The State of North Carolina has a group of protected areas known as the North Carolina State Park System , which is managed by the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation ( NCDPR ), an agency of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) . Units of the system can only be established by an act of the General Assembly of North Carolina . The park system began in 1916 when the summit of Mount Mitchell became first state park in the Southeastern United States . According to the Division of Parks & Recreation, "the State Parks Act of 1987 lists six types of units included in the NC State Parks System." These are State Parks , State Recreation Areas , State Natural Areas , State Lakes , State Trails , and State Rivers . All units of the system are owned and/or managed by the division, and the division leases some of the units to other agencies for operation. Most units of the park system are also components of State Nature and Historic Preserve .
19-840: Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve is a North Carolina state park in Moore County , North Carolina in the United States . Located near Southern Pines, North Carolina , it covers 915 acres (3.70 km) in the Sandhills region of the state. The unconsolidated sand of the Carolina Sandhills is mapped as the Quaternary Pinehurst Formation , and is interpreted as eolian (wind-blown) sand sheets and dunes that were mobilized episodically from approximately 75,000 to 6,000 years ago. In
38-444: A range of unique species to flourish. The preserve's exhibit hall focuses on the natural history of the longleaf pine forest , including geology , plants, animals and the use of prescribed fires to maintain the forest. One exhibit highlights the use of pine resin in the naval stores industry . The museum is located in the park's visitor center and is open daily. Naturalists also offer environmental education programs for
57-494: A result of logging and naval stores operations, most of the virgin growth of longleaf pines had disappeared from the Sandhills by 1900. Many of the older trees that survive today bear prominent scars of this human exploitation. Early in the 20th century, the grandfather of James Boyd , a well-known North Carolina author, purchased a substantial tract of land east of Southern Pines to save the longleaf pines from logging. He named
76-544: A trail corridor or for protecting significant features or resources along the trail. Most of these lands are leased to other land management agencies. All of the State Trails are joint projects with other government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The following is the NC Division of Parks & Recreation description of State Trails: The North Carolina Trails System Act was passed in 1973 to help provide for
95-507: Is focused on preserving and protecting areas of scientific, aesthetic, or ecological value. Facilities are limited to those needed for interpretation, protection, and minimum maintenance. Generally, recreational and public use facilities such as camping, swimming, picnicking, and the like are not provided in State Natural Areas. State Lakes are all large, naturally formed bodies of water in the state's Coastal Plain . Most of
114-478: Is provided than in State Parks. Protection and enjoyment of the natural resources are still important, and the sites are expected to contain scenic and attractive natural features. Development is planned and constructed to keep a "reasonable amount" of each area undisturbed and free from improvements and structures. State Natural Areas protect areas more sensitive to human activities than State Parks. Most of
133-406: The State Natural Areas are undeveloped and have limited to no facilities, and some of them are closed to the general public to protect rare, fragile ecosystems . A few have developed facilities for low intensity, passive recreation, as well as facilities for public interpretation and education of the natural area. The NC Division of Parks & Recreation states: The purpose of State Natural Areas
152-550: The State Parks System known as State Lakes. Most of these are administratively included as part of an adjoining State Park, but one of the lakes (White Lake) has no public ownership on its shoreline. State Trails are one of the principal components of the State Trail System. State Trails may be either long-distance, hiking trails or paddle trails . State Trails may have land components for providing
171-627: The benefit of present and future generations. The Natural and Scenic Rivers Act established criteria and methods for inclusion of components to the system. Components of the Natural and Scenic Rivers System are State Rivers, and are also units of the State Parks System. Some units have been formally removed from the NC State Park System and transferred to other agencies for management. When the State Historic Site system
190-633: The estate Weymouth because the pines reminded him of trees in Weymouth, England . In April 1963, Boyd's widow, Katharine, donated 403 acres (1.63 km) of land to the state, establishing the first natural area in the North Carolina state parks system. Additional land has been acquired, including a satellite area of 153 acres (0.62 km) known as the Boyd Round Timber Tract, which was added in 1977. James Creek, which bisects
209-413: The extent of development depending upon what can be provided without damage to the scenic or natural features. Facilities are planned and constructed to keep disturbance of natural resources to a minimum and to leave a "liberal portion" of each park undisturbed and free from improvements and structures, except for trails. Several of the State Parks are new and are still being planned and developed. A few of
SECTION 10
#1732780232983228-574: The lakes are Carolina Bays . The NC Division of Parks & Recreation describes its State Lakes as follows: Chapter 165 of the Laws of 1929 specified that "all lakes now belonging to the State having an area of 50 acres or more" should be "administered as provided for other recreational areas now owned by the State." This allowed the then-Department of Conservation and Development to assume management authority for seven Coastal Plain lakes that became units of
247-606: The mid-18th century, when Scottish Highlanders settled in the Sandhills region, the vast forest consisted of original growth longleaf pines that reached heights of 100 to 120 feet (37 m). Merchants cut the forests for timber and cultivated choice stands for use as masts for the Royal Navy ships. Merchants also harvested resin from the longleaf pines for the naval stores industry. Resin from longleaf pine yielded four basic products: tar, pitch, turpentine and rosin. By 1850, North Carolina's pine forests were producing one-third of
266-487: The older state parks were greatly expanded in size in the 2000s adding trails and bike paths open to the public. State Recreation Areas are more intensely developed units than State Parks, and they largely encompass lands less sensitive to human activities than State Parks. According to the NC Division of Parks & Recreation: State Recreation Areas are sites where the primary purpose is outdoor recreation, rather than preservation. More intensive development of facilities
285-432: The preserve, is home to the rare mud sunfish and the sandhills chub , a fish native only to the Sandhills region. The creek is also home to brown bullhead , bluegill , and is nearly at the northernmost terminus for the dollar sunfish . The creek here, like most creeks in the region is described as a blackwater creek, a special environment characteristic of dark, tannin -stained water as well as high acidity, allowing
304-428: The public and school groups. List of North Carolina state parks State Parks are the principle unit of the state park system. The NC Division of Parks & Recreation describes its parks as follows: Generally, State Parks are expected to possess both significant natural resource values and significant recreational values. State Parks are expected to accommodate the development of facilities, but may vary in
323-522: The state's Natural and Scenic Rivers System, which is the state's equivalent to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System . Most of the state's National Wild and Scenic Rivers , are also State Rivers and vice versa . The NC Division of Parks & Recreation states that: The Natural and Scenic Rivers System was created by the 1971 General Assembly to preserve and protect certain free flowing rivers, their water quality and their adjacent lands for
342-485: The state's outdoor recreation needs and to promote public access to natural and scenic areas. The act prescribed methods for establishing a statewide system of scenic trails, recreation trails, and connecting or side trails. The Trails System includes "park trails", which are designated and managed as units of the State Parks System known as State Trails, and "designated trails", which are managed by other governmental agencies or corporations. State Rivers are components of
361-406: The world's supply of naval stores. Resin collected from elongated, inverted V-shaped cuts in the tree trunks was distilled into turpentine . Turpentine was used as a solvent and illuminant. Tar , pitch and rosin were used for sealing the hulls, decks, masts, ropes and riggings of sailing vessels. When railroads arrived in the Sandhills in the 1870s, large-scale logging and lumbering began. As
#982017