Kerr Lake Park Watch

With over 950 members and over 5,000 social media followers, 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 the shores of Kerr Lake and five other Kerr Lake campers. Timberlake is a boater, a fisherman, a camper, the past chair and former board member of the NC State Parks Advisory Board, NC DENR board and served in a liaison capacity with many related state and federal agencies.

Timberlake is one of the founders of the Friends of Occoneechee State Park in Clarksville, VA and frequently assists that park’s staff in Public Relations events through his marketing company, RF Timberlake & Company. RFTCO also provides a website and Facebook page for Occoneechee Friends. Prior to his increased commitment to Occoneechee, Timberlake, as board chairman and member led an inspiring increase in services, land acquisition and attendance at Wake County’s Historic Oak View Park in Raleigh. During the 10 years of his involvement, the park nearly doubled in land size and Oak View’s attendance increased from the low 20-thousands to over 125,000 visitors per year.

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. A few years ago, 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 550 members through this Blog and Facebook. Membership of KLPW grows almost daily.

The growth of KLPW has precipitated the need for this web/blog because of the increased public interest and call for improvements.

Kerr Lake Park Watch’s mission is to promote, protect and to seek improvements in the public facilities on Kerr Lake.