Summer 2016 Newsletter - DuPont State Recreational Forest

The Little River
WAT E R M A R K
MEMBERSHIP NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 14 – ISSUE 3
July 2016
IN THIS ISSUE
Fabulous News for
the Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Calendar of Events &
President’s Update . . . . . . . . 2
DuPont Proposes
Remediation of the
Donut Hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Cycling in DuPont . . . . . . . . . 4
A Pull to the Mountains . . . . 5
Walk on the Wild Side . . . . . 7
Summer Programming
at Holmes Educational
State Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Forest Supervisor’s
Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Volunteer Appreciation . . . 10
Business Membership . . . . 11
Membership Form . . . . . . . 12
Crowds converge on Hooker Falls. Photo by David Brown.
Fabulous News for the Forest
by Nancy Kay
The North Carolina state budget has been finalized and it’s all
fantastic news for DuPont State Recreational Forest. The initial
House budget called for substantial financial support for the
Forest, but the Senate version allocated no funding whatsoever.
Special thanks to Representative Chuck McGrady and Senator
Tom Apodaca for doing the nudging needed to help Senate members come to their senses.
In a recent general assembly bulletin, NC Representative Chuck
McGrady reported:
After many long days and nights, the budget is finally done.
The Conference Committee reconciled the differences
between the House and Senate versions of the budget, and it
was publicly released. This conferenced version of the budget
cannot be amended.
Now, here’s the wonderful news. The budget provides $629,335
in recurring funds to support nine positions and associated operating expenses at DuPont State Recreational Forest. Additionally,
the budget earmarks $3,000,000 (yep, you read all those zeros
correctly!) for the construction and improvement of additional
bathrooms, utilities, and parking lots.
Continued on Page 9
DuPontForest.com1
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
I SPY...
Here’s someone having
fun in a spot in the Forest
that is filled with all kinds
of challenges for young
cyclists. Do you know
where this is located?
July 16
Cherokee Lecture
& Hike
Dr. Keith Parker
ASC Classroom
1:00 pm
See Page 10 for Answer
Limited to 24 people,
contact Aleen Steinberg at
828-885-2477
August 3
Mushroom Hike
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Charlotte Caplan
Meet at Lake Imaging at
10:00 am
I love this time of year –
summer vacationers at
DuPont enjoying the waterfalls and trails, mountain
laurel blooming, running
camps! In the last issue I
asked you to write your
representative about the
Bev at the rock quarry in DuPont
deplorable porta-potty conditions at Hooker Falls (thanks to those who wrote!). “Real bathrooms” are sorely needed, and now, they will become a reality!
Limited to 15 people, contact
Aleen Steinberg at 828-885-2477
September 24
Birding Hike in Holmes
Educational State Forest
Amy Kinsella
Meet at Campground Road
(2392 Old CCC Road)
8:00-10:00 am
Limited to 8 FODF members,
contact Amy Kinsella 828-692-0100
October 22
Tree ID Hike and Picnic
Meet at Corn Mill Shoals
parking lot
11:00 am-1:00 pm
Limited to 8 FODF members,
contact Amy Kinsella 828-692-0100
by Bev Parlier
Your board has approved up to $50,000 for bathroom design
work. In the state’s recently approved budget, $3,000,000 was
allocated to the Forest. A good portion of this will be used to build
the Hooker Falls bathroom. This is really good news, and our
visitors will certainly be relieved (pun intended)!
This past June there was a waterfall death at High Falls. Please do
remind visitors at the waterfalls that wet rocks mean very slick
rocks and risk for serious injury. Safety around waterfalls is of the
utmost importance.
Speaking of waterfalls, the parking lot Host Program (Hooker
Hosts!) is back! If you would like to help answer questions, sell
maps, remind visitors about waterfall safety, please let me know
([email protected]). All materials for the job are in a “host
bin” at the visitor center.
Finally, many THANKS to all of you who helped at the May
Mothers Day weekend Tour de Falls. I heard many compliments
about the volunteers. Fall Tour dates are scheduled for October
8-9. Stay cool, and see you on the trails!
2
DuPont Proposes
Remediation of
the Donut Hole
by Kent Wilcox
In 1956, the E. I. du Pont de Nemours
Company (hereafter DuPont) purchased approximately 10,000 acres in
Cedar Mountain, NC for the construction of a plant to manufacture highly
purified elemental silicon used by Bell
Labs and Texas Instruments to produce
transistors and solar cells. In 1962 the plant
was converted to production of medical
X-ray film, and eventually employed more
than 1,000 people. Agfa acquired the facility in
1999 and terminated production in 2002.
Most of the 10,000 acres were sold to the state
of North Carolina to become DuPont State Forest.
Agfa retained 475 acres encompassing the manufacturing site that is now known as the “donut
hole” because it is an inaccessible area in the center of the Forest. From 2002 to 2006, Agfa oversaw the demolition of the manufacturing facility
and removal of 32,370 tons of debris.
DuPont reacquired the property in 2006, and
between then and now, representatives from
DuPont and environmental regulators from the
state of North Carolina have met on numerous
occasions to negotiate an arrangement by which
DuPont would remediate (remedy) the contaminated soil and water on the 475-acre site before
giving it to the state.
The key issue in these negotiations was that the
extent to which the site had to be remediated
depended upon the intended future use for the
site. The negotiations generally resulted in a
stalemate because the state could not specify the
end use for the site and DuPont was unwilling to
proceed with a remediation effort that had no
defined endpoint. The impasse loosened in 2014
when some legislators in Raleigh drew up a plan
for the donut hole that would create jobs.
The attached figure shows the locations of
proposed remediation sites. This map was
taken from a draft of the 127-page
Conceptual Remedial Action Plan (RAP) that can
be found on the web site for the NC Department
of Environmental Quality (deq.nc.gov/) along with
thousands of pages of documents generated by
DuPont and state environmental regulators. A link
to these technical documents is also posted on
www.dupontforest.com.
During the 45 years that the plant was operational, approximately 25 dumpsites (aka Solid
Waste Management Units or SWMU’s) were
created. Some of these sites were used for
office trash (mostly paper), packaging materials (cardboard), and food wastes from the
cafeteria. DuPont built a wastewater treatment
facility (WWTF) to treat sanitary wastes from the
employees plus nearly 1.6 million gallons of water
used daily for manufacturing. Solid wastes from
the WWTF were collected in settling ponds in a
25-acre site designated as SWMU 4. During the
demolition phase, more than 2,500 tons of biosolids were removed from SWMU 4 and disposed
of off-site. In 2015, most of the SWMUs were
deemed non-hazardous and officially closed
Continued on Page 11
DuPontForest.com3
Author gets in a sunrise lap at junctions of Big Rock and Cedar Rock. Photo by Tim Koerber.
Cycling in DuPont
by Rob Swiers, The Hub and Pisgah Tavern
Expect the unexpected, and enjoy the beauty of
nature on your bike! Riding a bike in DuPont State
Forest, with its well-built trail system and varied
terrain, is one of the things I look forward to each
week.
Trails exist for every skill and fitness level. In fact,
any rider can conquer most every trail in DuPont.
Trail signage is impeccable, and there are map
kiosks sprinkled throughout. Trails are maintained and were designed for long-term multiuse. This is in stark contrast to riding in Pisgah
National Forest where trails are rarely maintained,
signage is sparse at best, and trail choice needs to
be carefully considered due to the distance one
can end up from any assistance, if needed.
A popular beginner ride starts at the Lake Imaging
parking lot followed by a climb up Jim Branch Trail
which leads to Isaac Heath and Hilltop Trails. The
end of Hilltop Trail gives great access to Grassy
Falls. Following Lake Imaging road back to the
parking lot can complete the loop, though, if you
still have legs for it, the climb up Buck Forest road
to Hickory Mountain Road and around to the
Ridgeline Trail downhill is the flowy reward most
4
people rave about!
Another gem that never disappoints is finding
yourself on top of Big Rock or Cedar Rock, large
sections of exposed granite with amazing viewsthe best are to be had at sunrise and sunset.
Closest parking is Corn Mill Shoals parking area.
The climb up Big Rock trail can be strenuous, but
is always well worth it.
My experiences with the various trail user groups
have always been overwhelmingly positive. While
living out west, I often heard stories of trail conflict between bikers and hikers, or horseback
riders, but none of that seems to exist in DuPont.
Trail etiquette is alive and well, whether it be
cyclists riding down a hill yielding to uphill riders,
yielding the trail to hiking groups, or stopping and
waiting for instruction from a rider on horseback.
It’s important to be aware of the wildlife, for
your sake and for theirs. I often see box turtles
(Terrapene carolina) ambling across the trail
surfaces and eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), and white tail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) who love to make the mad dash in front of
you when you’re least expecting it. And, it’s not
uncommon to see various snakes basking in a
ribbon of sunshine that has penetrated through
the canopy. Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix)
Continued on Page 5
Friends of DuPont
are venomous so should be given a wide berth.
Bike choice in DuPont is pretty wide open. My
favorite type of bike to use in the Forest is a midtravel hardtail with 27.5” wheels and just a front
fork. It’s a simple machine and quite efficient for
the climbs, but fun and playful. Others cyclists I
ride with prefer short travel full-suspension rigs,
often with 29-inch wheels. I’ve taken long travel
bikes out there and have also had great fun, and
I see cyclocross bikes with no suspension and
hardy riders grinning ear-to-ear. Match your
riding style to the bike you’ll be on and there will
be plenty of terrain to gobble up and keep you
entertained. Happy Trails!
Enjoying the flow on Ridgeline trail. Photo by Tim Koerber.
A Pull to the Mountains
by Anita Goldschmidt
At this year’s Tour de Falls, Anita Goldschmidt
conversed with and photographed several visitors. Relax and enjoy as Anita describes two of her
interactions that turned out to be truly connected.
Latessa
I met Latessa at High Falls. Her back was to me as
she leaned against one of the posts at the picnic
shelter overlooking the cascade. Her arms hung
by her sides as she appeared fixed on the falls.
Her posture suggested total inner peace. I took
a picture and asked what brought her here and
what this experience at Dupont meant to her.
Out of these simple questions, came a story
accompanied by bright reflective eyes and an
open desire to share a very personal journey.
Latessa was thrilled to be at Dupont. She came
with her stepsister who has difficulty walking.
They chose to view the natural beauty by way of
Tour de Falls. “We jumped at the chance of being
able to go on those back roads where many other
people can’t go. What a gift!”
Left to Right: Latessa reflects at High Falls. Latessa
enjoys conversation with author. Three generations
enjoying Tour de Falls.
Latessa, 64, spent her life in Detroit, Michigan,
where she was a nurse and social worker. She
went as far as she could within the corporate
world and cared for aging parents. After they died,
she felt some unrest and was on an emotional
She began a spiritual journey. She attended
courses on topics related to inner spiritual
growth that eventually led her to a monastery
in Niagara Falls. From there, she went to this
monastery’s “Mother Ship” located in Flat Rock.
roller coaster. She referred to the old Peggy Lee
song, “Is That All There Is?”
“I was in ‘dis-ease’ and my life force was flickering,
and about to go out. The body, mind, spiritual
trilogy was missing.”
Continued on Page 7
DuPontForest.com5
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Photos and Text by Alan Cameron
Bald Eagle
These game camera photos of a juvenile Bald
Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) were taken on
March 17 of this year off of Rocky Ridge Trail.
Bald Eagles do not attain their white heads and
tail feathers until they
are about five years old.
It’s not too surprising to
see this magnificent bird
here in the DuPont as
sightings of them along
the French Broad River
Basin have been increasing in recent years.
Young birds roam great
distances with tagged
California birds showing
up in Alaska.
Timber Rattlesnake
Other than copperheads,
the Timber Rattlesnake
(Crotalus horridus) is the only venomous
snake in the mountain region of our state.
They are shy and retiring creatures that only
defend themselves when threatened. Their
normal reaction to the approach of a person
is to freeze and hope to go unnoticed. Timber
Rattlers come in two color varieties – the
most common is yellow-phase with wide
bands of yellow, but they can also be black-phase
and virtually jet black. Yellow-phase snakes are
predominant here in DSRF and black-phase are
much more common in Pisgah National Forest
outside of Brevard. They are a state-listed species
and are protected by law. If you encounter one
on a DuPont trail please give it a wide berth and
leave it alone.
6
Eastern SmallFooted Bat
The DSRF is believed to
be home to ten species
of bats. The Eastern Small-footed Bat (Myotis
leibii leibii) likes to hide under rocks as its day
roost. Bats are typically able to consume several
hundred insects in a few hours. The numbers of
small-footed bats has been decreasing in recent
years, in part due to White Nose Syndrome, an
introduced fungal disease that is decimating populations of many eastern species of bats. The bat
and it’s hide-rock in the attached photo was off of
Cedar Rock Trail.
Continued on Page 7
A Pull to the Mountains
Continued from Page 5
She loved being in this area. “I didn’t realize what
a ‘Mountain Mama’ I was. I felt grounded and
centered.”
Latessa drove back to Detroit, gave everything
away, packed up, and headed south. “Coming
down here saved my life,” she said. “Mother Earth
is so healing and enveloping. I didn’t realize I’m kin
to the mountains. I feel renewed. I’m an idolizer of
nature’s beauty.”
Latessa’s roots run deep. Her mother was of
Cheyenne ancestry. “I was born in ‘52. You never
wanted to say you were a Native American. My
Mother became assimilated and she married my
Continued from Page 6
High-Interest Critter Update
The tagged Turkey Vulture extensively photographed in the Forest in 2015 was last seen
here in that year on November 23. It was
subsequently photographed flying over the
Florida Keys Wild Bird Center on Vernier Key
on January 10, 2016. It returned to the DSRF
on February 29 and has been seen regularly
since then.
“Blondie,” the blond coyote, has been seen
regularly this spring, but always by herself.
She did us all proud on June 13 by coming to
the game cameras with at least three little
towheads in tow. Now that we know she is a
female, the mystery remaining is, who is the
proud father?
father who was Italian.” Latessa searched for her
genealogy, but it was a challenge. She shared,
“They kept better cattle records than they did of
us Native Americans.”
The uplifting and transformative experience
of this day in DuPont was revealed in Latessa’s
words: “Instead of my life force flickering, it’s
burning bright.”
Three generations
Grandmother Jan, daughter Sarah, and threeyear-old granddaughter, Abby traveled several
hours from the Piedmont to spend Mother’s Day
“up in the mountains.” They shared, “Where we
live it is flat. Nothing is quite as interesting as the
(mountains and) the waterfalls.”
Sarah spoke about her daughter. “She loves
waterfalls and wants to touch flowers, trees,
almost anything in nature. It’s a great learning
experience for her. We would never have been
able to do this because, at her young age, Abby
can’t walk that much and the buses make it possible to see so much.”
Sitting at Lake Julia on this sunny glorious day, Jan
shared, “I’ve always been drawn up to the mountains and this area. The smell of the earth, the
foliage and the waterfalls- it’s all very soothing to
me. I was adopted, and I found out in later years,
after my parents died, that my birth family lived in
Murphy. My husband had Cherokee Indian in him
and we were both always pulled to this general
area.”
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their
own freshness into you, and the storms their
energy, while cares will drop away from you like
the autumn leaves.“ – John Muir
NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTORS
Editor: Nancy Kay, Designer: Garnet Fisher,
Newsletter Committee: Aleen Steinberg,
Jerry Brown, and Kent Wilcox
7
Summer Programming
at Holmes Educational
State Forest
by Susan Fay, Forest Supervisor,
Holmes Educational State Forest
Flowers are popping up everywhere at Holmes
Educational State Forest. The forest has enjoyed
a good showing so far this year ranging from our
first ephemerals in early March to Solomon’s Seal
and Wild hydrangea now making appearances.
Holmes has always enjoyed a wide variety of
blooms that will continue into the late summer
months.
Holmes is now open for its 39th year providing
the citizens of North Carolina a living outdoor
classroom where visitors of all ages can learn
about the local natural forest environment. The
forest, which started out as a nursery developed
by the Civilian Conservation Corps, has now
become one of seven educational state forests
located throughout the state. The land along
Crab Creek Road was obtained by the state in the
mid-1930’s to in order to provide North Carolina
landowners with White pine and Yellow poplar
seedlings. By the late 1960’s the state moved the
nursery to Avery County and developed Holmes
as a small state forest. Since then, the forest has
grown into a diverse woodscape that includes
many other plant species from herbs on the forest
floor to towering forest trees.
This year Holmes provided two wildflower hikes
to interested participants who learned identifying
characteristics and interesting facts about the
forest’s blooming plants. In late March/early April,
each hike took participants on several short trails
where they observed Trout-lily, Oconee bells, Star
chickweed, Toothwort, Bloodroot, and Yellow
root. Late April/early May brought out Yellow lady
slipper, Flame azalea, Trillium, Sweet shrub, and
Foamflower. As the summer progresses, visitors
still can look forward to Pink lady slipper, Carolina
lily, and Fairywand just to name a few.
This year the staff have also added a couple of
guided programs that will allow the public to
8
Friends of DuPont
Left: Yellow Ladyslipper. Right: Oconee Bells.
Photos by Susan Fay.
discover the diversity of birds and tree species
found in our area. We are offering a bird hike on
Saturday, September 24 that will cover birding
facts as well as identification keys to help discover
the many species found in Holmes. On Saturday,
October 22 we will offer a tree identification hike
that will start at the Corn Mill Shoals parking area
and take participants on a hike to learn general
facts and tricks for identifying local tree species.
For younger audiences, Holmes will be offering programs that include fun facts and hands
on activities covering pollinators, habitats and
Smokey Bear’s birthday. Call the office (828-6920100) for more information on these family programs. All programs at Holmes are free of charge
but reservations are required. Each hike is limited
to 20 participants.
Another feature we are in the process of creating is an addition to our website called “Now
Blooming.” This feature will run throughout the
year and will give updated bloom times of forest
wildflowers, plants, and trees. We have added
a couple of flowering species but this project
will take some time to be completed and will be
constantly changing. Check in periodically for
additional blooms. You can find our website at
www.ncesf.org.
Holmes Educational State Forest is located at
1299 Crab Creek Road between Hendersonville
and Brevard. The forest is open Tuesday- Friday
9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:00
am to 6:00 pm, and closed on Mondays. The office
phone number is 828-692-0100.
FOREST SUPERVISOR’S REPORT
Legislative Update: At the time of this report,
the funding scenario for DSRF seems favorable.
The NC Senate and NC House of Representatives
appear to have agreed upon significant funding
for DSRF: $3 million for capital improvements,
nine new full-time positions, and eligibility to be
considered for funding from the NC Parks and
Recreation Trust Fund. If fully approved, this
would mark an historic level of support for DSRF
and would validate the ability of the Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services and
Commissioner Steve Troxler to procure this level
of commitment from the State of North Carolina.
The next steps in the months to come are to
prioritize capital projects and bring on new personnel for a busy Forest with complicated natural
resource and social management issues. This year
has been interesting enough, and the next 12-18
months will not be a letdown. Bear with us, and
thank you for the consistent support that have
made our achievements possible.
Blue Ghost Fireflies: The decision to close two
trails and issue a press release regarding the protection of the Blue Ghost Fireflies appeared to be
a natural resource management success. To our
surprise, the press release was very effective at
informing the public of the issues with overcrowding, resulting in a marked decrease in visitors
in May of 2016 versus that of 2015. I appreciate
FODF’s show of support by canceling the traditional Blue Ghost Firefly tours. While we do not
want to keep this wonderful experience away
from the public, we had reached a point where
action was needed. I’m hopeful that we
can look for similar educational opportunities
going forward.
Fabulous News for the Forest
Continued from Page 1
by Jason Guidry
Waterfall and Visitor
Safety: As many of you are
aware, we recently had a
visitor fatality as a result of
a fall from High Falls. Rather
than discuss the details,
I encourage the FODF to
spread the word about
the dangers of climbing rocks at DSRF. The legal
definition of “climbing” at DSRF is traversing a rock
face that is steep enough to require the use of
hands and feet to get up or down. We will continue to assess our public information programs
to hopefully reduce these types of accidents,
however, it bears mentioning that DSRF has more
warning signs in place near waterfalls than ever
before.
Trail Improvements: The Rocky Ridge and
Switchback Trail improvement projects commenced in June and should be completed in July.
These FODF-funded projects will protect water
quality in some of DSRF’s unique, natural Stone
Mountain areas. I want to dispel the notion that
we are building and improving trails for mountain
bikers. However, Rocky Ridge will remain a fairly
steep trail that will likely attract bikers. We will
assess Rocky Ridge’s use and address any trail
conflicts.
Thanks to Valerie Naylor and Chuck Ramsey for
creating partnership with the Oskar Blues Can’d
Aid Foundation which provided $12,000 in funding
for the Rocky Ridge/Switchback Trail project. As
is true with most of our trail-work, this endeavor
would not have been possible without FODF
support. I thank each and every FODF member for
their time and contributions.
should alleviate the need for visitors to relieve
themselves amongst the trees and shrubs along
the trail. Now, let the construction begin!
These funds will allow development of infrastructure within the Forest to help support its
massive and ever growing visitation. The major
bathroom project will be at Hooker Falls. This
DuPontForest.com9
district and other areas discovering
what was in the forest. There have
been many changes since then.
VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION
Rella Allred
by Nancy Kay
What fuels your desire to
volunteer in the Forest?
Try as you might, you’d be hard
pressed to find a Forest volunteer
My love of being in the woods with
my horse and my desire to see the
natural beauty of this magical place
protected for future generations
fuel my volunteer efforts.
who works harder than Rella Allred.
All of us who love to recreate in
DuPont State Recreational
Forest owe deep gratitude
to this lovely lady.
What are your volunteer
activities, past and present?
Rella and her beloved mare, Dot.
I became a member of FODF in 2003 and was
appointed to fill out the term on the Board of
Directors for Chuck Cordray in 2004. Elected to a
regular term in 2005, I served two 3-year terms
ending in 2010. During a mandatory one year
off the Board, I continued to volunteer as Trail
Committee Chairman in 2011. Reelected to the
Board in 2012, I am now serving the 5th year of
the 6-year term.
I have served on the Board as Secretary and on
the Executive Committee for nine years. Other
committees I have participated in include the
Events Committee, parking lot hosts, By-Laws
Committee, Map Committee, Nominating and
Board Development Committee, Tour de Falls,
and BYOB (Bring Your Own Bus) tours for retirement centers.
I was one of the organizing members of DuPont
Trail Patrol. I have served for several years on the
state Advisory Committee for DSRF as the equestrian representative. Currently I am Chairperson
of the FODF Membership Committee. I also volunteer at the Visitor Center.
How long have you been donating your
time to these projects?
My first volunteering in DuPont Forest was to
help locate, clear and mark some of the old trails
in the forest with the equestrian group, Pisgah
Trailblazers, sometime around 1999-2000. At that
time there was no permanent staff in the Forest
and we worked with Forest Rangers from the
10
Friends of DuPont
What is your favorite way to
recreate in the Forest?
I love riding my horse on the single-track trails where it is still possible to get away from the crowds.
Do you have a favorite trail? If so, which one
and why is it your favorite?
My favorite trail would be whichever single-track
trail I am on at the moment. I think DSRF has the
best trail system anywhere.
If you could be granted one wish for the forest,
what would it be?
My wish is that DSRF will be protected so that
many generations will be able to enjoy the Forest
experience.
I SPY...
The Kids’ Bike Trail is located in the woods
on the southwest corner of the Guion Farm
parking lot. If you have a young cyclist in
your family, this is a “must do” part of your
next Forest experience!
Question on Page 2
DuPont Proposes Remediation
Continued from Page 3
SWMU 11 is a 13.5-acre site that was used for
disposal of waste from construction projects.
SWMU 14 was used for the disposal of defective
plastic (PET or polyethylene terephthalate) used
as the base for X-ray film. During 2010-2011,
most of the PET was removed from SWMU 14 and
shipped overseas to be recycled into carpets, but
some of this material was disposed of in SWMU
11. SWMU 11 is scheduled for additional remediation in order to meet requirements set by the NC
Department of Environmental Quality (NC-DEQ).
SWMU 17 was originally used for the disposal of
hydrofluoric acid that was used to produce silicon,
and subsequently for disposal of various chemicals from the research lab. The contents of SWMU
17 have not been fully identified, but there is evidence that trichloroethylene is leaching from the
site into ground water and possibly into the well
that supplies drinking water to the DSRF Visitor
Center and its adjacent bathroom facility. DuPont
has installed a carbon filtration system to remove
contaminants from this well water. Future plans
to deal with SWMU 17 constitute one of the most
important aspects of the remediation plan.
Business Memberships
Soil samples taken from sites where manufacturing operations occurred revealed a dozen areas
with contaminants that exceed recommended
levels. These sites were designated “Areas of
Concern” (AOC A through K) and Incremental
Sampling Methodology Decision Units (ISMDU’s). Most of these sites have been remediated.
DuPont proposes to erect fences around AOC-A
and ISM-DU-6 to prevent people from walking
through these sites that are contaminated with
volatile organic compounds such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon).
Over the past 10 years, members of the Friends of
DuPont Forest Board of Directors have attended
numerous meetings with representatives from
DuPont, regulators from NC-DEQ (previously NC
DENR), and legislators representing western North
Carolina to discuss remediation and future plans
for the donut hole. The FODF Board supports the
Remedial Action Plan and is confident that the
process will restore the donut hole in a manner
that is appropriate for future uses envisioned by
the state of North Carolina.
Your comments and questions about the
Remedial Action Plan are welcome and should be
sent to NC-DEQ representative, Mark Wilkins at
[email protected].
Join or renew online at DuPontForest.com
BLUE GHOST MEMBERSHIPS
BLACK BEAR MEMBERSHIPS
Black Forest Family
Camping Resort
11
JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP
Membership
I would like to volunteer...
q $25 Friend (1 Year)
q Trail Building & Work Crew
q $35 Family (1 Year)
q Adopt-a-Hwy Litter Pick-Up
q $50 Partner (1 Year)
q Special Events (Tour de Falls, Canoe Day, etc)
q $100 Supporter (1 Year)
q Special Forest Interest/Educational Programs
q $250 Hooker Falls Contributor (1 Year)
q Membership Services
q $500 Triple Falls Contributor (1 Year)
q Grant Writing
q $1,000 High Falls Contributor (1 Year)
q DuPont State Forest History Program
q $1,500 Forest Angel (1 Year)
q Fundraising Efforts
q Additional Donation $___________________
q Other _______________________________________
(Donations are tax deductible)
Name: _________________________________________________ Mailing Address: _________________________________________
Email: __________________________________________________ City: ______________________________________________________
Phone: _________________________________________________ State: ___________________________ Zip: ____________________
q Save paper! Email my newsletter to the address listed above.
MAIL THIS FORM TO:
Friends of DuPont Forest – P.O. Box 2107 – Brevard, NC 28712
Friends of DuPont Forest (FODF) is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to enhancing
the public’s enjoyment of the Forest while protecting its natural and historic resources.
Bev Parlier, President
Helen Lee, Vice President
Terri Wallace, Secretary/Treasurer
Rella Allred
Dan Bresnahan
Jerry Brown
Lyle Burgmann
Cheryl Calvert
Alan Cameron
Dick Childs
Bill Edmonds
Tom Fanslow
Lynn Harton
Jim Plick
Aleen Steinberg
Friends of DuPont Forest
Board Members
dupontforest.com
P. O. Box 2107
Brevard, NC 28712