Shelby Shopper Shelby NC
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Thursday, March 28-April 3, 2019 www.shelbyinfo.com 704/484-1047 - shelby shopper & info - Page 29 New Educational State Forest being developed near Stanley By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info There's a new addition to North Carolina's system of state educational forests be- ing developed just a few miles from Stanley and Mt. Holly. The site is known as the Mt. Island State Educational For- est and is situated at 528 Kil- lian Rd. just off Hwy. 16. But fi rst, what is an educa- tional forest? The North Carolina Forest Service operates a system of Educational State Forests (ESFs) designed to teach the public - especially school chil- dren - about the forest envi- ronment. Each forest features self-guided trails that include exhibits, tree identifi cation signs, a forest education center and a talking tree trail. Specially trained rangers are available to conduct classes for school and other youth groups. Teachers or group leaders choose from a selec- tion of 30-minute programs that cover all aspects of the forest environment - from soil, water and wildlife to tim- ber and forest management. North Carolina's Educational State Forests offer a variety of classes compatible with teaching objectives listed in the N.C. Department of Edu- cation science curriculum. State forests and state parks both offer outdoors experiences, but of different types. State forests are man- aged for multiple resources including wood products and wildlife habitat, hunting may be allowed in some circum- stances, and recreational opportunities vary between forests. On the other hand, state parks focus on preser- vation, with minimal manip- ulation of natural systems, hunting is not allowed, and offer a wide variety of recre- ational opportunities. Also, state forests are fo- cused on education rather than recreation. Currently, there are six ed- ucational forests operating across our state. These in- clude Clemmons, Holmes, Jordan lake, Rendevous Mtn., Turnbull Creek, and Tut- tle. When it reaches its oper- ational status in a few years, Mt. Island will join those ranks. The Mt. Island story goes back to 1998 when Gaston County, Lincoln County, and the City of Gastonia pooled resources to give the NC For- est Service a lease on nearly 2,000 acres of prime property near Mt. Island Lake. The land was owned by Duke Energy's forestry and real estate arm, Crescent Resources. Laura Shidal, Mt. Island's forest supervisor, had this to say about the deal. "The land is perpetually conserved," she said. "There will be no housing develop- ments." Currently, Mt. Island is in a relatively early stage of its path to becoming a fully functioning state educational forest. The site has an offi ce and maintenance facility, various fi elds and sections of the large forest are being managed and small groups of interested organizations are allowed access with pre- arranged permission. Right now, the place is not open to the general public. "We hope to be open to the general public within fi ve years," Shidal said. Things are defi nitely mov- ing in that direction. Last October, ground was This group of folks from REI in Charlotte, Annie Springs Greenway, and Friends of Crowders Mtn. State Park recently took a land navigation course at Mtn. Island Educational Forest. broken in the woods for a 6,000sq. ft. education center. Completion of that project could take a couple of years. Architecture of the education center will resemble the one at Crowders Mtn. State Park. "The center will have two classrooms for education as well as exhibits showing the plants and animals that live here," Shidal said."Classes will be on topics such as tree growth, North Carolina wild- life, soil quality, and water quality." Mt. Island will also have oth- er forest education-related features as well. "There will be a half mile loop with 'talking trees'," said Shidal. "Those will be audio recording devices placed on trees along the trail. When you push a button, the re- cording will play an explana- tion of what type of tree it is in the tree's 'voice'." Again, education is the fo- cus. "This is a managed forest," Shidal said. "Not a park or a preserve. Recreation is a by product of what we do." For now, groups of ten or more interested parties can visit Mt. Island- but only by appointment and when Sidal has time. For more information on Mt. Island Educational Forest in particular, contact Shidal at 704-813-356. For more infor- mation on the NC Education- al Forest system visit https:// www.ncesf.org/. Mt. Island Educational Forest supervisor Laura Shidal is 20 year veteran of the NC Forest Service. Photos by Alan Hodge An architectural rendering of the education center that will be built at Mt. Island Educational Forest. Photo provided An host of dignitaries showed up for the October 2018 groundbreaking for the education center. Ranger Travis Shidal pictured with kids participating in a Wildfi re Control Program at Mt. Island Educational Forest.