General Info about the need for Kerr Lake Park Watch
The Kerr Lake Park Watch or KLPW for short, has been established by campers and park users who visit NC State Recreation Areas and Virginia State Parks on Kerr Lake, as well as parks & recreational facilities operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
KLPW was founded in 2010 by Frank Timberlake, a native of Granville County. As a former board member of several parks and recreation boards and as a park activist, Timberlake has spent more than 30 years as a parks volunteer in some capacity and has raised his family camping, fishing and boating, a good time of that spent on Kerr Lake.
Over the past few years, Timberlake noticed an increased barrier between park end users and administrators, not so much the local custodians, but the off-site administrators who set and approve priorities. He started collecting comments, complaints, ideas, volunteer requests, occasionally passing them on the park professionals. Last year, after collecting names, phone numbers, emails and the like, Timberlake decided that Kerr Lake area parks need a stronger voice and Kerr Lake Park Watch was founded in 2010. It has over 60 members through Facebook with more than 40 members who communicate by email and or phone.
The growth of KLPW has precipitated the need for this web/blog because of the increased public interest and call for improvements. While we want to support and help parks around the lake, we want to insure the people looking after the parks are listening to the end users and they have their ducks or geese in a row.
KLPW was founded in 2010 by Frank Timberlake, a native of Granville County. As a former board member of several parks and recreation boards and as a park activist, Timberlake has spent more than 30 years as a parks volunteer in some capacity and has raised his family camping, fishing and boating, a good time of that spent on Kerr Lake.
Over the past few years, Timberlake noticed an increased barrier between park end users and administrators, not so much the local custodians, but the off-site administrators who set and approve priorities. He started collecting comments, complaints, ideas, volunteer requests, occasionally passing them on the park professionals. Last year, after collecting names, phone numbers, emails and the like, Timberlake decided that Kerr Lake area parks need a stronger voice and Kerr Lake Park Watch was founded in 2010. It has over 60 members through Facebook with more than 40 members who communicate by email and or phone.
The growth of KLPW has precipitated the need for this web/blog because of the increased public interest and call for improvements. While we want to support and help parks around the lake, we want to insure the people looking after the parks are listening to the end users and they have their ducks or geese in a row.
Here’s just a bit of information about Kerr Lake Park Watch. We have an email if you would like more information. Just write info@kerrlakeparkwatch.org.
| Overview | The Kerr Lake Park Watch has been established by campers and park users who visit NC State Recreation Areas, Virginia State parks on Kerr Lake, & parks & recreational facilities operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The purpose is to support improvements to the camping and recreational facilities around Kerr Lake. |
|---|---|
| Mission | To promote the improvement of camping and recreational facilities and opportunities around the John H Kerr Reservoir, with a continued interest in the overall quality of the lake itself. |
| Opportunities | DIRECT CITIZEN FEEDBACK shared with people of like KL recreational interest and a pipeline to professional park managers and elected officials. |
We will be gathering information from all the official stake holders and posting the perspective of those persons professionally affiliated with parks around the lake. THE GREAT NEWS IS…YOU AS A PARK USER have this, a very public forum to discuss your ideas, areas of support, areas of concern, questions and comments about Kerr Lake. KLPW
Posted in: KLPW - MAIN NEWS
Leave a Comment (5) ↓
Having grown up camping at Hibernia, I remember a lot about the place. I am sure that many things have changed and many things have stayed the same. We as patrons of the park need to voice our concerns to our representatives to update our park.
Thanks for the support, James D!
As a visitor of this park, I have noticed over the last several years that things have declined. The walk on the trails for 1 thing. The so called Plantation Trail, which is suppose to be historical has become a trail that you have to dodge tree limbs across the path. This trail should be cleaned so visitors can walk through and see the history of the park, not a bunch of wood that has been ignored for years.
It came to my attention several years ago that park rules are not being handled as they used to be. Campers and their kids are doing things that have not been allowed to do before. If the rangers were around more would they put a stop to this? So much of the time the park host are not there either. This is not good at all. Anything could happen at any time and someone needs to be around. But one problem I have seen is that the host do not have the radio’s to get to a ranger. These are very important to the host and the safety of the campers. I have seen some real emergencies go on and this is a true need. Also the golf carts that so much money was spent for them and now only after a few years are breaking down. NOT GOOD!!! No radio, no golf cart that you could use to find help if you had no radio. I am for the safety of the campers as you can tell. So let them feel safe!
Another thing is some of the campsites are not being updated with the timber and gravel. The park would look much better with all the campsites equipped equally. Also most of the water facets had been moved closer to the campsites except for a few. There is no need for campers to have to carry 150 ft. of water hose to reach the facets. All of this needs to be brought to the attention of the representatives of Kerr Lake Park Watch.
Proud to be a Kerr Lake patron.