About 150 people signed an attendance sheet at a Citizens Informational Workshop for the proposed U.S. Highway 221 widening project. The project will widen the 16.1-mile section of road from two lanes to four lanes from the intersection with U.S. 421 south of Boone to the U.S. 221 Business/N.C. Highway 88 in Jefferson.
Current total cost estimates for the project, including right-of-way acquisition and construction, are about $98 million. Read more …
Environmentalists are still celebrating a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week to suspend and review permits for two new mountaintop removal coal mining operations in West Virginia and Kentucky. The EPA said it also intends to review other requests for mining permits, putting between 150 to 200 coal mine permit applications on hold. Read more …Grandfather Mountain is officially a state park now, with Friday’s passage of a legislative bill, one of the last steps of a year-long process that secures the long-term future of the biological treasure.
It joins 33 other state parks, including Elk Knob State Park in the Meat Camp community in Watauga County. The Morton family, heirs of the attraction’s founder Hugh Morton, reached the deal while continuing operation of a portion of the park that has been a popular travel destination.
The state purchased 2,456 acres of the mountain last year, and a bill to name it a state park was introduced by N.C. Rep. Cullie Tarleton (D-93) and Sen. Steve Goss (D-45), among other regional sponsors. The bill now goes to Gov. Beverly Perdue for her signature.
An agreement for the state to purchase the undeveloped, backcountry portion of Grandfather Mountain was announced by former Gov. Mike Easley in September. Funding for the $12 million acquisition came from the N.C. Parks and Recreation and Natural Heritage trust funds, with no additional appropriations needed in a tight budget year.
State park officials have been meeting with the Morton family to finalize a management plan for the property and its 12 miles of trails. The 749-acre travel destination and theme park will remain in operation by the Mortons, though a conservation easement on the property ensures it will remain much as it is and prevent residential development. The theme park features a nature center, wildlife habitats and the famous “Mile High Swinging Bridge.”
It was developed as an attraction by Hugh Morton in the 1950s and lies in Watauga, Avery and Catawba counties. It reaches nearly 6,000 feet in altitude.
By Scott Nicholson
Though soil preparation is a year-round task, it’s not too late to improve on Mother Nature’s humble offering of dirt.
Soil amendments are best made gradually, beginning with a soil test to determine the acidity and level of organic matter in the soil.
However, if you are breaking in a new patch of ground or filling up some front-porch containers, a few simple steps can increase the yield, whether growing vegetables or flowers.
If breaking new ground, remove the top layer of grass and vegetation with a shovel.
This layer can be set aside, composted, or placed at the bottom of a trench and covered over with six to eight inches of dirt, giving earthworms some decaying vegetation to convert to nitrogen-rich soil.
If you want to plan ahead, you can cover an area of grass or weeds with layers of newspaper, with several inches of mulch piled on top.
Read More from the Watauga Democrat
How Likely is it That the High Country Could See a 'Quake? Go Blue Ridge (blog) Another hot spot that is close to the High Country is South Carolina, near the Charleston area. That is another interesting high-risk earthquake area. ... |
High Country Climber Killed in Fall Boone Mountain Times The body of a Boone rock climber was discovered on Thursday, March 4, near mile marker 242 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Alleghany County. ... |
Old Man Winter vs. Watauga musicians Boone Mountain Times Since the clinic involved so many students, parents and school systems across North Carolina, it will not be rescheduled. "They were very disappointed," ... |
Time capsule buried at courthouse Jefferson Post What will future generations of Ashe County citizens remember about the High Country in 100 years? ... |
High Country Visit: Perdue Guarded, Optimistic About NC Economy Boone Mountain Times Perdue lauded Watauga County's efforts in largely avoiding teacher layoffs and vowed to show up to cut the ribbon on the county's new high school in August. ... |
 TriCities.com | Snow Days: Cold, snowy winter a blessing for ski resorts TriCities.com Without snow machines, Moretz said, there would be no skiing in the mountains of North Carolina's High Country. But, this year, resorts like Ski Beech and ... |
Author Pegram to address High Country Writers Boone Mountain Times He and his wife, Patty, reside in Oak Ridge, NC and he is a grandfather. His wife will be joining him for the meeting on March 11. ... |
Hell of the High Country coming in April Watauga Democrat By Mark Mitchell The Hell of the High Country is coming! No, this is not a new horror movie set in Boone and starring Andrew Dice Clay and Paris Hilton. ... |
Boone resident snags Gov's Award Boone Mountain Times Boone resident and College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) senior associate director of technology Robin Greene was awarded the Governor's Award for ... |
NC mountains experiencing one of worst winters on record CharlotteObserver.com The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning until 6 am Thursday for Avery, Alleghany, Ashe, Mitchell, Watauga and Yancey counties, ... |
Please choose a county from the map above for township information and county links.
Find more photos like this on the high country dirt.network
© Copyright 2007, 2008, 2009 (MCN: W6E0B-244E3-14308) The McGinn Company, High Country Dirt, if you wish to contact or submit stories to High Country Dirt, please click here.
If you are interested in advertising, click here