Thanks to the hard work of a number of volunteers and various organizations, a new informational kiosk is now on permanent display for visitors to Roan Mountain’s Round Bald.
The kiosk was completed Thursday, Sep. 24 and features two display panels. One educates about the Appalachian trail with an area map and the principle of leaving no trace such as packing out trash and not cutting live wood. The other provides information about the Roan balds and how they are globally rare, as well as rare plant species and ways that people can help protect them like not picking flowers.
“It’s really simple stuff, but we have so many people from out of the area or people who haven’t been there before, and we were hoping that giving them basic information about why it’s so special would help reduce some of the impact that we are getting up there,” said Marquette Crockett, the Highlands of Roan Stewardship Director of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.
It was a collaborative effort coordinated by Crockett. SAHC applied for the $1,600 Appalachian Trail Conservancy license plate grant to pay for the materials. Cherokee National Forest Service made the posters, and Pisgah National Forest Service printed them and built the kiosk. Eastman Chemical Company provided the plexiglass, and members of Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club, along with SAHC volunteers worked to make a clearing for the gravel and added finishing touches.
Crockett said that because so many people chipped in, they ended up not needing most of the grant, so leftover funding will be returned to ATC to help with other projects like shelter renovation, kiosk installation and trail rerouting. Funding for the grant comes from the purchase of AT license plates in Tennessee and North Carolina.
“It looks really great, and I hope that it’ll be a great educational tool for the Roan,” said Crockett. “Thanks to everyone who helped with this project!”
For information on how to volunteer in similar projects, visit appalachian.org or tehcc.org.