The North Carolina Wildlife Commission announced this week it would begin regulating previously uncensored recreation on the 4,400-acre Needmore Tract. The tract was placed under jurisdiction of the N.C. Wildlife Commission exactly one year ago after a $19 million public fund-raising campaign to save the tract from a Duke-owned development company.

The Wildlife Commission will begin enforcing the following state regulations:

• prohibiting the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)
• closing access to ATV roads
• limiting dog training
• prohibiting gathering of native plant materials
• allowing firewood collection by permit only
• enforcing prohibitions against camping in non-designated areas
• implementing all other statewide game lands regulations.

The virtual free-for-all of recreational uses on the Needmore tract — a 4,400-acre tract along the Little Tennessee spanning the border of Swain and Macon counties — will be brought under control by the N.C. Wildlife Commission, the new overseer of the now publicly-held tract.

The land has been home to largely unregulated recreation for decades. Recently, however, undesirable recreational uses such as extended camping, construction of personal outhouses, partying and four-wheeling have taken root and are damaging the tract.

“Unregulated and unmonitored camping has always been a major concern. There’s a beautiful river where you historically could camp for free and go fishing, tubing and canoeing at the edge of your campsite with virtually no regulations,” said Joffrey Brooks, a wildlife biologist with the Wildlife Commission. “Now that this land is in public ownership, we’ve received complaints about drinking, drugs, sanitation problems and harassment of locals. We’ve even had complaints about public nudity.”

Public recreation at Needmore dates back to 1931, when Nantahala Power and Light bought out local families’ property with the intent of damming up the Little Tennessee for hydroelectric generation. A dam was never built and the land has remained a mosaic of agriculture and wildlands. In addition to locals retaining agricultural leases on the land, recreation such as hiking, camping and hunting have been enjoyed by those in the region.

In 1999, when Duke Power bought out Nantahala Power and Light and all its holdings — including Needmore — Duke decided to sell the land for development. A public outcry ensued. A massive, five-year campaign to save the tract was led by locals, conservationists and the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee. Ultimately, Duke got $19 million for Needmore, raised through state grants and private donations. The land was placed under jurisdiction of the N.C. Wildlife Commission and called the Needmore Game Land.

The publicity of the campaign elevated the once-secret outdoor playground to the front pages of newspapers and to television news. Unsavory recreational uses have spiked.

“We’ve seen folks pulling ATVs into the river for washing and folks having ‘mud-slinging contests’ with large, four-wheel drive vehicles in the river’s shallows and pools,” Brooks said. “Many people probably don’t realize how they’re damaging habitat and harming fish and wildlife, but we simply cannot allow this to continue due to conservation requirements on both a federal and state level.”

Concerned about public safety and degradation of fish and wildlife habitat, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission announced last week that it would curtail unauthorized activities on the 4,400-acre game land located in Macon and Swain counties. The restrictions, effective immediately, bring management of the Needmore Game Land in line with other tracts under jurisdiction of the Wildlife Commission.

Stream bank erosion from irresponsible campers and ATV riders damages habitat and threatens endangered species living on the Needmore property, Brooks said.

Camping

Another problem at Needmore is semi-permanent camping and the lack of designated front-country or back-country campsites.

Prior to the acquisition of the Needmore property, outdoors enthusiasts took advantage of an unrestricted user policy that allowed the public to set up camp anywhere along Needmore Road and other roads bordering the Little Tennessee River. Some campers established extended-season or year-round campsites with camping trailers and outhouses. Because the property is now in public ownership, the Wildlife Commission is removing these campsites.

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and Mountain Friends of Needmore are working with the Commission to locate a suitable area for a well-managed campground on Needmore. They are trying to establish a lease agreement with a local government or private contractor to fund, construct and manage a campground on Needmore. The Wildlife Commission does not construct or manage campgrounds.

“These restrictions are not about eliminating camping on the Needmore Game Land,” Brooks said. “They’re about our responsibility to conserve North Carolina’s fish, wildlife and natural resources. The Wildlife Commission will support a well-managed campground on this property.”

The Nature Conservancy has characterized Needmore as “one of the last remaining pristine wild places in western North Carolina.” Needmore’s wealth of natural resources includes the Little Tennessee River, which is home to two federally protected mussels — the Appalachian elktoe and the little pearlywing. The Virginia spirea, a federally protected plant, also thrives within Needmore.

The Commission will continue to lease land within Needmore for limited crop farming, where this practice is compatible with fish and wildlife habitat protection.