Tag Archive for: #kerrlakeparkwatch

The Local Skinny! Timberlake Keeps An Eye On The Lake

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For more than 10 years now, Frank Timberlake has been keeping an eye on Kerr Lake parks and camping areas. And he says there are some spots that haven’t changed since he was a kid.

For some, that may seem like good news. But Timberlake said he and others in Kerr Lake Park Watch don’t see it that way.

Timberlake and others formed Kerr Lake Park Watch in 2010 as a way to monitor and support improvements in the park facilities on Kerr Lake. Their online presence includes a webpage and a Facebook page where campers and other park users can read reviews or reactions to what’s happening – or not happening – at the various campsites around the lake.

From the online booking surcharges that campers pay when they reserve a campsite to the physical layout of the sites, Timberlake and the group have opinions.

He spoke with John C. Rose on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! segment and acknowledged that some would consider him a “feather ruffler” when it comes to the lake’s camping areas.

“We want to protect, promote and improve the parks,” Timberlake said. Although there are still some tent campers who visit, more visitors bring their RVs. Those vehicles require a relatively flat surface for parking, so when you have campsites, with as much as a 20-degree slant, it’s a challenge for RVers.

When COVID-19 was in full swing, all the trashcans were removed from the camp areas, which Timberlake said created significant cost savings. But none of that came back to the campgrounds, he said.

And there are several openings for rangers across the system of camp areas, which Timberlake said makes it difficult for campers to get information they need when they’re out at the lake.

“We need to get staffed up here,” Timberlake said of the ranger positions. “Rangers should be sitting at that entrance station, focused on customer service. They need to be there in the parks, not riding the roads.

He said he’s personally shown first-time visitors to their campsite because there was no one else around to help.

Help is all he and his group want to do, he said. Help others enjoy the lake and its recreational opportunities, while “improving a place that is wonderful…to protect it and improve it.”

Visit http://kerrlakeparkwatch.org/home/ or find the group on Facebook.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Kerr Lake Park Watch Asks Cooper to Reopen State Parks

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy the Kerr Lake Park Watch Facebook page

Kerr Lake Park Watch (KLPW), a 900 member group of campers and park users who visit NC State Recreation Areas and Virginia State Parks on Kerr Lake, has sent a message to NC Governor Roy Cooper asking him to reopen state parks.

KLPW was founded in 2010 by Frank Timberlake, a native of the shores of Kerr Lake, and five other Kerr Lake campers.

According to KLPW’s Facebook page, the group sent the following information to Governor Cooper:

YOU NEED TO OPEN STATE PARKS, GOVERNOR COOPER

The state parks opened could provide citizens with some much needed open space, especially campgrounds.
▪ The parks already are gated with controlled access
▪ The parks are already patrolled by rangers who are law enforcement officers
▪ Rangers could enforce social distancing and other special pandemic rules and regulations
▪ Rangers can use the P.A. function on their radios to speak to anyone they see violating any social distancing and, if rules aren’t obeyed, the rangers can tell the visitor(s) to leave to avoid citation, all from the safety of their vehicle
▪ Campgrounds should be reopened as campsites are already socially distanced
▪ Reservations and check-in can all be handled online

Reopening the state parks will help ease tension as people can walk, hike, run, fish, camp and other safe activities while maintaining social distancing.

We are asking you to reopen state parks. There needs to be some special rules but the parks need to open and now!

WIZS Note: Governor Cooper is expected to lay out a three-part plan later this afternoon for lifting stay-at-home restrictions.

Town Talk 12/16/19: Hibernia’s First Extended Camping Season Deemed a Success

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Frank Timberlake, Lead Public Affairs with the Kerr Lake Park Watch, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.

Following up on a press release sent to WIZS in October, Timberlake was “thrilled” to announce that the first-ever extension of Hibernia’s camping season into late fall/early winter was deemed a success.

While Timberlake said he’d “love to have some totally accurate numbers” to share with listeners, he could report that within days of the NC State Parks & Recreation’s initial announcement of the extension, over 100 reservations were made.

Prior to this year, winter camping for Kerr Lake’s seven state recreational areas was restricted to certain parts of Nutbush and Satterwhite Point. For the 2019 season, Hibernia’s Area 2 remained open through December 2.

Hibernia previously closed around October 25 each year and reopened between March 15-20.

For nine years, Timberlake said the Kerr Lake Park Watch has advocated extending the camping season as an increasing number of RVs are equipped for cold-weather camping.

“I would like to see that season extended even further, at least until December 20,” said Timberlake. “Think about the people who might come to Christmas festivals, the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center and Christmas parades if they could bring their RV and stay at Kerr Lake.”

Timberlake believes longer seasons equals more than just happier campers, as he estimates that those camping on Kerr Lake contribute approximately $100 a day to the local economy.

“After you get past October, you don’t see a whole lot of week-long campers. A Thursday, Friday and Saturday night stay, or even a Friday and Saturday night stay, add to the coffers of the state. More than that, it adds to the economic impact of Vance, Warren and maybe even Granville counties,” explained Timberlake.

The Kerr Lake Park Watch has long maintained that the salaries for rangers, maintenance and support staff for the recreation areas go year-round, so more of the parks should be open for longer seasons.

“It wouldn’t cost more because the staff is already full-time. Another cost would be the electricity used, but that is covered in the campsite fees,” Timberlake stated.

The seven state recreational areas include Kimball Point, County Line, Bullocksville, Satterwhite Point, Nutbush, Hibernia and Henderson Point. For more information on each area, including a link to make online reservations, please click here.

For more information on the Kerr Lake Park Watch, visit www.kerrlakeparkwatch.org.

To hear the interview with Timberlake in its entirety, including more on the history and accomplishments of the Kerr Lake Park Watch, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Camping Season at Kerr Lake’s Hibernia Extended to Dec. 1

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Kerr Lake Park Watch

It’s been a long time coming and it’s only a little over a month, but in the immortal words of Fred Flintstone, “YABBA DABBA DO!”  That’s the reaction to this week’s announcement by NC State Parks & Recreation that the camping season at Hibernia will be extended for the first time.

Kerr Lake is getting its first west bank winter (actually late fall) camping in an NC State Recreation Area. Winter camping has previously been restricted to certain areas of Nutbush and Satterwhite, but for the first time Hibernia’s Area 2 will be open this year until December 1. Hibernia usually closes around October 25 and reopens between March 15-20.

Campers may call Reserve America or go online to book. For nine years Kerr Lake Park Watch has advocated extending the camping seasons as more and more RV’s are equipped for cold-weather camping. You can see the extended camping area in the map below.

“We see this as the tip of the iceberg,” said a jubilant Frank Timberlake, Lead Public Affairs for Kerr Lake Park Watch, “and additional camping time should be added. We agree with state parks folks that December could be slow, so why not add a month earlier in the Spring. We hope the state will publicize this; we surely will.”

Kerr Lake Park Watch Steering Committee member Larry Matthews added, “It’s refreshing and rewarding to know that our state parks leaders are hearing and responding to the campers or moreover to the pleas of their customers; and customers we are because while there may be some tax revenues involved, we pay for every stay.”

Kerr Lake Park Watch has maintained that the salaries for rangers, maintenance and support staff for the seven state recreation areas go year-round, so more of the parks should be open for longer seasons. Campers continue to want more; and in some cases, demand or pass campgrounds by, that don’t build and rehab sites for RV’s with eight-foot bodies, three-foot slides, and eight-foot awnings with at least water and 50-AMP electrical service.

More and more of the RV’s today have enclosed bellies, heated lower sections and even heated water, sewer and grey water tanks. The folks who own those RV’s are looking for close-by facilities for “winter escapes,” not to mention there’s the added bonus of promoting and seeking out tourists passing through the Kerr Lake region.

“This is a long-awaited event for those of us who have winter-camped at Kerr Lake for many years, to now have another option on the west side of the lake,” commented long-time Kerr Lake Park Watch Steering Committee Member Tom Elmore, who’s camped at Kerr for over fifty years. “There are those of us who know the value of Hibernia and believe that this change will be an exciting opportunity for both the campers and the park system, plus the local businesses. On a personal camping basis, being year-round campers, we’ve been limited in the past and have not stayed, and get this, spent money locally, as much as we’ve wanted to.”

Timberlake added, “I would think that the tourism people in Vance and Warren, and even Granville counties would see what a monumental occasion this is as the park seasonal operations haven’t been changed or upgraded with the times in decades. It’s a small step, but certainly one in the right direction, and just 300 or so extra tourists in the area can really add to the community coffers.

I would think that some regular hours at the entrance station will need to be held, maybe at all three parks with extended seasons. Hopefully, we should be fairly cool in November, but in a recent stay, I had nine campers tell me that they could not buy stacked firewood at the entrance station because no one was there.”

Pointing to continued needed improvements, Timberlake, who’s been visiting many of the parks since he was a young child and camping at the SRA’s since he was 14, said, “The next thing we need to do at the seven state recreation areas is to standardize the open/close times for the gates. The other day a seasonal employee told me the gates closed at 10 p.m. Luckily, we were back before 9 p.m., where shortly after the camp host told us that the gate closed at 9 p.m. Mishaps like that can cause problems for staff and certainly inconvenience visiting customers of the parks, possibly leading to bad reviews and no returning campers.”

“We’ve had numerous requests for extended camping, so here it is,” said Timberlake.”If we get a high response, we can see getting the Division of State Parks to extend more time in more parks. Please share this new extended camping season with your Kerr Lake friends!”

RV/Cabin or Day Use Upgrades? Kerr Lake Park Watch Wants Your Opinion!

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-Information courtesy the Kerr Lake Park Watch’s Facebook page

Kerr Lake Park Watch is working on updating priorities for the seven NC State Recreation Areas on Kerr Lake – Kimball Point, County Line, Bullocksville, Satterwhite Point (JC Cooper), Nutbush, Hibernia and Henderson Point. (NORTH CAROLINA PARKS ONLY, we will poll on VA & US Army Corps of Engineers parks soon.)

We want to show state parks personnel how park attendees feel about park improvements.

Please visit the Kerr Lake Park Watch’s Facebook page (click here) and respond with which of the below two options you would prefer:

OPTION #1 – Do you want more campsites that are upgraded to RV status with 30/50 AMP, room for RV slides, 13.5 ft high, room for awnings and with a defined camping area? If so, respond – RV/Cabin Upgrades to camp.

OPTION #2 – Do you want more day-use areas, swimming beaches, hiking trails? If so, respond – DAY Use Upgrades.

NOTE: If you have other park suggestions, please send an email to info@kerrlakeparkwatch.org. YOU MUST INCLUDE your name, city of residence or where you receive mail, and your email; sending any other contact information is appreciated.

Kerr Lake Park Watch will never give or sell your information to any public or private entity.

Kerr Lake Park Watch: Upcoming 2019 Fishing Tournaments

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-Information courtesy the Kerr Lake Park Watch Facebook page 

From the US Army Corps of Engineers, here is a list of the permitted fishing tournaments according to the Corps’ Glenn Card:

John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir Special Events List

4/27/2019 – 4/28/2019 New Horizon Bass Anglers NHBA Kerr Tournament, 6 – 8 Occoneechee
4/27/2019 – Piedmont Bass Classics, 75 Flemingtown Road
4/27/2019 – Hope Baptist Church Charity Fishing Tournament, 15 Longwood Boat Ramp
4/27/2019 – FlW T-H Marine BFL NC #3, 150 Nutbush Bridge
4/28/2019 – Carolina Anglers Team Tra Kerr Spring Final, 30 Occoneechee
4/28/2019 – Meherrin Bassmasters Monthly Club Tournament, 15 County Line
5/4/2019 – 5/5/2019 VA BASS Federation Mr. Bass, 110 North Bend Park
5/4/2019 – Piedmont Bass Classics, 75 Flemingtown Road
5/4/2019 – 5/5/2019 – BASS Nation Of Va INC 2019 High School Champs, 70 Occoneechee
5/11/2019 – Halifax Vol. Fire Dept HVFD 18th Annual Tournament, 50 Staunton River State Park
5/11/2019 – Fishers of Men, Tournament FDM NC Central Legacy To, 20 Henderson Point
5/18/2019 – American Bass Anglers Bass Pro Shops ABA Open, 75 Nutbush Bridge
5/18/2019 – Region 8 Va Bass Federation Region 8 Tournament, 30 Eastland Creek
5/18/2019 – 5/19/2019 – BASS Nation Of Va INC 2019 Championship 90 Occoneechee
5/18/2019 – Region 1 Va Bass Federation Region 1, 25 Longwood Boat Ramp
5/18/2019 – Bojangles Pro-Am, 70 Henderson Point
5/18/2019 – 5/19/2019 – Ridgeway Bass Anglers Club Tournament, 20 Longwood Boat Ramp
5/25/2019 – Kerr Lake Bassmasters Tournament, 20 Ivy Hill
6/1/2019 – Carolina Anglers Team Tra 2019 CATT Championship, 100 Nutbush Ramp
6/2/2019 – Carolina Anglers Team Tra 2019 CATT Championship, 100 Nutbush Ramp
6/2/2019 – Bass Nation Of Va Reg 2 Region 2 Stop #2, 20 Rudds Creek

6/8/2019 – Anglers Choice Choice Invit Team 150-200, Occoneechee
6/8/2019 – Carolina Anglers Team Tra Old Noth Qualifier, 40 Flemingtown Road
6/8/2019 – Jon Boat Bass Club of NC JBBC Camping Tournament, 20 Nutbush Bridge
6/15/2019 – Kerr Lake Bassmasters Tournament, 20 Ivy Hill
6/22/2019 – 5 Alive Team Trail, 25 Ivy Hill
6/29/2019 – Southwestern VA Bassmaster Bass Tournament, 25 Ivy Hill
6/30/2019 – Pamunky River Mini-Series Bass Tournament, 21 Rudds Creek
8/31/2019 – Kerr Lake Bassmasters Tournament, 20 Ivy Hill
9/14/2019 – Kerr Lake Bassmasters Tournament, 20 Ivy Hill
9/28/2019 – 9/29/2019 – American Bass Anglers Bass Pro Shops ABA Open, 75 Nutbush Bridge
10/5/2019 – Jon Boat Bass Club of NC JBBC Points Tournament, 20 Longwood Boat Ramp
10/5/2019 – 10/6/2019 – BASS Nation Of Va INC 2019 Championship, 90 Occoneechee
10/5/2019 – Kerr Lake Bassmasters Tournament, 20 Ivy Hill
10/12/2019 – 10/13/2019 Anglers Choice Invit Team, 150-200 Occoneechee
10/19/2019 – Meherrin Bassmasters Monthly Club Tournament, 15 County Line
11/9/2019 – 11/10/2019 – Virginia Bassmasters Club Bass Tournament, 11 Rudds Creek
1/27/2020 – Kerr Lake Bassmasters Fishing Tournament, 20-25 Longwood Boat Ramp

Bait up, boat up and remember in the boat or in the water, practice the US Army Corps of Engineers water safety motto: “Life Jackets Worn…Nobody Mourns.”

Let’s be safe out there.

Kerr Lake Park Watch Asks ‘Are the Days of the Park Ranger Numbered?’

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Frank Timberlake, lead of public affairs for the Kerr Lake Park Watch (KLPW), was recently on Town Talk to discuss what is, in his and other Park Watch members’ opinion, the troubling trend of the dwindling role of the park ranger position at Kerr Lake.

Timberlake has been with the KLPW for eight years and has seen its ranks grow from six to almost 600 concerned citizens. He said the group’s mission is “to promote, to protect and improve all of the public facilities around Kerr Lake.”

Timberlake believes today’s park rangers are expected to act predominantly as law enforcement officers while ignoring traditional ranger duties such as protecting the environment and educating the public, specifically youth, on preservation efforts.

In documentation provided to WIZS, Timberlake states:

At Kerr Lake, the park rangers for the US Army Corps of Engineers parks still adhere closely to [a] broad range of duties, with only a few designated as full law enforcement officers. The rangers, including the Chief Ranger, wear Federal badges and can issue citations. That may sound mild but be assured those citations land accused violators in Federal court because those parks are on Federal land. Those arrested on the say-so of Corps rangers are hauled before a magistrate or to jail.

 In Virginia, the two parks on Kerr Lake have law enforcement officers. There is no “split” in Virginia having parks versus recreation areas; they are all parks. Some current and former Virginia State Parks employees believe that the tilt of the park ranger job is going too far towards law enforcement and leaving behind the resource, the park’s other employees and the visiting public.

 The KLPW recently conducted their own 30-day investigation into the role of park ranger and the visiting public’s opinion of ranger responsibilities. The results of this investigation were documented in a five-page report that was sent to the NC Division of State Parks and Recreation in Raleigh.

“One reason we’ve taken it public is that we don’t want to bring this issue out, bring it to the forefront, and then it be swept to the back when something else comes along,” Timberlake said.

Among the findings, the KLPW cites a lack of understanding of ranger roles other than as a law enforcement entity, the public’s unawareness of who the rangers are, a high turnover of rangers at Kerr Lake leading to inconsistency in leadership, the lack of an official park manager role to keep parks organized and a prevailing “that’s not my job” attitude among park officials.

“Part of the problem is that there is nobody assigned to the duty of being a park manager, so to speak,” said Timberlake. “There is nobody to fill in on those interpretive services that were done previously. The park rangers use to take pride in their part. What’s been mutilated in all seven parks is the team spirit.”

Timberlake said part of the KLPW’s proposal to NC State Parks and Recreation included a recommendation that entry stations built at each park in recent years be made the rangers’ offices. “The State of NC spent $250,000 on entry stations that are unmanned most of the time,” Timberlake said. “There is a missed $6 entry fee for every person who drives through. Why not make those booths the park ranger’s office?”

In the report, the KLPW invite the administration to “leave Raleigh and get out to talk with the park – public and employees.”

Timberlake said he was recently told by some of the leadership of NC State Parks and Recreation that the department is taking into consideration several points mentioned in KLPW’s report and that meetings have previously been held to discuss issues related to organizational structure.

While the KLPW finds this encouraging, Timberlake warns that “the wheels of government grind slowly.”

*For more information on the Kerr Lake Park Watch Association, including a more detailed summary of their report on Kerr Lake’s park ranger role, please visit their website at https://kerrlakeparkwatch.org/.

Timberlake Opens MMMG 2017 Art Exhibitions with PHOART™

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MacCallum More Museum & Gardens will feature the art of R F Timberlake for the museum’s first art exhibition this year.  Timberlake, who grew up just across the state line on the Carolina side of Kerr Lake will feature over 30 colorful prints from various collections in his online Shutter Art Gallery, plus several new prints not yet seen by the public.

“Mr. Timberlake has a special treat for all of us in the area as he will be presenting a special collection of local art within the exhibit that is entitled “Meanders in Mecklenburg,” said museum spokesperson Liz Lowrance, adding, “These prints are all about things and places that have touched Timberlake’s eye and heart.  We will be as surprised as the public because no one has seen these pieces and he will not add them to his web gallery until after the show.”

The second treat for MMMG visitors during the exhibit is that they can register for a drawing to win one existing print of their choice, signed and numbered by Timberlake, worth up to $200 in value, with no purchase required, only a filled-out registration slip.

The exhibit begins on Monday, February 6th and continues through Sunday, March 5th, concluding on that Sunday with a free admission “meet the artist” reception from 2:00 – 5:00PM in the museum on the MMMG grounds. Visitors can see and talk with Timberlake about his art works.  “Everyone connected with MMMG is excited to bring this exquisite and unique type of exhibit to the area,” says Lowrance, further saying, “his adaptive approach brings local art to all the communities he touches, and now, that includes ours.”

Timberlake’s PhoArt™ prints will be on sale the entire month with a gracious amount of sale proceeds going to help sustain MacCallum More Museum & Gardens, located in Chase City, VA.

He is a familiar face in Southside Virginia as a frequent camping visitor and as a cofounder of the 500+ member Kerr Lake support group, Kerr Lake Park Watch. Timberlake is a former news broadcaster and broadcast owner and for the last 26 years has been president of the award-winning advertising & PR firm, R F Timberlake & Company, Inc.  “I can paint but not to the point of detail I like and I don’t have the time,” says Timberlake. “So, I worked, studied, got tutoring to improve my photography and then I incorporated digital technology to create PhoArt™ which is simply making a photograph appear that it is painted and it’s a lot more detailed than people might think.  My wife and business partner of 40 years, Linda, a Virginian by the way, said that I should show and share my art.  I did as she said and wham, it took off!”  The artist adds that producing Digital Fine Art allows him to take on more projects in a variety of locations.

“We’re capturing some communities previously ‘dry of local art’ and that fills a void for me and for them.  We recently sold a western Virginia historic site dozens of signed and numbered prints they could not have found a year ago,” said Timberlake.  “We’ve made adjustable sizing and affordability priorities right behind subject matter and people like it!”

“It also seems to mean a lot to our customers and clients that each print we produced will be signed and numbered with no more than 200 issues of any print, and that adds a touch of exclusivity,” says the artist.  Timberlake’s like to present his work as “gallery wrapped” meaning the canvas is stretched around a wooden frame, backed and prepped for hanging.  All prints, however, are offered printed on smooth or slightly textured fine art papers, unframed.

“I hope my family and friends in Virginia and North Carolina, plus new friends and art enthusiasts will visit MacCallum More Museum & Gardens to see and enjoy my work.  Seeing the delight on people’s faces when my pictures take them somewhere is my very best reward,” commented Timberlake.  He opened his own online art gallery late last summer at https://shutterartgallery.

Ms. Lowrance added,” We hope the public will take a little time to kick back and use a daycation to visit Chase City, Mecklenburg County and the museum to see the R F Timberlake exhibit.”