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Little River Park Advisory Committee Interim Report 8/1/01 14 <br /> a) That camping be allowed only for groups such as scouts, youth associations <br /> and church groups on a reservation basis Camping for general public use is <br /> not recommended, as camping sites are readily available at Eno River State <br /> Park, Falls Lake and Jordan Lake. <br /> b) There are adequate funds available for any special facilities and to ensure <br /> proper management and stewardship. No funds are budgeted for developing <br /> camping areas within the park. A site manager would be needed to reserve <br /> the camp site(s), provide user education, enforce campsite use and oversee <br /> campfires. <br /> c) That camp site(s) is located in areas) that will not cause harm to adjacent <br /> private property or to natural/cultural resources found within the Park. <br /> C. Prohibited Uses <br /> The Committee recommends that the following uses be prohibited from the Little <br /> River Regional Park and Natural Area for the reasons provided below: <br /> • Motorized vehicles <br /> • Hunting <br /> • Firearms <br /> 1. Motorized vehicles <br /> The use of motorized vehicles, such as "all terrain vehicles" (ATVs) or motorcycles, <br /> is considered an incompatible use of parkland that was acquired for protecting water <br /> quality and wildlife habitat. There is evidence of recent ATV use on the park <br /> property, some of which is causing erosion along riverbanks and the sedimentation <br /> of streams. These activities are not consistent with the intended use of the park for <br /> low-impact recreation use. <br /> 2. Hunting <br /> Hunting is a traditional use of this property and some of the neighboring properties. <br /> The land was managed for many years as gamelands under the supervision of the <br /> NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Changing this particular property from private <br /> woodlands to a public park with hiking trails and picnic areas creates an <br /> environment within which hunting would be an incompatible use. The potential <br /> danger to Park users far outweighs the need to allow hunting on the property. <br /> The Committee notes, however, that the,exploding nature of the White tailed Deer <br /> population in this area may warrant the counties to consider allowing periodic <br /> managed hunting to reduce the population and thereby reduce the negative impacts <br /> that population has on the park resources. Mecklenburg County Parks in Charlotte <br /> has this type of program. <br /> Page 10 of 12 <br />