Lumber River State Park to become second-largest in North Carolina
FAIR BLUFF, NC (WWAY) — Lumber River State Park will grow by more than 3,000 acres following a land acquisition near the South Carolina border, state officials announced.
The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation is acquiring a 3,005-acre tract in Robeson County near Fair Bluff. The property is located along the west bank of the Lumber River and will become part of the state park.
The Conservation Fund coordinated the acquisition and purchased the property from a private seller using a $4.05 million grant from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, along with private fundraising.
State Parks is acquiring the property from The Conservation Fund using a $3.6 million federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant and $234,375 from the state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
The addition will increase Lumber River State Park to 16,594 acres, making it the second-largest unit in the North Carolina state parks system behind South Mountains State Park.
The Lumber River carries both federal and state designations. It is part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and is also designated a North Carolina Natural and Scenic River.
The river basin includes extensive wetlands that provide habitat for rare and endangered plant and animal species. The river has also served as a water resource for communities in the region for generations, including ancestors of the present-day Lumbee Tribe.
Earlier this year, American Rivers ranked the Lumber River No. 4 on its list of the country’s most endangered rivers.
Lumber River State Park stretches through Columbus, Robeson, Scotland and Hoke counties and includes three primary access areas along the 115-mile river: Princess Ann in Orrum, Wire Pasture in Maxton and Chalk Banks in Wagram.
The Wire Pasture access area opened this summer near the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
