Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 20

National Parks, Forests Still Assessing
A
In some federally owned areas of the Southern Appalachians, recovery will take years.
Y
35
YEARS AGO
" After several years of attention
and grooming, the Lincoln
Homestead cemetery is in
relatively good shape. Plans to
restore it further are vague, and
the funds limited. "
-Tom Hill, writing in the
Jan/Feb 1990 issue about the
Lincoln family homestead
near Harrisonburg,
Virginia. Today, the
home is available
on Airbnb and the
cemetery is open
for visitors. lincoln
homesteadva.com
s most readers know from extensive
media coverage last fall,
Hurricane Helene hit the Blue Ridge
region hard, causing widespread
power outages, water shortages,
road and building damage, and in
North Carolina 102 people were
reported killed as of mid-November.
The storm also took a toll on public
lands, closing the Blue Ridge Parkway,
Appalachian Trail and scores
of hiking trails and other outdoor
recreation facilities.
But what about the hurricane's impact
to the mountain ecosystems? We
checked in with the region's national
parks and forests and here's what we
learned.
Nantahala and Pisgah National
Forests in North Carolina. Helene
caused moderate to catastrophic
damage to more than 187,000
acres (about 20% of the two forests
combined), including 117,000 acres
of vegetation loss. Most damage
was in the Pisgah, where two ranger
districts remained closed to visitors
20 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
as of mid-November.
Such a large impact to the ecosystem
can increase the threat of
wildfire, loss of vital wildlife habitat,
negative impacts on watershed health
and better chance for invasive species
to thrive, the agency said. " Everyone
in western North Carolina is passionate
about our public lands, and
by working with our community of
partners, from local and state agencies
to nonprofits, we will soon begin
mapping our path toward long-term
recovery. "
Great Smoky Mountains National
Park. From a biological perspective,
Helene did not adversely affect the
park's resurgent elk population, said
Dave Barak, public affairs specialist.
The Big Creek and Cataloochee Creek
watersheds were the only two with
major flood damage; Cataloochee
had an all-time high flow of 9 ½
feet. The full extent of the impact
to fish populations won't be known
until summer, but the park doesn't
anticipate long-term harm based on
3
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http://www.homesteadva.com http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM

Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025

Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 3
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 4
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 5
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 6
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 7
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 8
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 9
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 10
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 11
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 12
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 13
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 15
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 16
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 21
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 27
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 28
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 29
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 30
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 31
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 33
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 34
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 35
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 36
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 37
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 42
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 43
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 45
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 46
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 47
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 49
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 50
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 51
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 54
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 55
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 56
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 57
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 60
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 63
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 65
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 66
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 67
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 69
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 70
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 71
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 72
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 73
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 74
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 75
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 76
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 77
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 81
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 82
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover4
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