Pat McCrory December 2014
Governor
Volume 1 Number 6
John E. Skvarla, III
Secretary, DENR
Master plan will guide MST completion
The state parks system will be seeking ideas from partners, stakeholders and the public as part
of a master planning process underway to guide completion of the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail.
The 1,000-mile trail corridor will ultimately link Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Moun¬
tains to Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the coast. Nearly
two thirds of the cross-state route has been completed
as a continuous, off-road trail experience, offering
opportunities for hiking, biking and horseback riding
through some of North Carolina’s most scenic land¬
scapes. Where the trail has not yet been completed,
detours along secondary roads allow ambitious hikers
to complete the trek.
A completed master plan will lead toward offi¬
cial designation of remaining portions by setting priori¬
ties for completing trail sub-sections. It will also unify
regional planning efforts and identify potential new
partners and funding strategies. The state parks system
has hired Planning Communities, LLC to prepare a
detailed master plan by late 2015 at a contract price of
$120,000 supported through the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
A Planning Communities Website linked from www.ncparks.gov offers a route to get involved in
the planning effort, with updates on planned regional stakeholder meetings to be held in early 2015.
A unit of the state parks system, the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail is envisioned as the backbone
of a network of regional hiking, paddling and multi-use trails across the state, which could be easily
connected to local trail and greenway efforts.
O’Neal new state parks chief of operations
Adrian O’Neal, a 21-year veteran park ranger, park superintendent and district superintendent,
has been promoted to chief of operations for the state parks system. He succeeds Mike Lambert, who
resigned earlier this year to assume a similar position in Connecticut.
O’Neal will be responsible for park operations, resource management, environmental education
programming, law enforcement, safety and facility maintenance for the state’s system of 36 state parks,
four state recreation areas and 20 state natural areas, as well as other system units covering more than
218,000 acres.
O’Neal is a native of Dunn and graduated from North Carolina State University in 1993 with
a bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism management. He began his career with the state
parks system in 1993 as a ranger a Cliffs of the Neuse State Park and later served at Carolina Beach
State Park.
In 2003, O’Neal was promoted to superintendent of Lake Waccamaw State Park, and in 2004,
became east district superintendent.
Continued Other Side
ША
NCDENR
NC Division of Parks and Recreation
NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
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