Conoeing on Falls Lake - LandTrust leads way

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Approximately 45 people joined the LandTrust for Central North Carolina for a canoe trip on Falls Lake earlier this month.

Canoes and support for the trip were provided by Boy Scout Troop 442, sponsored by First United Methodist Church in Salisbury, enabling The LandTrust to provide the trip to friends and supporters free of charge.

"Falls Lake is one of the little known gems of our region," says David Wilson, a Troop 442 leader and LandTrust consultant who organized the trip. "Because the lake is bordered by either the Uwharrie National Forest or Alcoa property, paddlers can enjoy a pristine and scenic lake paddling experience."

Wilson points out that paddlers on the trip got to observe a wide variety of wildlife including osprey, blue heron, kingfisher, cranes and a brown snake, captured by Mark Lewis of the North Carolina Zoological Park. Lewis says the captured snake will be added to the collection at the North Carolina Zoo after a quarantine period.

Falls Lake is the portion of the Pee Dee River located directly below the Badin Lake Dam. Lake Tillery borders Falls Lake to the south. Canoers got to see a part of the approximately 1,000 acres on the Stanly County side of the lake that the LandTrust is working to add to Morrow Mountain State Park. Current and past LandTrust staff were instrumental in securing the land for a state park expansion as part of the proposed Alcoa Relicensing Settlement Agreement.

"Although the outcome of the Alcoa Relicensing Settlement Agreement is still very much up in the air, we are still hopeful the beautiful land bordering both Falls Lake and Morrow Mountain State will one day be added to the state park system," says Jason Walser, executive director of The LandTrust. "I think everyone who participated in the canoe trip today would agree that this is a very special part of our region, and it should be conserved for the people of North Carolina to enjoy."

The LandTrust, along with staff from Dan Nicholas Park, will host a Nature Walk at Eagle Point Park in Rowan County on Sunday, Oct. 18, featuring hands-on animal and plant exhibits for young children. For more information, call 704-647-0302 or e-mail at landtrust@landtrustcnc.org.