MIDDLE FORK GREENWAY

Middle Fork Greenway supporters and BRC staff and Board celebrated the opening of the 321 Trailhead with a “ribbon-tying” ceremony to signify connecting the communities.

321 Trailhead

2022 Middle Fork Greenway Highlights

The 321 Trailhead provides access to about a mile of greenway that includes the two large bridges, parking, benches, and picnic tables on Highway 321. Over the summer there was a “ribbon-tying” ceremony to open and connect the section of trail from Goldmine Branch Park to just before Tweetsie Railroad, and the event also served as an opportunity for businesses to drop off their “Round Up for the Greenway” checks. Speakers at the event included Blue Ridge Conservancy’s Charlie Brady, Boone Tourism Development Authority’s Wright Tilley, former BRC Board Chair Margaret Newbold, NC Land and Water Fund’s Will Summer, State Representative Ray Pickett, State Senator Deanna Ballard, and Middle Fork Greenway’s Wendy Patoprsty.

NCDOT Feasibility Study Completed

NCDOT hired McAdams Engineering to implement an expedited Feasibility Study on the MFG. These studies can take years to develop, and this one was completed in 8 months to help keep the momentum moving forward on greenway trails. With the study in hand, MFG has moved forward on two phases of trail development. Thanks to the NCDOT for this gift!

Girl Scouts on the Greenway

A Blowing Rock Girl Scout Troop designed, raised funds, and installed their very own pollinator garden at Sterling Creek Park. They are maintaining it and keeping an eye out for Monarch butterflies and caterpillars.

A Trash Trout on the Middle Fork

Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill and his crew installed the High Country’s 4th “Trash Trout” along the MFG corridor to clean garbage out of the river.

Trash Trouts are purpose-built stormwater litter traps that are moored in creeks and streams, keeping human made trash from entering main waterways. These devices are built to withstand the rigors of flashy rain events, yet passive enough not to harm the local aquatic life.

Boone Gorge Park (See p. 10-11)

BRC purchased 33 acres just outside Boone in 2022 with funding from Watauga Tourism Development Authority and a grant from the State of NC with help from Senator Ballard and Representative Pickett.

Grants awarded for the project in 2022:

• NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund ($500K)

• Water Resources Development Grant ($500K)

• State of NC Grant from SCIF ($950K)

• Thanks to other private donations, $2.3 million of the $3 million needed to begin construction in 2024 has been secured.

“When we were visiting Blowing Rock, we wanted to march in the Fourth of July parade with our puppy. The MFG folks invited us to join! They were our kind of people. Because we are passionate supporters of Rails to Trails and our local greenway in Greensboro, we thought this was a perfect place for us to share our resources. We look forward to hiking and biking and meeting more like-minded friends!”

- Jeb and Molly Burns Middle Fork Greenway Supporters

We appreciate those relationships, and work with local businesses and organizations to keep those connections strong.

The Mandela Washington Fellows Program

BRC staff were excited to serve as peer collaborators for environmentally focused Mandela Washington Fellows this summer.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Since 2014, nearly 5,100 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Fellowship. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished leaders and have established records of promoting innovation and positive impact in their communities and countries.

NCDOT’s Bicycle Helmet Initiative

BRC and the MFG partnered with Western Youth Network (WYN) to distribute helmets to local youth through a grant from NCDOT’s Bicycle Helmet Initiative. Staff visited WYN’s after school program in October, handing out a total of 50 helmets and assisting with fitting and safety education.

Since 2007, the Bicycle Helmet Initiative has equipped thousands of children with a helmet – a simple and essential means of reducing bicyclist injuries and fatalities. Funded by proceeds from North Carolina’s “Share the Road” specialty license plate, the program distributes helmets to government and non-government agencies. BRC was one of 261 organizations across the state awarded a total of 20,000 helmets in 2022, a record number for the program.

Making the Places You Love Safer

Over the summer, members of BRC staff and Board received First Aid and CPR training from Kristina Shableski of Innovative Solutions in Healthcare Education. The training included Automated Exterior Defibulator (AED) training. According to the American Heart Association, use of an AED more than doubles the survival rate of a heart attack victim versus CPR alone. After the training, BRC purchased an AED device for the campus and for guided hikes.

BRC Staff Community Involvement

Being an active part of the High Country community and giving back is important to the BRC staff. Some of the organizations and boards the staff devotes time to include Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, Green Valley Community Park, Watauga Arts Council, Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge, Boone Sunrise Rotary, Watauga Riverkeeper, Health and Hunger Coalition, Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development, and Watauga Women in Leadership.

Staff participate in Hunger & Health Coalition’s “Simple Gesture” food program

Valle Crucis Park’s “Bioblitz”

In April, BRC participated in Valle Crucis Park’s biannual “Bioblitz,” where professionals and enthusiasts come together to catalogue species of plants, animals, and fungi at the park.

BRC volunteer Gina Diggs joined naturalists, mycologists, and biologists, as well as students from Watauga High School’s Mountain Alliance program, for a daylong search for the native species at the park.

VCCP’s naturalist Paul Laurent holds a juvenile northern water snake found during the Bioblitz.

Camp “Girls on the Run”

Over the summer we were invited to visit Girls on the Run camp for 3rd-5th graders. Wendy taught the campers how to catch, identify, and catalog critters in streams and rivers to assess the health of the water.

We tested sections of the East Fork and Middle Fork on the Greenway in Boone. Thanks to Girls on the Run for having us!