trees.
There is just one full-time person (and seasonal part-timers) assigned to maintain recreational facilities in two of the Nantahala’s three ranger districts: the largest, Murphy-based Tusquitee Ranger District and the smallest, Robbinsville-based Cheoah Ranger District.
COVID-19 led the National Forest Service to temporarily close its Cheoah District headquarters off Massey Branch Road and low visitation led to what will looks to be a permanent closure of the Cable Cove campground near Fontana Lake.
But District Ranger Andy Gaston – who oversees it all – has some news that ought to make most people happy.
Joyce Kilmer
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and an area called Slickrock combine to form a 17,394-acre wilderness area within Nantahala National Forest.
National forests provide forest-resource management, which includes recreation, timber harvesting and mining, but wilderness areas require special protections. While having a resource like Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock within the national forest is not unique, it is unusual. Many regard Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest to be among the Nantahala National Forest’s crown jewels and Gaston said it is unusual to have such a heavily visited asset within a wilderness-designated area.
Between 30,000 – 40,000 people visit Joyce Kilmer to see unspoiled forests that somehow went untouched during logging operations since the 1800s. There are old-growth trees along the upper loop trail that are hundreds of years old.
Because of the wilderness designation, there are strict rules that don’t apply in most of the Nantahala National Forest. Trail crews can’t use power equipment or motorized vehicles, for example. Signage is limited. Logging is restricted.
Forest trails built by Civilian Conservation Corps workers in the 1930s have held up surprising well, thanks in no small part to volunteers like Partners of Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness who donate labor.
Notable damage
The end of the lower loop trail – just before the foot bridge over Little Santeetlah Creek – was undercut twice during storms since 2018 and forced forest service officials to close half the trail. Conditions elsewhere have also declined.
Where the trail remains open, there are signs that some of the thousands of visitors have blazed their own trails, damaged tree roots and removed bark by getting too close or, worse, chipping off pieces for souvenirs.
Graham County resident Cal Wiederholt is urging the National Forest to fence off old-growth trees, install better signage and in some cases, reroute the trail to help protect the trees.
“Personal contact is the kiss of death for these trees,” Wiederholt told The Graham Star.
Gaston said a $50,000 contract has been secured to repair the washed-out section of trail, with work set to begin this month. If all goes to plan, the closed section should reopen by Jan. 1.
Restrooms in the parking area have been reopened, and more work to repair and renovate the rest of the trail system is expected to begin by spring 2023, Gaston noted.
Gaston acknowledged points raised by Wiederholt, and said that the spring 2023 trail work will address issues such as erosion, downed trees and “user-created trails,” but he also said there is no evidence leading him to believe that visitors pose any threat in Joyce Kilmer.
That same sentiment is shared by others within the Partners of Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness group who say – if anything – close proximity to the trees helps raise awareness about the importance of environmental conservation.
Recreation, facilities
It is widely believed that the Nantahala National Forest does not receive the same attention from the U.S. Forest Service as – for example – the Pisgah National Forest, which is closer to population and tourist centers including Asheville.
And it is also widely believed that – within the Nantahala – Robbinsville-based Cheoah Ranger District does not receive the same attention as the Nantahala and Tusquitee Ranger Districts.
Gaston challenges that belief. He said Graham County continues to have a “whole spectrum” of regionally-significant recreation assets within the Cheoah Ranger District, including Cheoah Point Day Use Area, Rattler Ford Group Campground, Tsali Recreation Area, and numerous trails for hiking, equestrian and mountain bike use. He said there are around 100 camp sites around Lake Santeetlah as well as Horse Cove and Snowbird Creek.
“The Cheoah district has a really good footprint for recreational facilities in Graham County,” Gaston said.
He admitted that closing the Cable Cove Campground was unpopular.
But “unpopular” is an accurate characterization. Graham County Commissioner Dale Wiggins has been seeking alternatives to forest service management to reopen Cable Cove Campground, and Commissioner Connie Orr said Sept. 1 that the forest service made Cable Cove unpopular by neglecting it.
It goes back to the one full-time person in charge of maintaining recreation assets in the two ranger districts that Gaston oversees. When asked whether that might support the argument that the Nantahala National Forest was short-staffed and lower priority than perhaps others, he confessed that they have a point.
On the bright side, funding has been authorized to hire three more recreation maintenance workers – two in Cheoah and one in Tusquitee – but he has been finding it difficult to fill the position, given the current job environment. He hopes to have the positions filled in the next 2-3 months.
He added that the Cheoah district office off Massey Branch Road was closed strictly for COVID-19 reasons and he expects it to open post-pandemic.
Meanwhile, services that were offered there – including issuing of permits – continue to be available online and by telephone.
“Customer service has not declined at all,” he said.