I’d been exploring the park for about three years before I learned the history behind the park’s two sides, my Reedy Creek side and the Crabtree Creek side off of Glenwood Avenue. Umstead, it turned out, had been two separate state parks: Crabtree Creek Recreation Area and Reedy Creek State Park, the latter formed in 1950 with 1,000 acres as a separate park for African-Americans. 

1950 was also the year that the first state park facility in Virginia opened for African-Americans. In 1948, Maceo Conrad Martin, of Danville, Va., tried to enter nearby Staunton River State Park, one of seven state parks in Virginia at the time, and was denied entry because of the color of his skin. He took the Virginia Department of Conservation and Development to court, arguing that state parks weren’t abiding by the law of the day by providing “separate but equal” facilities for African-Americans. That lead to the opening of Prince Edward State Park for Negroes in Prince Edward County. That park also had a white counterpart: Goodwin Lake Recreational Area.

(South Carolina was a bit ahead of its time. According to the South Carolina State Parks website, “As early as 1938, African American leaders worked to secure access to state parks. Their efforts resulted in the establishment of separate recreation areas for black citizens. These included portions of Lake Greenwood, Hunting Island and Huntington Beach state parks. The system also included segregated African American parks at Pleasant Ridge, Campbell’s Pond and Mill Creek.)

Efforts continued through the 1950s to create more facilities open to all. A second suit was brought in Virginia in 1951 by a group of African Americans denied entry to what was then Seashore State Park (now First Landing) in Virginia Beach. Those plaintiffs sought a continuance, however, based on the potential implications of a lawsuit rising through the courts, Brown vs. Board of Education. When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on May 17, 1954, that segregation of pubic schools was unconstitutional, the implications were clear: segregation of any public facilities was unconstitutional. Including state parks.

Despite the ruling, public institutions continued to fight integration. Rather than integrate, the Prince Edward County Schools simply shut their doors for several years. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Development considered doing likewise, or to lease their parks to private contractors who might be exempt from the ruling. The situation didn’t begin to change significantly until passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin (and eventually, sexual orientation and gender identity). In Virginia, Prince Edward State Park for Negroes and Goodwin Lake Recreational Area were merged, and in 1976 became Twin Lakes State Park. In Raleigh, in 1966, Reedy Creek and Crabtree Creek were merged and became William B. Umstead State Park (named for a conservation-minded former governor).

This bit of history has a particular resonance today. Our state parks have played a particularly vital role in helping us stay safe and healthy: in North Carolina, a record 19.8 million people visited the state’s 41 state parks and recreation areas in pandemic-plagued 2020, and other public land managers report record attendance as well. In a year when the outdoors has been a safe refuge for so many, it’s hard to imagine being denied that escape based on the color of your skin. 

At least, it should be hard to imagine.

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Learn more on the GetHiking! Southeast Podcast

This week on the GetHiking! Southeast Podcast we talk about the desegregation of Virginia State Parks with both Melissa Baker, Director of Virginia State Parks, and Veronica Flick, a Virginia State Parks manager who until recently was at Twin Lakes State Park. Give a listen here.

The post Before State Parks were open to all appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Back in the late 1800s, a popular Christmas activity was the “Side Hunt,” in which hunters would choose sides, then head out and see which side could shoot the most birds. Frank M. Chapman, an early officer in the then-fledgling Audubon Society, liked the idea of going out and looking for birds on Christmas, he just wasn’t keen on shooting them. In 1900, he suggested to his friends that they go out and count the birds instead. Thus was born the Christmas Bird Census, which has since morphed into the Christmas Bird Count.

Today, tens of thousands of volunteers fan out across North America over a three-week period (Dec. 14 through Jan. 5) to count birds. According to Audubon, “The data collected by observers over the past century allow Audubon researchers, conservation biologists, wildlife agencies and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, it provides a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.”

The count is the single most important effort in keeping tabs on the health of our bird population. And it’s all done by volunteers, some with extensive birding experience, others who don’t know and canary from a cockatoo. At least, at the beginning of the day.

One of the great things about the count for the birding curious is that it’s a good opportunity to get out in the field with experienced birders and learn, by sight and sound, the local bird population. This year, according to the Carolina Bird Club, there are 60 Christmas Bird Counts in North and South Carolina.

For each count, birders typically gather at sunup and are assigned to different spots within a circle 15 miles in diameter. The goal is to spend the entire day tallying birds, by species, by total number. And again, if you don’t know a budgie from a buzzard, worry not. “If you are a beginning birder,” assures Audubon, “you will be able to join a group that includes at least one experienced birdwatcher.”

Of the 60 CBCs in the Carolinas, nine have already occurred, and 19 are today through Sunday. Counts in North Carolina, with who to contact for details, are:

Today

Rocky Mount

Saturday

• Gastonia: Steve Tracy, 704.853.0654
• Greensboro: Elizabeth Link, 336.273.4672
• Kitty Hawk: Jeff Lewis, 252.216.6336
• Raleigh: John Connors, 919.733.7450, x602
• Winston-Salem: Ron Morris, 336.725.1254

Sunday

• Catawba Valley, Dwayne Martin, Lori Owenby, 828.234.6041, 828.312.4834
• Durham, Jacob Socolar, Jeff Pippen, 919.636.0326
• Holly Shelter & Lea-Hutaff, Carson Wood, 910.859.9425
• Morehead City, John Fussell, jfuss@clis.com
• Southern Lake Norman, Taylor Piephoff, 704.621.0336
• Southern Pines, Susan Campbell, 910.695.0651

For more information on these counts and on the remaining counts, visit the CBC Christmas Bird Count web page, here.

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Those are our thoughts on weekend fun. Find more options at the sources listed below.

The post This weekend: Audubon’s Annual Christmas Bird Count appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

To the glass-half-empty crowd, this weekend’s forecast of rain followed by more rain topped by a dash of drizzle (and more rain) may seem discouraging. But if you don’t mind seeing that half-full glass fill further, the wet weekend offers opportunity. You just need to know how to dress for it and where to best enjoy a walk in the wet woods.

We’ve come up with five of our favorite rainy day romps. We tell you why these trails are better when wet, then refer you to the online hiking guide we compiled for our friends at Great Outdoor Provision Co. for specifics on making each hike happen.

Grab your slicker and embrace the weekend.

1. Sycamore Trail
Umstead State Park, Raleigh
7.2 miles
Our favorite hike in the rain, period. In a mild rain, normally nondescript Sycamore Creek turns into a feisty mountain stream. The rock gardens that in drier times collect languid pools convert Sycamore Creek into a whitewater rollick that makes you want to grab the nearest playboat and dive in. Head to the main trailhead off the far parking lot for the entire 7.2 miles, or, get right to the frothy fun by starting from the Bike & Bridle trailhead, for a 4-mile adventure.
More info and directions here.

2. Stone Mountain Loop Trail
Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap
4.5 miles
This popular loop is typically appreciated for its great views — views that will be obscured in this weekend’s forecast conditions. Rather, what you’ll get are low clouds dancing above the meadow that’s home to the Hutchinson Homestead, passage along the especially exuberant Stone Mountain Falls (on a wood staircase) and the occasional peeks across the valley to Wolf Rock when you top out on STMO. Another big plus: you’ll miss the crowds that typically flood the trail this time of year.
More info and directions here.

3. Occoneechee Mountain Loop
Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough
3 miles
You like hiking in the mountains in the rain? Then you’ll like hiking at Occoneechee Mountain, where the trail passes through five distinct eco zones, at least two of which transport you to much higher climes. Hiked clockwise, the trail begins with a steep climb (Occoneechee tops out at 867 feet, the highest spot in the Triangle), then deposits you along the Eno. There, a 30-foot cliff provides a cool environment where rhododendron, mountain laurel, galax and other flora of the Southern Appalachians flourish.
More info and directions here.

4. Ridgeline Trail
Crowders Mountain State Park, Kings Mountain (Charlotte area)
12 miles
If you’re properly geared up for the elements, there’s no better opportunity for some through head-clearing than a hike in the rain — a long hike in the rain. The Ridgeline Trail links Crowders Mountain in North Carolina with Kings Mountain State Park in South Carolina. The North Carolina stretch is particularly contemplative, a rolling stretch with no grueling climbs, leaving enough oxygen to fuel the thought process. Not up for a shuttle? Walking in the rain is ideal for an out-and-back hike.
More info and directions here.

5. Price Lake
Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 297
2.7 miles
The clouds are never content to settle over Price Lake. Constantly on the move, they shroud the lake in silence one minute, part briefly the next to reveal a glance at Grandfather Mountain. Rhododendron rim the lake, offering a degree of protection from the rain and glowing a brilliant dark green when coated in wet. The trail is accessible (the trailhead is along the parkway) and the distance makes it doable for even occasional hikers.
More info and directions here.

The post Trails for walkin’ in the rain appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Today’s 90-Second Escape: Paddle Charleston

We’ve been in a paddling frame of mind of late, what with the hot weather and the blindingly blue skies.

Today, we revisit a trip to the Charleston, S.C., area from three years ago and a paddle on Rantowels Creek. Here’s hoping the skies stay clear enough this week for a little after-work paddle.

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Appearances

Tuesday, May 13, 7:30 p.m.: Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh
Thursday, May 15, 7 p.m.: Barnes & Noble, Cary
Saturday, May 17, 11:30 a.m.: Country Bookshop, Southern Pines
Sunday, May 18, 2 p.m.: Barnes & Noble, Burlington
Friday, May 30, 7 p.m.: Scuppernong Books, Greensboro
Saturday, May 31, 2 p.m.: Park Road Books, Charlotte
Sunday, June 1, 1 p.m.: City Lights, Sylva

If you have a bookstore, an outdoors shop, an outdoors club, a civic group, a business wellness program — whatever — and would like to have a talk about adventure, drop me a line at joe@getgoingnc.com.

The post Let’s talk Adventure, Carolinas appeared first on GetGoing NC!.