Fire Keeps Carvin's Cove Area Closed
posted 11:31 pm Tue March 11, 2008 - Roanoke Co., VA
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It's been weeks since a fire burned four-thousand acres in Northern Roanoke County, but Carvin’s Cove is still closed. The outdoor area offers more than 12,000 acres of recreation that's popular with mountain bikers, hikers and horseback riders.
Why is it still closed now and what workers are doing about it?
Carvin’s Cove is a popular place for a trek through the woods, but these folks aren't here to have fun. Although the recreation area sits in Roanoke County it's a Roanoke City (web) park, and city managers decided to close it after high winds and fire did some major damage last month.
Liz Belcher, Roanoke Valley Greenway Coordinator - "They don't want someone to get hurt by having a dead tree that burned in the fire fall on them."
But they're looking for more than just burnt trees. They want to be sure users don't turn the areas cleared by bulldozers into trails. Some are dangerously steep and most could lead to erosion that jeopardizes water quality in the reservoir. Then there's the damage done by the wind alone.
Brian Batteiger, Trail Volunteer - "Even the trails that weren't burned, we have a lot of trees that have fallen on them."
Once the city, Virginia Forestry and trail volunteers identify the damage, they can get to work, but it's not an easy task.
Belcher - "Carvin’s Cove is a huge area."
There's hope the trails without damage will open soon, but opening some trails and keeping other closed presents another challenge.
Michael Clark, Recreation Superintendent - "Folks that tend to wander and want to see the damage for themselves. So at this point, until we can get a plan together on how to take care of the trails, we want to keep the entire park closed."
Batteiger - "They could close the whole area just to keep people out of the unsafe areas. So hopefully people will listen to where the trails are closed and not use those trails."
Trail volunteers may be allowed to help with cleanup as early as this week, but workers aren't sure when any trails will open. Forestry workers hope to have their cleanup work finished by late April. That's when the park could open completely.
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