Earth Day Reflections of Conservation in the Carolinas

looking out over a lake with clouds in blue sky

Earth Day, among other things, allows us an opportunity to to spend some time appreciating nature. Some people take on projects like planting trees or cleaning up garbage. Some people like to take the opportunity to commune with nature and reflect on the natural world. While others want to learn about conservation today and in the past. This year the last full week of April starts with Earth Day on Monday the 22nd and ends with Arbor day on Friday the 26^th, so we thought we’d take a look at some places and activities in our own backyard where you can go to learn about conservation and see the results of conservation efforts that span over a century.

How George Vanderbilt’s poor view spurred early conservation work in America

paved trail running through the woods — Wandering through Pisgah Forest today, you’d be forgiven for not realizing that just a century ago this land was scarred and depleted form decades of misuse.

When we’re talking about conserving America’s natural resources, one of the first times that became a priority was in the North Carolina mountains not far from Asheville. After George Vanderbilt built his mansion in the North Carolina mountains he found the local scenery lacking. Vanderbilt wanted a home that would rival the stately chalets of Europe surrounded by lush forests. What he found was land where the trees had been cut down for timber and the land turned into farmland. Unfortunately the former forest made very poor farm land.

old stone foundation and stone chimney in the middle of the woods — Much of the forest had been cleared for farmland, unfortunately while the land was perfect for the local fauna, it was poor soil for any type of agriculture. When offered the chance to sell their land and get out, most settlers took that offer. While some of their homesteads have been preserved, most are only foundations today.

What he found was not unique to the North Carolina mountains. When settlers first arrived in North America, the found natural riches beyond their wildest dreams. The forests seemed to stretch on endlessly. Trees were felled to build settlements and forests were converted into farms and pastures. Everything was made of wood in the New World, because trees were so abundant. By the turn of the 20^th Century, forested land in America had doped to 34% of the total land mass from a high of almost 50%. Because of the vastness of Americas forest reserves, no one had given a second thought to preserving them. They though that the forests would just be around forever.

One room school house made of wood - the door is open with stairs leading up stone marker out front with inscription facing away from the camera and tree to the marker's right — *Students at Carl Alwin Schenck Biltmore Forestry School would spend their mornings in a one room school house just like this before heading out into the field for the afternoon.*

People may have gone on thinking that way if George Vanderbilt hadn’t wanted a better view. He used his considerable wealth to buy 120,000 acres of the surrounding land, and in 1892 hired Gifford Pinchot, a recent graduate of forestry school in Europe, to rehabilitate the forest. Pinchot was full of ideas and soon became a sort of celebrity in his own right. Soon he needed an assistant and in 1895, Carl Alwin Schenck was brought from Europe to fill that role. Later that same year Pinchot would leave Biltmore Forest and Schenck would become head forester.

old wooden cabin with front porch and stirs on left side — *Students were left to their own devices to find places to live, Many chose to bunk down in abandoned cabins scattered around the forest.*

As head forester, Schenck introduced scientific forest management techniques to America, and soon Biltmore Forest became a model of forestry for the rest of the nation. People from far and wide came to ask questions and learn why it’s important to maintain healthy forests. So many in fact that Schenck became overwhelmed by the sheer number of people wanting to apprentice under him. This led him, with George Vanderbilt’s approval, to open the first forestry school in America.

The Biltmore Forest School opened on September 1, 1898. At that time there were only only 10 people in the United States with forestry training. The school consisted of buildings throughout Biltmore Forest that had been abandoned by the previous owners when George Vanderbilt bought the land. The curriculum consisted of classroom instruction in the mornings followed by field work in the afternoon where students would apply the theories learned.

locomotive seen head on in a shed number 3 on the front — Schenck’s conservation philosophy took into account society’s need for building materials as well as the need to preserve forest land for future generations. He taught that land owners could simultaneously turn a profit and restore woodlands. This Climax logging locomotive is identical to one that was used nearby.

Schenck’s goal was to teach how modern forestry techniques could both preserve Americas woodlands and allow land owners to turn a profit at the same time. Unfortunately George Vanderbilt was soon facing a financial crisis. Facing falling timber prices, he approached Schenck in 1908 and asked him to sell what had become known as Pisgah forest. Schenck’s refusal to follow through with this request may have been what opened a rift between the two men ultimately leading to Schenck leaving Biltmore Forest a year later.

He spent the next few years trying to continue his school, but eventually he was forced to return to Germany. But his legacy was already cemented in the fabric of American Forestry. Today his Biltmore Forestry School is heralded as the Cradle of Forestry and memorialized at Pisgah National Forest.

Dark Days of the Great Depression and the Largest Conservation Push in American History

Statue of a man in work attire holding a shovel with a plaque that reads "Camp John Rock – This monument is dedicated to the young men who served in the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942. During the Great Depression, three million unemployed men found meaningful work in President Franklin Roosevelt’s CCC. Known as the “Tree Army,” the CCC worked out of camps on Federal and State lands to improve America’s forests, parks, and agricultural lands, Our country in indebted to the CCC for their conservation our lands and their contribution to public recreation. Here stood Camp John Rock (F-1, F-28) the first established on US Forest Service Lands in North Carolina, where Companies 402 and 428 served between 1933 and 1941." — *In many way’s the Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park System continued Carl Schenck’s work.*

Just a few miles away form Schenck’s forestry school, another chapter in the story of American conservation would be written. Camp John Rock (F-1) was North Carolina’s first Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established on May 19, 1933. In many ways the CCC continued Schenck’s work in Pisgah Forest by working with the professional foresters to plant trees and fight forest fires, but they went so much further.

Large open area dotted with trees and picnic tables. — *The Pink Beds near the Cradle of Forestry is one of the largest picnic areas in the Pisgah Forest and was built largely by the CCC.*

The men of Camp John Rock not only built roads and recreational facilities most notably at the Pink Beds, but they also were responsible for farming trout and stocking streams throughout the forest. They also established a fawn rearing facility that would raise fawns until they were large enough to release and release them in the eastern part of the state to reestablish dear herds that had previously been devastated.

Authorized by the Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Act of March 31, 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps was by far the most popular of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, New Deal relief programs. It had the two goals of conserving America’s natural resources while at the same time providing work for more than three million unemployed young men during the darkest days of the Great Depression.

The men of the CCC were given shelter, clothing, and food as well as a monthly wage of $30 – $5 for them to keep and $25 they would be required to send back to their families. In exchange, they built or improved National Forests and State Parks all over the nation preserving our natural resources and providing recreational facilities some of which are still in use today. In the end they planted over 3.5 billion trees.

fence in front of a field of long grass with sporadic yellow and white wildflowers — *Woodland was cut down to make way for small family farms. Soon soil erosion took its toll on the land. – view of a pasture at the Kings Mountain Living History Farm*

One of the State Parks that demonstrates the CCC’s multifaceted mission is Kings Mountain State Park in South Carolina. One of only 46 Recreation Demonstration Areas built in the US, Kings Mountain represents what can happen when several New Deal programs work together.

small lake surrounded by woods with concrete swimming platform — Lake Crawford – the CCC built swimming platform still sits in the lake, but the area hasn’t been used for swimming for over 20 years.

First was the Resettlement Administration (RA) that purchased sub optimal farm land from poor farmers struggling to feed their families on worn out land. Second was the CCC and the WPA working together to transform the worn out land into new growth forests and build recreation facilities like lakes, picnic areas, and organized camps.

stone staircase leading up to brown wooden building in wooded area — CCC Bathhouse with stairs leading down to the lake.

Kings Mountain isn’t the only State Park built by the CCC. They built 711 State parks throughout the nation. Chances are you live near one of these pieces of history. Many of them like Paris Mountain State Park have some of the best preserved CCC structures around. Others like Lake Greenwood State Park have their own special stories to tell.

Private Citizens Take up the Cause of Conservation

Kings Pinnacle at Crowders Mountain State ParkLarge rock outcrop the top of a cliff looking down on area at base of the mountain — The View from Kings Pinnacle on Crowders Mountain State Park Pinnacle Trail – hint that’s the I-85 Corridor Below.

Looking further there are lots of examples around the Carolinas where private citizens have come together to preserve natural spaces, and one of those places is not far away from Kings Mountain.

boulders on a mountain looking out over land below — Boulders and rock outcroppings are common at Crowders Mountain State PArk

Crowders Mountain in North Carolina was under threat for over a hundred years. Starting with the North Carolina Gold Rush, there was some time of mining taking place on the mountain. The current State Park still shows traces of those mines. But they were all small scale and didn’t threaten the existence of the mountain itself. But that all changes in the 1970’s.

Trees growing up in cracks of the boulders near kings pinnacle at Crowders Mountain State Park. — As you climb higher up the Kings Pinnacle Trail at Crowders Mountain State Park, the terrain changes from the familiar rolling hills of the Piedmont to the rocky rough terrain visitors travel to experience.

Due to it’s kyanite deposits, this mountain that towers over Interstate 85 just across the state line from South Carolina, large scale mining began. This was not long after the same thing happened at nearby Henry’s Knob in York County in South Carolina. Kyanite mining began there in 1947 and by 1970, it was just a hole in the ground when it had once been a vibrant mountain teeming with life.

rock cliff with earthen stairs to the left leading up warning sign on right saying serious injuries and deaths have occurred beyond this point — Getting Close to the top of the Pinnacle. Near the end of the Pinnacle Trail, stone steps will take you closer to the top.

The fear that Crowders Mountain could face the same fate led local citizens to form the Gaston Conservation Society. The launched a successful campaign to have the state of North Carolina to buy the mountain and preserve it for generations to come. With that, Crowders Mountain State Park came into being in 1973. The next time you’re traveling along I-85 take a look up as you cross the state line into North Carolina and think about what could have been.

Side View of the elevated boardwalk at Congaree National Park - the walkway is about 6 feet above the ground surrounded by trees with some water below reflecting the sry. — The Boardwalk at Congaree National Park ranges from elevated to ground level depending on the terrain. If it’s been particularly rainy you may want to call ahead to make sure the trail is open as it’s prone to flooding.

We have to look a little further south for our next example of citizens fighting to protect the natural wonders of our area. Congaree Forest seemed safe from development due to the cost of exploiting it’s resources. Attempts had been made dating back to the early days after the Revolution, but all were abandoned due to the excessive cost of clearing the land along the Congaree flood plane.

Ground level boardwalk at Congaree National Park - trail just inches above water with swollen trunk trees grown and other vegetation growing in standing water — The Boardwalk Trail at Congaree National Park runs just inches above the ground for a good bit of the loop letting you feel apart of the Carolina wetlands without getting your feet muddy.

But as technology improved, another attempt was made at exploiting Congaree Forest in the early 20^th Century. The Santee River Cypress Lumber Company owned by Francis Beildler bought a large tract of land along the Congaree and Santee rivers with an eye to harvesting the old growth Cypress trees in the swamp. But logging in the floodplain proved to be much harder than anticipated. Once again the forest had beaten back the inevitable march of progress.

small lake with still water surrounded by woodland. Blue sky above reflected in the water. — Weston Lake in Congaree National Park is home to a variety of wildlife including fish, turtles, gar, and reportedly alligators. All wildlife in the park is protected, so no fishing is allowed.

But as technology continued to improve, it was clear that without help, the Congaree could not fight off impending doom forever. And that’s where Harry Hampton comes in. Hampton was an avid outdoors man who spent much time in the Congaree floodplain and became convinced of the need to protect it and other natural areas around the state. He soon took a job with The State newspaper and found himself with a platform to push for natural preservation. Writing a regular column entitled “Woods and Waters” where he used his soapbox to advocate the preservation of South Carolina’s natural lands.

swampy arrea with trees growing surrounded by water cypress knees can be seen in the distance — Largely untouched, Congaree National Park looks today as it did to early explorers of the region. It’s easy to see how it was a perfect spot for hiding from the British during the American Revolution and even hiding from revenuers during Prohibition.

Along with other outdoors people, he helped form the South Carolina Wildlife Federation (SCWF) and through the SCWF, Hampton helped gather support for the creation of the Wildlife and Marine Resources Department which in 1994 became the basis for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

short fan leafed palm trees rising only a few feet from the ground — Dwarf Palmetto trees grow in the Congaree where a gap in the forest canopy allows light to reach the ground.

His life’s work revolved around preservation of the Congaree Floodplain. For 20 years he advocated for its protection without any success. But in 1969, lumber companies once again turned their attention to the swamp, and people began listening to Hampton. In 1972 the Congaree Swamp National Preserve Association was formed, and in 1976 the Congaree Swamp National Monument was established which protected the forest from development. In 1988, the total protected area was increased to 22,200 acres and the name changed to Congaree National Park.

The park today is home to one of the last tracks of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States. It’s also home to tallest trees in the eastern half of the country and maybe even the tallest trees in a temperate broad-leaf forest found anywhere in the world. Fifteen trees in the Congaree Forest are the tallest known examples of their respective species. In fact, Congaree has the largest concentration of “Champion Trees” in the world. The champion designation is reserved for trees that are special either due to being prime examples of the species or due to their size or age. All protected thanks to the diligent work of a group of citizens.

These are just a few examples of environmental successes in our area. This Earth Day or Arbor day why not take a little time to visit and learn about some of these spots?