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.