Student Conservation Crews Help Construct Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
Roan Mountain, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced today the completion of a mile-long stretch of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail through Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area in Carter County.
The National Park Service manages the trail with a portion running through the state natural area, which is managed by Environment and Conservation in partnership with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. Trail work was made possible by a grant from the National Park Foundation and Nature Valley Granola Bars as part of the 2006 Save the Trails program. The program partners with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and utilizes high school students from across the country to construct and restore trails in the national park system.
“Several agencies and organizations have come together to help make this trail project a reality,” said Reggie Reeves, director of the state natural areas program for the Department of Environment and Conservation. “We appreciate the opportunity to work with the National Park Service for the continuation of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail through state lands, as well as the grant that made the work possible. But most of all, we appreciate the hard work of the students who spent their summer vacation constructing a trail that will help people experience the beauty and history of the area.”
“This section of the pathway of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail will allow visitors to experience the same conditions encountered by Revolutionary War Patriot militiamen as they crossed through Yellow Mountain Gap from Tennessee into North Carolina,” said Paul Carson, superintendent of Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. “The collaborative support from the National Park Foundation, Nature Valley, SCA, The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the U.S. Forest Service will allow us to provide a sustainable and publicly available portion of the route as it passes over the spectacular natural setting of Roan Mountain.”
As part of the Save the Trails Program, six high school-aged interns and two young adult leaders built and improved more than a mile of trail as it climbs to 4,800 feet in elevation through the rugged terrain of Yellow Mountain Gap. They stayed in a rustic cabin at Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area during their time on the mountain and spent their last few days in East Tennessee hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Hampton Creek Cove is a 693-acre natural area in Carter County near Roan Mountain State Park. For more information on Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area, log onto the Web site at: http://www.tdec.net/na/natareas/hampton/.
For more information about the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, visit www.nps.gov/ovvi. And for more information about the National Park Foundation, visit www.NationalParks.org.
For more information contact:
Tisha Calabrese-Benton
Office (865) 594-5442