Clingmans Dome opening delayed

Brad Roberts, maintenance mechanic supervisor for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has been named the park’s 2021 Employee of the Year.

Having worked for the park for 30 years, Roberts oversees preventative maintenance, unplanned maintenance and building project planning for the Tennessee side of the park. His leadership was instrumental in drafting and implementing a COVID safety plan for the park.

“Brad is hard-working, knowledgeable, and embodies the meaning of service,” said Acting Superintendent Alan Sumeriski. “He is a consummate professional and represents the National Park Service, the Smokies and the community well.”

Originally from Winston-Salem, Roberts began serving the Smokies as a 16-year-old, when he enrolled in the Job Corps program at the Oconaluftee Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center. He then progressed to working as a “student in training” and landed a permanent position in 1992. He now lives in Sevierville with his wife, Karen, with whom he has four children and three grandchildren.

Brad Roberts. NPS photo

Pitch in with Panthertown

Friends of Panthertown is hosting a series of trail work days this spring, and all are invited to come pitch in.

Scheduled work days are Friday, April 15; Saturday, April 16; Friday, April 22; Friday, April 29; Friday, May 13; Saturday, May 14; Friday, May 20; Saturday, May 21; Friday, May 27; and Saturday, May 28.

No previous trail work experience is necessary. Work days typically run from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., with about 5 miles of hiking on moderate trails while doing trail corridor clearing, pruning and some tread and drain work.

Sign up at panthertown.org/contact. Learn more at www.panthertown.org/volunteer.

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Clingmans Dome opening delayed

Clingmans Dome Road will open for the season April 8, a delay from the typical April 1 opening date due to drainage improvement work in the main parking area, including a culvert replacement and roadway patching.

The work must be complete before a planned pavement preservation project begins, an endeavor that will result in single-lane closures on Clingmans Dome Road through Friday, Sept. 2. The closures will be permitted weekly from 7 a.m. Monday through noon Friday, managed with flagging operations. Daytime closures will not be allowed on federal holidays, Easter week, July 4 week, or June 15-Aug. 15.

Burnsville-based Bryant’s Land and Development Industries, Inc. landed the $2.6 million contract from the Federal Highway Administration. The project aims to extend the life of the existing pavement by five to seven years.

Clingmans Dome Road will be open for the season through Nov. 30. Updated road closure information is available at @SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter or at nps.gov/grsm.

Winding Stairs Road closure extended

Work requiring closure of Winding Stairs Road in Macon County was expected to wrap up by the end of March, but due to engineering complexities the projected completion date is now May 27.

The Nantahala Ranger District issued a Special Use Permit to Duke Energy to install an overhead powerline along the road and an underground powerline under a paved bike path along the Nantahala River. The gate for Winding Stairs Road and the bike path will remain closed until the project is complete. 828.524.6441.

Parkway closures planned for road repair work

Repair will start next week on settlement, cracking and rockfall issues on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Deep Gap and Linville Falls.

These issues were identified during recent geotechnical assessments by the National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration and present potential hazards to park visitors. Contractors will be onsite the week of April 11, with work expected to be complete by September 2022. Crews will install rock and soil anchors and slope netting at cut slopes, as well as reconstruct fill slopes and address paving repairs.

While work occurs, the Parkway will be completely closed from milepost 276.4 at U.S. 421 to milepost 280.9 near Deep Gap. Delays will occur around milepost 323 south of Linville Falls due to a single-lane closure managed with a temporary traffic light.

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434 Champion Drive, Canton, NC 28716 21 Hollon Cove Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786 Bird flu found in domestic poultry flock

Three commercial turkey operations in Johnston County have tested positive for high path avian influenza, marking the first time during the current outbreak the disease was found in domestic poultry in North Carolina. Poultry owners statewide should consider their flocks to be at risk.

After the first farm returned a positive test, officials began testing other flocks within 6.2 miles of the affected farm, turning up positives on two more operations. More than 60,000 turkeys live on the three farms, which are now being depopulated to guard against additional spread. Tests are being conducted within a 6.2-mile radius of the two most recent farms to return a positive result.

Since late January, the virus has been found in 48 commercial farms in 12 states and 32 backyard flocks in 13 states. This is the first case of high path avian influenza in domestic poultry in North Carolina, but since Jan. 16, more than 100 hunter-harvested wild birds have tested positive, and the N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission has reported four mortalities in wild birds from the virus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the virus to be of low risk to people, but it is highly contagious to other birds. It is not considered a food safety threat, and infected birds do not enter the food supply.

“The threat of high path avian influenza is statewide,” said Martin. “Our poultry population is at high risk. Commercial operations and backyard flock owners should continue to follow strict biosecurity measures, including keeping birds enclosed without access to wild birds or other domestic flocks.”

Report sick or dying birds to your local veterinarian or to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Division at 919.707.3250.

Frost damage assistance available

Farmers in Haywood, Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe, Polk and Rutherford counties who suffered freeze or frost damage April 2-21, 2021, are now eligible for assistance through the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Agricultural Crop Loss Program, with an April 15 application deadline.

Eligible farmers must have experienced a verifiable loss of agricultural commodities as a result of the freeze disaster, and the farm must be located in one of the listed counties. Applicants who have also applied for assistance from the program for Tropical Storm Fred must demonstrate a separate and distinct loss for the freeze disaster. April 15 is also the deadline to apply for assistance as a result of that event.

The application and required forms are available at ncagr.gov. Contact the local cooperative extension or Farm Service Agency office for support or call 866.747.9823 with general program questions.

First CWD-positive deer found in N.C.

The first case of chronic wasting disease, a fatal affliction affecting cervids like deer and elk, has been detected in North Carolina.

A sample collected from a deer harvested in northern Yadkin County in December 2021 has tested positive for CWD. A taxidermist sent in the sample through a cooperator program the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission set up. The agency ramped up testing this season after a CWD-positive deer was discovered 33 miles away from the North Carolina border last year, collecting more than 7,200 samples.

Because the Wildlife Commission is still receiving results from the past season’s testing, additional positive tests could be forthcoming. So far, results have been received from 60% of samples submitted, and from 76% of the four-county focal area — Alleghany, Surry, Stokes and Rockingham counties — initiated because of the 2021 Virginia CWD-positive deer.

The agency has a CWD Response Plan in place and will continue to share next steps. Continued testing is imperative because it’s nearly impossible to tell if an animal has CWD by observing it. A deer can be infected for as long as 16 months before showing signs of illness, and there is no vaccine, treatment or cure for the disease — making CWD a looming threat to the state’s deer population and hunting traditions, as well as to its newly established elk population should the disease spread westward.

CWD is caused by abnormal proteins, called prions, that slowly spread through a cervid’s nervous system, eventually causing spongy holes in the brain that lead to death. The disease is spread between animals through direct contact and environmental contamination from infected saliva, urine and feces of live animals or carcasses and body parts.

Tremont adds adult summer camp

A summer program just for adults will launch this summer at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, offering a five-day, four-night residential experience June 20-24.

Called Naturalist Week, the program will be a unique opportunity for adults to disconnect, unwind and discover the wonders of the Smoky Mountains with activities and adventures guided by Tremont’s experienced on-staff naturalists. The week is designed for all levels of experience, from casual nature-lovers to seasoned explorers. Activities will include animal tracking, birding, exploring cultural history, identifying plants, stargazing and storytelling around the campfire.

Register at gsmit.org/naturalist-week. Cost includes food, lodging, instruction and materials inside the national park.

Hike through wildflower season

A spring wildflower hike led by Haywood Waterways Association Thursday, April 14 will explore the Big Creek Watershed of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park while teaching participants to identify blooming plants.

The group will meet at 9:30 a.m. and start the day with a short walk up Baxter Falls Trail. Those who want to extend the outing may embark on a moderate 4-mile hike to Mouse Creek Falls, with hikes concluding by 2:30 p.m.

The event is free for Haywood Waterways members with a $5 donation requested from nonmembers. It’s part of the nonprofit’s “Get to Know Your Watershed” series of outdoor recreation activities showcasing Haywood County’s beauty. No pets, and space is limited, with carpooling encouraged. RSVP to Christine O’Brien at christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 11.

Walk with a forager

Take a walk in the woods with Wildcraft Kitchen and learn some essential foraging skills Saturday, April 16, in Rabun County.

The group will walk along the wilderness trail at Terra Incognita, discussing flora and fauna interdependence, tree identification and a brief demonstration on keeping a backyard phenology log. Angela-Faye Martin of Alarka Expeditions will join in, offering nature-inspired acoustic tunes when the tour concludes with a local wine tasting and wild bites.

Cost is $65. Register at alarkaexpeditions.com.

Bird the plateau

Two fire specialists in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently received awards recognizing them for superior service, innovative thinking and leadership.

Wildland Fire Module Superintendent Jordan Black was awarded the National Park Service Excellence in Mentorship Aviation Award, while Fire Ecologist Rob Klein received the regional Wildland Fire and Aviation Excellence Award.

The Interior Region 2 award Klein received is given annually for outstanding achievement in leadership and collaboration. Klein’s peers nominated him for his collaborative mindset, inclusive communication and unquestionable integrity. He completed several extensive updates to fire management plans for the Appalachian-Piedmont-Coastal Zone and worked with fire management staff and university researchers in 2021 to coordinate ecological research.

“Over the past 20-plus years, Rob has contributed to and advanced the National Park Service mission of managing our National Parks for the benefit of future generations,” said Regional Wildland Fire and Aviation Management Officer Shawn Nagle. “Many generations to come will benefit from Rob’s care and commitment to maintaining the aesthetic appeal of our natural resources.”

Black was recognized by the National Aviation Office for training and mentorship of aviation personnel that goes above and beyond normal expectations. Recognizing the benefits of unmanned aircraft systems for safer and more efficient operations, he trained to pilot these systems and was immediately called upon to help with search and rescue

events, prescribed fire monitoring flights and post-hurricane events. He then helped train and mentor new pilots by teaching several Basic Remote Operator courses, earning lead instructor credentials. “Jordan (Black) bridges the gap between supervision and mentorship with his employees,’” said Acting Zone Fire Management Officer Shane Paxton. “That skill is reflected in this mentorship award. I’m proud of Jordan for passing his knowledge to the wildland fire community through aviation.” For more information on the NPS Wildland Fire Program, visit nps.gov/orgs/1965/index.htm.

Jordan Black.

Donated photo