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Monarch Butterfly Habitat at DuPont by Joyce Pearsall

At the AirstripA few years ago, Bob Twomey gave me permis-sion to create a Monarch Waystation at the end of the turn-around at the airstrip. With the help of a personal grant, I was able to hire Ina Warren and her son Jamie to help prepare and plant the plot. We planted Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed), Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) and numer-ous nectar plants such as Black-eyed Susans and echinacea. The fields already contained other wild flower nectar sources such as ox-eye daisies.

The area is high and open, better for the mon-archs to find it. Plot boundaries were established with reflective driveway markers and the plants with survey flags. There is a Monarch Waystation sign posted in the middle of the plot.

Over the last few seasons, Alan Cameron has kept a frequent eye on that Waystation and I have made a few trips up there to assess for any

monarch activity. Thus far, we have not found any activity there. We are hopeful that once the milkweed gets firmly established this will change. Sometimes it takes up to four years before that happens.

In the meantime, DuPont Forest already has established plots of milkweed, namely an abun-dance of full sun Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed that has lovely orange blossoms), Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed with pinkish blos-soms), and woodland edge Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed with light pink blossoms). The areas are huge, so doing any controlled assess-ments is not feasible.

At Guion Farm There is a Monarch Waystation sign posted at the Guion Farm kiosk. For controlled assessments, Nancy Kay and I marked off Monarch Butterfly study areas at Guion Farm earlier in the year. This

MEMBERSHIP NEWSLET T ER January 2017VOLUME 15 / ISSUE 1Friends of

DuPont Forest

W A T E R M A R KThe Little River

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Fall migrators stop for nectar on late-blooming zinnias growing in close proximity to DuPont Forest. Photos by Nancy Kay.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January 14Board Retreat

February 18Litter pick-up

February 4Yeti or Not 25k race (Weather reschedule date is February 18) Volunteers appreciated and proceeds benefit Friends of DuPont Forest

March 7Board Meeting

March 18Thomas Cemetery HikeContact Patty Stahl 828-885-2498

AprilSpring Wildflowers Hike (Details to be announced)

April 18Annual Meeting (Location to be announced)

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NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTORSEditor: Nancy KayDesigner: Garnet FisherMasthead Photo: © RobTravis.comNewsletter Committee: Aleen Steinberg, Jerry Brown, and Kent Wilcox

area is easily accessible for study. You may have noticed small white signs identifying those areas and more driveway reflectors as you hike, bike, or ride your horses on the trail leading into the Forest.

The four study areas contain already established Asclepais tuberosa as well as Asclepias syriaca. There has been no monarch activity observed at Guion this season. The study right now is simply random periodic checks.

What I’d like to do is formalize it more with a survey called the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project www.mlmp.org through the University of Minnesota. I’ve been doing this in my home Waystation, but am seeking to expand at Guion. What this involves are weekly random checks about the same time of day to look for any monarch activity, and record rainfall as well as tem-perature in the shade. The data is easily entered into a computer program set up by the University of Minnesota. If anyone would like to participate in this Citizen Scientist project, please email me at jepearsall@comporium.net.

Thanks for taking time to read this! Even though there isn’t yet any monarch activity observed at DuPont, there is always hope! Friends of

DuPont Forest

Monarch Butterfly Habitat at DuPontContinued from Page 1

Thank you DuPont Rangers!November 2016 will go down in the books as one of the worst fall fire seasons on record. The FODF members and Board of Directors would like to express a huge THANKS to the DSRF rangers for their efforts put forth to fight these wildfires. You worked long hours and put your lives at stake to keep us, our homes, and DSRF safe. We owe so much to you.

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A Mission and a Messageby Aleen Steinberg

“Education” was added to the Friends of DuPont Forest (FODF) Mission statement last year, and for good reason. Including edu-cation in our Mission reminds us that this role is as important as our acting as political advocate, maintaining trails, and improving facilities.

It’s not that we haven’t always been interested in informing people about Southern moun-tain flora, fauna, and history, but from the outset, our orga-nization had more pressing concerns. After helping procure the Forest, FODF worked to build trails and ensure this valuable natural resource was protected. In May 2011, at the time of the enactment of a state statue to create DuPont State Recreational Forest (DSRF), the FODF Board approved a resolution that included the line, “to cooperate with public and private efforts to pro-tect natural resources, to promote recreation and to educate the public on natural, recreational and historic resources in DuPont Forest.

Granted, “education” as it relates to DSRF is a broad term. It appears on BMP (Best Management Practices) signs erected in the Forest to describe specific trail projects at stream crossings and riparian habitats. It can refer to Forest trail and safety signage and to the answers the volunteers at the Visitor Center give the thousands that stop by the desk seeking information. It comes in guises like the opportunity for local Agri-Science classes studying the effects of prescribed burning, and to the Annual DuPont Rescue experience attended by individuals from all over the south-eastern United States.

FODF composes, prints, and distributes maps, brochures, and the newsletter you’re reading right now. We offer lectures and hikes to both adults and children who are hungry to know more about geology, salamanders, wildflowers, black bears, medical botany, and mushrooms. The history of those that walked these lands in earlier times is presented in lectures about the native Cherokee as well as cemetery walks that delve into the lives of early settlers. I am thrilled by the interest in these programs, and in the attendance.

I use the word “education” to refer to passing on not only knowledge, but also values and inspiration as much as instruction. The FODF supports Muddy Sneakers, an experiential educa-tional program for fifth graders. To observe the wonderment on the children’s faces as they are immersed in a woodland experience (many for

Top Left: BMP sign on Buck Forest Road, photo by Nancy Kay. Bottom left: Young explorer getting a closer look. Top Right: Muddy Sneakers

Program in action. Photos by Gloria Clouse.

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Fun With Fungi in the ForestPhotos and Text by Nancy and Alan Kay

Those of us who were out hiking, biking, or horseback riding in the Forest this past August and September were treated to an incredible display of mushrooms. There were so many and such variety in size, shape, and color!

My husband and I decided to visually “capture” the array of mushrooms we viewed on our morning hikes in the Forest. With smartphones in hand we shot literally hun-dreds of fungi photos. And, to provide perspective as to the size of the mushrooms, in every photo we included our little cowboy friend Jim and his brave and noble steed named “Fun Guy”. Here is a small sampling of our photos. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as we enjoyed taking them! Friends of

DuPont Forest

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Tree Trimming is the Backdrop for Honoring ASC Volunteersby Nancy Kay, Photos by Bev and Tom Parlier

The Aleen Steinberg Center (ASC) was the site of the annual Christmas Tree Trimming and Volunteer Awards Event. In addition to plenty of holiday cheer, the efforts of many hardworking volunteers were acknowledged. These are the folks who invest hours of their time greeting Forest visitors who come into our beautiful ASC. According to Visitor Center Supervisor Bob Twomey, approximately one third of visitors who come to the Forest spend time in the ASC. It is a very happening place!

At the Awards Event ASC volunteers received cer-tificates of appreciation from the North Carolina Forest Service. Some statistics provided by Bob Twomey included the following:

• The ASC opened on July 1, 2013.

• Between July 1, 2013 and November 30, 2016 a total of 285,395 people have visited the ASC.

• In 2016, those working in the ASC logged a total of 2,895 volunteer hours.

Seven people who logged the most volunteer hours received a plaque for their service. They included:

Bob Marcum 408 hours

Abigail Bolton 380 hours

Nancy & Michael Rosenthal 204 hours

Ruth & Tom Daniel 184 hours

Judy Vangelis 148 hours Friends ofDuPont Forest

Top left: The art of tree trimming. Top right: Bob Twomey and Denver Beddingfield with Aleen Steinberg looking on.

Hooker-Moore Cemetery Walkby Patty Stahl and Charlie Burden

On a morning sometimes pungent with smoke from area wildfires, a small and enthusiastic group of “DuPont Friends” walked away from the distracting and vaguely menacing present into the rich past of one of DuPont Forest’s hidden cemeteries.

Patty Stahl, Doug Pace, and Charles Burden lead a group of Friends of DuPont Forest members to the Hooker-Moore Cemetery and its approx-imately 65 graves to piece together the lives of some of those buried there. Patty Stahl and Doug Pace are descendants of Isaac Heath, one of the deceased.

Patty and Doug provided details about the interred that only family members could likely know 100 years later as well as the story of a

Union infantryman, James Lewis Sentelle, also buried in the cemetery. Sentelle was in Company F of the Second NC Mounted Infantry based in Tennessee. He was killed with his cousin and a friend in a skirmish with Confederate soldiers near South Hominy, North Carolina. Their bodies

Left: Gravesite of Clinton Moore, land and gristmill owner. Above: Prunella vulgaris (Heal-All). Photos by Patty Stahl.

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Tri-Color BatTri-Color Bats (Perimyotis subflavus) are named for the distinctive coloration of each hair. The three pictured here, which glisten with frost, were photographed while hibernating in a cave off of Joanna Road. They are one of ten species of bats known or believed to inhabit the DSRF. Historically, they were one of the most common bats. However, as cave hibernators, they are highly susceptible to White-Nose Syndrome, a fungal disease now wiping out whole colonies of hibernating bats.

Tri-Color Bats range from Canada to Honduras. Although they have been thoroughly studied in caves during their hibernation, surprisingly little is known about their daytime roosts or maternity roosts. Friends of

DuPont Forest

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

Photos and Text by Alan Cameron

Black VultureBlack Vultures (Coragyps atratus) are a tad smaller than Turkey Vultures, but they are more aggressive and will take over a food source and push the Turkey Vultures aside. Whereas Turkey Vultures have a won-derful sense of smell, Black Vultures do not. So, they often follow Turkey Vultures to food. Black Vultures are highly social with fierce family loyalties. They will share food with relatives and even feed their off-spring months after they should be out on their own.

The picture shows two Blacks and one Turkey Vulture. Notice that the plumage of the Black is much more black than the Turkey Vulture, and the coloration of the head and feet is quite different.

Red-Tailed HawkRed-Tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) are large weighing in at 2.4 pounds and with a wingspan of up to 49 inches. They are very conspicuous hawks that often perch along roadsides where they hunt mostly mammals. They can easily take game as large as gray squirrels. Colloquially they are often known as “chickenhawks,” though they rarely prey on standard sized chickens. Their hoarse and rasping 2-3 second scream is commonly heard in the DuPont but they are harder to see.

At my game camera sites in the DuPont they are dominant and will fiercely glare at any other bird that tries to get near the bait.

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Horseback Riding in the ForestPhoto and Text by Nancy Kay

Seeing DuPont From the back of a horseRiding a horse is always special, but to be an equestrian in DuPont State Recreational Forest is something truly spectacular. Combining sensational scenery, well maintained trails with incredible footing, tremendous trail variety, and the ability to ride 365 days a year, DuPont is the equiva-lent of a horse home run! A friend of mine does a fair amount of out-of-state horseback riding. Whenever she returns from one of these trips she tells me, “None of those trails really compare to what we have in DuPont.”

Advantages of being on horsebackHorses tend to be good will ambassadors in the Forest. Many hikers and cyclists can’t help but stop to admire the horse and ask questions. This is particularly true when there are some horse-crazy kids in tow. On a recent ride on Hickory Mountain Loop, some friends and I crossed paths with a large family. They were visiting from England, and were seeing the Forest aboard rented bicycles. They asked us all kinds of ques-tions about our horses, and we asked them all about their travel plans. They had nothing but superlatives for their experience in DuPont. Everyone seemed to enjoy the conversation, and the horses were glad to get a breather.

Just as is true for running and bicycling, horseback riding provides the opportunity to cover long distances. Given the DuPont Forest trail system, it is reasonable to cover 20 miles or more during a single outing on a well-conditioned horse.

Viewing the Forest from atop a horse provides a different perspective than one gets while hiking or biking. There’s far less focus on the ground (the horse takes care of that) with greater attention paid to the broader view. Interestingly, being on horseback often allows much closer contact with wildlife. Deer tend to be far less fearful of the

horse/human combination then the human alone. As long as I stay quiet, it’s pretty easy to come within a few yards of them. This same principle seems to hold true for raptors and I suspect it would be true for bears if ever my horse and I opted to check it out.

Horseback riding precautions There are a few things for equestrians to pay particular attention to when out in the Forest. The same advice given to cyclists holds true for equestrians. It’s important to be able to come to a complete stop within one’s sight line. There are a whole lot of blind curves in the Forest. Taking them at too brisk a pace on horseback results in dangerously close encounters, the kind that can result in serious injury to horse and humans (not to mention crushed bicycles).

If you are riding a horse that is new to the Forest, do your homework. Prepare the horse for lots of bicycle exposure, and not simply viewing bikes from a distance. In the Forest your horse will be exposed up close and personal to everything from solo bikes to large herds of bicycles. There will be zooming bikes (approaching from in front or from behind) as well as bicycles skidding, squeaking (those brakes need some oil!), and laying on the ground. Be sure to buddy up with a veteran horse on your first few rides in the Forest. The horse that has “been there, done that” will role model calm and safe responses to bicycles.

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A view of Lake Julia From Atop a Horse

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT by Bev Parlier

Happy New Year! A new year brings renewed HOPE. What is my hope for DuPont State Recreational Forest, and Friends of DuPont Forest this year? After the unprecedented visitation at DuPont and the corresponding increase in “inci-dents” in 2016, I do hope for a quieter 2017. The eight new positions in the Forest staff will help with that!

How can we, FODF, help to “protect” DSRF? Do help with litter pick-ups and trail workdays. Remind trail users that DuPont’s trails are multi-use (and we are proud of the fact that we all get along). Board member Alan Cameron directs programs on DuPont’s amazing animal life. Hopefully, they will educate people to help protect these critters.

In this new year, I am hoping for exciting things for FODF. After much planning and discussion, your board of directors has hired an Executive Director. We proudly welcome Sara Landry to the FODF family. Sara lives in Hendersonville. She has been an event manager, marketing coordinator, and AmeriCorps Program director. She has experience running marketing and social media for a national non-profit. Sara frequently visits DuPont and consid-ers it her backyard. Among other things, Sara will direct Tour de Falls, handle all membership, and work with the treasurer.

There will be some new things happening this year! Here’s hoping for a prosperous year for DSRF and FODF.

See you on the trails ––– Friends ofDuPont Forest

Backpacking on the Appalachian Trail

Hooker Moore Cemetery WalkContinued from Page 5

were buried in a shallow grave. Family members later moved Sentelle’s body to the Hooker-Moore Cemetery.

The Laurel Creek Baptist Church, the foundation of which now lies under the waters of Cascade Lake, was a starting point of the hour-long historical discus-sion. For some time the three tour leaders have been collecting information about DuPont Forest, its ceme-teries (there is a second cemetery, the Thomas Family burial ground, a few miles away), and the roads and communities surrounding DuPont.

Patty and Doug presented information about the landowners of the Buck Forest area from the early 1800’s and described the Buck Forest Hotel, a well-patronized stagecoach inn located along the Little River turnpike. Doug identified ground cedar (turkey brush), partridgeberry, Christmas fern and rabbit tobacco growing along the trail as well as the blooming heal-all plant. Watch the newsletter for the announcement of a late winter/early spring-guided hike to the Thomas Cemetery. Friends of

DuPont Forest

the first time), to hear their questions, to listen to the skillful and empathetic way they are answered is to experience the joy of knowing we are sowing seeds that will bear fruit for years to come.

There are plans on the drawing board for a Junior Forest Ranger program that will be available to chil-dren of all ages visiting the Forest. The program emphasis will be to teach conservation.

We are blessed to work with professional staff mem-bers who understand and support our effort to offer a wide range of educational programs, all aimed at educating the public—especially those youngsters—and imprinting the ethics of conservation.

I love the simple but profound quote of Senegalese forest engineer Baba Dioum, “In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.” What we are taught. This is where it all begins. And, this is where we begin. Friends of

DuPont Forest

A Mission and a MessageContinued from Page 3

Dear Friends of DuPont Forest,

The time since the last newsletter has been interesting. to say the least. Western North Carolina experienced a severe drought and relatedly the worst fall fire sea-son in memory. For the five weeks between October 23rd and December 1, 2016, most of the staff at DuPont State Recreational Forest was on fire control assign-ments. Forest business continued, largely due to the efforts of volunteers and the remaining staff of Bob Twomey and Denver Beddingfield. Given that many of the State Parks and other public lands in Western North Carolina had to close, we are very proud to have maintained our services.

Below is an illustration of the fire control assignments in many counties and on several large fires.

Trail Improvements

On October 30th, the FODF, the Can’d Aid Foundation, Oskar Blue’s Brewery, and the NC Forest Service celebrated the opening of the Rocky Ridge Trail near Sky Valley Road. The Can’d Aid Foundation donated over $13,000 for the trail construction to supplement FODF funding. We hope the trail is a symbol success in several ways, includ-ing the power of local partnerships and the ability to have sustainable trails that are compatible with natural resource protection. As with all of the Forest’s trails, the NC Forest Service will continue to promote, and to the extent possible, enforce, the courtesy of others to maintain a safe and enjoyable experience.

Regards, Jason I. Guidry, Forest Supervisor

FOREST SUPERVISOR’S REPORT

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Top: Fire control assignments in several counties. Above: Rocky Ridge Trail opening attended by hikers, equestrians, and cyclists.

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VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION

Michael & Nancy RosenthalThis month, we honor Michael and Nancy Rosenthal for their volunteer contributions. Their bright smiling faces can be seen at the visitor center every week like clockwork!

What are your volunteer activities, past and present?We have both volunteered as Visitor Center hosts for the past 3.5 years. We’ve also helped with Tour de Falls for the past four years.

What fuels your desire to volunteer in the Forest?We are motivated by our love of DuPont Recreational Forest and our desire to impart our knowledge to our visitors. Helping visitors find their way around the Forest and our beautiful waterfalls is very inspiring to both of us.We have met wonderful people from all of the United States as well many visitors from foreign countries.

What is your favorite way to recreate in the Forest?We love taking hikes to remote areas of the Forest to enjoy the tranquility and beauty. We love listen-ing to the birds and watching the forest creatures in their natural habitats.We have been on a quest to hike all of the trails in the Forest. At this point we have hiked approxi-mately 75 of the 85 miles of trails. We would have hiked them all by now if Nancy hadn’t broken her ankle one day when we were on Turkey Knob (just a freak accident). The Forest rangers and Cedar Mountain first responders were great in getting Nancy safely out of the woods.We plan to hike the remaining trails this winter.

Do you have a favorite trail? If so, which one and why is it your favorite?There are many trails we could call favorites depending on the type of terrain we want to be on any given day. One of our very favorites is Big Rock trail up to Cedar Rock and Cedar Rock trail itself. The views from Cedar Rock are beautiful and the granite domes with the ancient mosses are other worldly.

If you could be granted one wish for the forest, what would it be?We would wish for enough Forest Rangers to properly patrol the Forest and the waterfalls so as to prevent as many accidents as possible. Unfortunately our visitors often don’t heed the warnings about the inherent dangers that water-falls present.At the Annual Volunteer Christmas party, Forest Supervisor Jason Guidry actually made our wish come true by announcing that nine more staff members will be added in 2017. This will be a tremendous help in keeping the Forest safe. Friends of

DuPont Forest

BLUE GHOST MEMBERSHIPS

BUSINESS MEMBERSHIPS

Black Forest Family Camping Resort

BLACK BEAR MEMBERSHIPS

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Join or renew online at DuPontForest.com

And, bicycles may not be the only new experience for your horse while traveling in our multi-use Forest. You may encounter sights such as horse-drawn buggies, people carrying huge backpacks, unicyclists, baby strollers, large groups of exuber-ant children, dogs of all sizes, llamas, and even huge horse-eating rocks.

Depending on the time of year, you are bound to experience multiple full-face encounters with spider webs. Your only escape is to position your-self behind another rider (ideally, a tall rider on a tall horse).

Lastly, always be cognizant of the weather. In a normal non-drought weather year, a clear blue sky can give way to lightning storm in a very short time period. If the weather forecast calls for thun-derstorms, don’t stray too far from your trailer.

Have I enticed you to want to go horseback riding in the Forest? If so, check out the equestrian guidelines provided by Friends of DuPont Forest (http://www.dupontforest.com/user-policies/equestrians). If you need a horse to ride in the Forest, look no further than Shoal Creek Farm (http://www.shoalcreeknc.com/trailrides.htm) located on Sky Valley Road. Enjoy your ride! Friends of

DuPont Forest

Horseback Riding in the ForestContinued from Page 7

Passing the Batonby Nancy Kay

For the past couple of years, I’ve enjoyed editing this newsletter almost as much as I love spending time in the Forest. As other commitments are now competing for my time, beginning with the next newsletter, I will be passing the baton to a new editor. (I initially wrote, “passing the torch”- less than desirable terminology during a drought year!) Thanks to those of you who have contributed articles and photos during my tenure. They have been absolutely awesome.

I will continue to enjoy the Forest every chance I get. If you see me out there, I will most likely be on horseback. I’m always happy to stop for a chat and my horses are always pleased to be petted or pose for a picture!

Thanks for your readership and for supporting this magnificent jewel we call DuPont State Recreational Forest!

Wishing you and your loved ones much good health and happiness in 2017.

– Nancy Kay Friends ofDuPont Forest

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Friends of DuPont Forest (FODF) FODF is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to enhancing appreciation of the Forest through education and recreation while protecting its natural and historic resources.

Board Members

Bev Parlier, PresidentHelen Lee, Vice PresidentTerri Wallace, TreasurerCheryl Calvert, SecretaryRella AllredDan BresnahanJerry BrownLyle BurgmannAlan CameronDick ChildsBill EdmondsTom FanslowLynn HartonJim PlickAleen Steinberg

P. O. Box 2107 Brevard, NC 28712 dupontforest.com

Friends ofDuPont Forest