How to handle 1.1 million people: DuPont Forest to hold last public meeting on Master Plan
The massively popular DuPont State Recreational Forest announced plans in 2021 to develop a Master Recreation Plan with the aim of protecting the forest’s precious natural resources as visitation soared. Now, DuPont Forest and contractors Mattern & Craig will hold a final public event on development of the master plan.
The drop-in event will be held April 6 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the Glenn Marlow Elementary School Gym in Mills River. DuPont's Information and Education Supervisor Kirsten McDonald spoke to the Citizen Times about the final public meeting and the logic behind their robust public outreach.
“We've had all this public input because we want to hear from the public,” McDonald said. “And all their input has been considered in the development of the plan. At this next meeting, people will be able to see, ‘Here's what you have told us. Here's a summary of what we've heard.’”
A recent news release said the final public event will be an opportunity to learn about data summaries, recreational trend analyses and recommendations for existing trails, development of recently acquired property, regional trail connectors and the former manufacturing site as it pertains to the forest's Master Recreation Plan.
Over 500 attendees provided input at three previous public meetings held throughout 2023. Contractors also conducted focus groups with representatives from groups of hikers, equestrians, mountain bikers, hunters and anglers.
McDonald stressed that while they hope to represent the interests of visitors, the contents of the Master Recreation Plan will also focus heavily on conservation.
“When you're planning for 1.2 million people, and what they want to do in the forest, everybody's not going to get to do everything they want,” McDonald said. “It's not going to be possible. And in addition to that, with that high level of visitation we need to make sure that the forest is here for future generations and isn’t just trampled to death – loved to death.”
DuPont is the most visited state forest in N.C., receiving around 1.1 million visitors in 2023 according to a legislative report. In 2021, the forest saw a record-breaking 1.3 million visitors.
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Friends of DuPont Forest Executive Director Sara Landry told the Citizen Times that the millions of feet, hooves and mountain bike tires that traverse DuPont trails make erosion one of the biggest issues faced by the forest.
“The erosion goes straight into the streams, which affects the trout, hellbenders and the water quality,” Landry said. “And just having that many people, if you look around the waterfall corridor in particular, plant life and flora and fauna around there is definitely impacted."
The N.C. General Assembly’s 2021 state budget allocated $750,000 for the development and implementation of the Master Recreation Plan. Roanoke, Virginia-based contractors Mattern & Craig were selected in Oct. 2021 to develop the plan using public involvement, research and direct observation of current use.
“We'll have plans in terms of what it takes to maintain the forest, how much money it takes to actually manage the forest,” Landry said. “The annual budget for DuPont Forest is woefully insignificant. So, it will have some recommendations on what to do with what to do with the trail system to protect it and have a little bit more public safety.”
DuPont Forest has undergone thorough inspection by contractors associated with M&C to determine suggestions for where to apply this funding.
“A team of consultants has gone over — physically, on foot — all of the trails, and has documented the condition they're in, what's needed for each trail,” McDonald said. “So, there's that data. There's also data about usage of the trails — which trails are receiving high amounts of use, which ones are rarely used. A wide variety of things like that."
DuPont's 12,400 acres, spread across Transylvania and Henderson counties, contains more than 40 miles of multiuse roads and 60 miles of multiuse trails. The forest features six waterfalls, several of which are accessible by paths under half a mile in length. It contains game land and streams stocked with trout by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, trails for equestrians and mountain bikers and six mountain lakes.
“You really don't even have to go far into the forest to have a kind of amazing experience,” Landry said. “If you want to see waterfalls, if you want to see nature, if you want to ride the trails, it's all kind of right there.”
According to the Forest Service’s dedicated webpage, the master recreation plan will include planning for the forest’s recreational infrastructure based on input from user groups, trail density analyses, as well as forest, wildlife management and natural resource preservation objectives. The plan will include recommendations for changes to the trail system and interventions to lessen the impacts of high visitation to the forest.
McDonald described the ultimate goal of the Master Recreation Plan.
“This plan is not a popularity contest of who wants what and who can get the most votes for their group to have something,” McDonald said. “It really is all about balancing — balancing the needs of the forest to be a place for wildlife, to have diversity of plant life, to be an ecosystem. And then to allow humans into that ecosystem in a way that allows the ecosystem to continue to exist.”
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: DuPont Forest master plan to facilitate 1.1 million 2023 visitors
