Of the $7.6 million awarded last month to state-managed lands, $600,000 goes to Dismal Swamp State Park in Camden County to construct an equipment storage building.
The funding from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund for fiscal year 2024-25 was allocated by the nine-member Parks and Recreation Authority at their November meeting. North Carolina State Parks and Recreation announced the awards Thursday.
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Barnes Sutton, representing Brunswick County, was reappointed to a three-year term and was sworn in during the meeting. Sutton is director of economic and community development director for Leland.
“Funding from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund to expand and enhance state parks plays a vital role in preserving North Carolina’s remarkable natural areas, while also offering outdoor recreation and educational experiences throughout the state,” said D. Reid Wilson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “We are grateful for the continued financial support from the General Assembly and Governor Roy Cooper.”
Located at the northeast border of North Carolina and Virginia, the Dismal Swamp State Park offers hiking, biking, paddling, fishing and birdwatching opportunities, access to the Great Dismal Swamp, “the largest remaining swamp in the eastern United States,” and the 22-mile Dismal Swamp Canal, according to the state parks system.
Including the building to house trail maintenance and canal system equipment at Dismal Swamp State Park, $6.4 million of the $7.6 million in funds will go to renovations and other projects at Carvers Creek State Park in Cumberland County, Stone Mountain State Park in Wilkes County, Elk Knob State Park in Ashe County, and Bob’s Creek State Natural Area in McDowell County.
The two land acquisition projects totaling $1.23 million will add 2,410 acres to the Wilderness Gateway State Trail in McDowell County and 1.7 acres to the William B. Umstead State Park in Wake County.
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In addition, $2.2 million will go to repairs and preventative maintenance at parks throughout the system.
The state receives 65% of the fund’s annual appropriation and revenue for state parks projects and projects at the DuPont Recreational State Forest. North Carolina State Parks is under the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which manages more than 100 locations across the state.
