In his previous role as Superintendent 1 at the Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, Bill Stanley said his main focus was on the rangers and their development and making sure the other staff also was properly trained to do the wide assortment of jobs that take place across the various campgrounds, public access points and shelters with the park.
In his new role as lead superintendent, Stanley chuckled when he said there’s a lot more paperwork involved.
But the ultimate mission remains the same: “making sure Kerr Lake is moving forward in a direction for the future,” Stanley told John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk.
He’s got his sights set on three broad areas: conservation, education and safe recreation.
Those umbrella categories cover a wide range of projects, from prescribed fires to making sure all visitors can have an enjoyable lake experience.
“Prescribed fires are a big thing in NC state parks,” Stanley said. “It’s a good thing for the environment and a really good things for visitors also.” Prescribed fires help reduce leaf litter and help clear out the understory of wooded areas, which helps campers have a better lake view and reduces the chance of a campfire getting out of control.
But there’s the little detail of when to conduct a prescribed fire. “When there’s tons and tons of campers here, you can’t smoke ‘em out,” Stanley said.
There are 13 rangers that serve the entire recreation area, he said. They are law enforcement officers in addition to all the other duties that go along with the job. Some will be joining other local law enforcement officers in the “Shop with a Cop” event happening this week, he said. And they also do programs at schools and at Perry Memorial Library.
In addition to the ranger staff, Stanley said there’s the 15-member maintenance team stays busy with various improvement projects throughout the recreation area. Add 60 or so seasonal employees to keep grass mowed and bathrooms cleaned during the peak season and suddenly the staff becomes a small army.
Maintenance recently completed a renovation of 13 campsites at Hibernia. By doing the job themselves, the team was able to make the money go further, he noted.
He said visitors who use the campsites love the fact that they’re so close to the water. “They say they love our campsites,” Stanley said, adding that many have been camping at Kerr Lake for many years.
Whether you just want to enjoy the natural beauty of the lake or whether you’d prefer to be in a bass boat on the water, Stanley said Kerr Lake is the perfect spot.
“Kerr Lake is a great fishing lake,” he said and 2023 is shaping up to be another good year for fishing competitions here.
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