conservation Archives - Page 35 of 43 - Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy

January 20th, 2023: Third Friday Workday

This Friday we’ll be working the Bartram Trail below Rabun Bald, meeting at the trailhead for Beegum Gap at 9AM. We’ll bring the tools and materials needed.

Please bring work gloves, good boots, plenty of water, lunch, any meds you might need and esprit de corps.

We’ll start at 9AM and wrap up at 3pm.

If you’re new to trail maintenance or just want to learn more, you can find more information here on our site. Don’t be shy, we’ll provide everything you need to enjoy your day while making a huge impact for future enjoyment of the Bartram Trail. The hard work of our volunteers is what keeps the 110 miles of trails open and usable all year long.

Please RSVP so we can plan the work and tool requirements.

Thank you for your volunteerism!

January 14th, 2023: Second Saturday Workday – Wallace Branch to William’s Pulpit

The location for this workday will be up near William’s Pulpit, meeting at the Wallace Branch trailhead. We’ll bring the tools and materials needed.

Please bring work gloves, good boots, plenty of water, lunch, any meds you might need and esprit de corps.

We’ll start at 9AM and wrap up at 3pm.

Please RSVP so we can plan the work and tool requirements.

Thank you for your volunteerism!

SELC announces finalists for the 2023 Phil Reed Environmental Writing Award   

Brent Martin has been selected as a finalist for his book “George Masa’s Wild Vision: A Japanese Immigrant Imagines Western North Carolina“

Executive Director of the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy, Brent Martin, has once again been selected, from a pool of talented authors, for his George Masa story that was published earlier this year.

Just a mere 2 weeks after the announcement of receiving the Thomas Wolf Memorial Literary Award, the Southern Environmental Law Center published the following press release on their website.

Brent Martin, Author and Executive Director of the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) announced the finalists for the 2023 Phillip D. Reed Environmental Writing Award today. The work of this year’s finalists explores a wide array of environmental topics; ranging from environmental injustices faced by Southern communities to the challenges our region faces as it deals with the realities of climate change to the importance of environmental conservation.

Presented each year, the Reed Award celebrates writers who achieve both literary excellence and offer extraordinary insight into the South’s natural treasures and environmental challenges.

The award recognizes writers in two categories: the Book Category for works of nonfiction (not self-published) and the Journalism Category for newspaper, magazine, and online writing published by a recognized institution such as a news organization, university, or nonprofit group. Winners of the award will be announced in early February 2023.

Book category finalists:

Corban Addison, Wastelands: The True Story of Farm Country on Trial

Dan Chapman, A Road Running Southward

Brent Martin, George Masa’s Wild Vision: A Japanese Immigrant Imagines Western North Carolina

Annie Proulx, Fen, Bog & Swamp

Bland Simpson, North Carolina: Land of Water, Land of Sky  

Journalism category finalists:

Isabelle Chapman, CNN, “Gambling ‘America’s Amazon’”

Cameron Oglesby, Southerly & Scalawag (collection), “This plan is a lie. How biogas could do more harm than good for the hog industry” and “N.C. releases general biogas permit despite environmental justice concerns”

Tom Perkins, The Guardian (collection), “Cancer Fears Plague Residents of U.S. Region Polluted by ‘Forever Chemicals” and “Fury over ‘forever chemicals’ as US states spread toxic sewage sludge”

Annie Proulx, The New Yorker, “Swamps Can Protect Against Climate Change, If We Only Let Them”

Krishna Sharma, The Bitter Southerner, “Catfish & the Quarry: A Grassroots Victory for Environmental Justice in Rural GA”

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The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of 200, including more than 100 attorneys, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. southernenvironment.org

Reed Environmental Writing Award

SELC annually presents the R eed Environmental Writing Award for outstanding writing in memory of Phillip D. Reed, a founding trustee of SELC who helped guide our organization through the early years before his untimely death in 1993. A talented attorney committed environmental activist, and editor of the widely read Environmental Law Reporter, Phil was known for his ebullient spirit and inquiring intellect.

By recognizing top writing about the environment, SELC hopes to raise public awareness of the South’s natural treasures and environmental challenges that foster better conservation and protection of our environment.

We’re very excited for Brent on another well deserved recognition. “George Masa’s Wild Vision” can be purchased on the Alarka Expeditions website, Amazon, or from a handful of bookstores located in Western North Carolina.

If you’re interested in learning more about this award, please contact:

Alexis Bishop

Marketing Associate

Phone: 434-977-4090
Email: abishop@selcva.org

Trail Report for Week of November 7th, 2022

Highlight of this week was kicking off another PLC crew hitch at Warwoman Dell for some major rock work.

We didn’t post a full trail report last week, but follow the link for some gorgeous photos and read about our latest Walking With Bartram hike from October 28th. Last week was almost fully focused on getting our new Bartram Trail Hiking Maps rolled out!

Beginning to move stones up from the Bartram Trail trailhead to their new stair-tread

This week we welcomed our Public Lands Corps crew back on the Bartram Trail. The crew was welcomed with some wonderful weather to start this hitch at Warwoman Dell.

How we began this effort

Over the summer, a group of volunteers dismantled stones steps, that were set over a decade ago. Their previous location was the Hickory Knoll trailhead. The stones were removed from private property since the trail was rerouted onto the adjacent land. The trail leads more directly to and from the road and parking area.

Stair stones pulled from the old Bartram Trail route from Hickory Knoll

Brent and David taking a break from extracting stone steps at Hickory Knoll

The relocation effort took just a day with the help of our crew. Utilizing 2 large bed trailers, and a small front-loading machine, the team got it done. Folks from the US Forest Service were also on location at Warwoman Dell to help distribute the stones. Special thanks to them for supporting this project.

Continuing this work effort

Fast-forward to now, our Southeast Conservation Corps PLC crew got right to work planning, moving, and stacking the rock. Their goal is to create stairs leading up the Bartram Trail out of Warwoman Dell. These stairs are being stacked to reinforce the switchbacks that lead hikers up to Warwoman Road to Becky Branch.

Scattered stones soon to be well stacked stair tread at Warwoman Dell

Gravel delivered, tools staged, and with the help of a track barrow, large stones were staged at the work area. The crew began moving some select stones into their new resting places as the new path up the hill.

SECC PLC Crew setting a third stone step in place using rock bars

We’re super excited to see how this effort turns out and put the new stairs and tread to the test.

More photos below

Volunteer-submitted trail observations report

We also received a great trail report from a volunteer, Victor, for last weekend’s Sky to Summit trail run. The Run Bum Tours event was successful! Runners traversed a good number of miles over the Bartram Trail, connecting trails, and forest service roads.

Here is Victor’s report, that we’ll use to prioritize our next trail maintenance outing to address:

I hiked the section from Becky’s Branch Rd to Wilson Gap to flag the trail for Sean Blanton’s Sky to Summit trail race. I am an experienced trail maintainer and Sean asked me to submit a trail report. I carried a small hand saw during my hike and was able to remove several smaller trees. There are 5 trees between Courthouse Gap and Wilson Gap that will need a larger hand saw or chainsaw. Most are single step overs. There are two blowdowns with multiple branches but both are passable. The section between Wilson Gap and Courthouse Gap can use some brush clearing. And there is one section of 1/4 mile that can use side hilling where the trail bed is not flat. That section is located about .5 miles from the Wilson Gap Darnell Creek open area.

There are 4 trees down between Courthouse Gap and the Becky’s Branch Road crossing. Also one damage section due to a root ball taking out the trail bed.

Overall the trail is beautiful and I loved hiking it. I think it would be good to have a sign at the Pinnacle trail intersection. Currently this is only a small pile of rocks as a trail marker.

Great suggestion for the Pinnacle trail section, we’re going to look into it!

Send us your trail observations

As of writing this post, we’re looking at tropical storm weather possibly blowing through Thursday night and Friday. We’re bound to see some more blowdowns. If you happen to hike on the Bartram Trail following the remnants of Nicole, please post your observations. We’ll get folks out there to clear the way.

Join us for our next work day

Assuming the weather passes as predicted, we’ll have volunteers out at Warwoman Dell for our Second Saturday Workday, November 12th. If you’re available and looking to give back to the trail, please join us. No special experience necessary and we’ll provide what you need. This will be a great opportunity to work with our PLC crew in addition to the Bartram Trail volunteers. Please RSVP if you plan to join, which helps with planning the day.

More photos from the day