Published: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 / Updated: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 09:57 AM
Seven Oaks Foundation harvesting trees near Lake Wylie
BELMONT --
Land clearing visible from the highway near Seven Oaks isn’t part of the ongoing Carolina Thread Trail effort, and it isn’t Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden development, either.
“The activity you see is not actually on our land,” said Tom Okel, executive director of Catawba Lands Conservancy.
The conservancy partnered with Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden last summer to preserve 77 acres of the property on the Gaston County shore of Lake Wylie, using it to help connect the region-wide Carolina Thread Trail. The clearing noticeable from just beyond the Hwy. 279 bridge isn’t part of that, Okel said. Darrell Woods, caretaker of the Seven Oaks property, said the downed trees don’t mean pending development.
“They’re logging the place,” he said.
Some of the trees were placed there with intent to be harvested, others damaged by recent storms. The newly repaired pier was done as maintenance to an aging structure. The property, owned by the Seven Oaks Farm Foundation, doesn’t have immediate plans for development of the Seven Oaks portion not set aside as trail.
“Not to my knowledge,” Woods said.
As for that trail, plans are to continue work on securing funding. Currently there’s no work at the site on the conservancy’s end.
“As far as the conservancy, we’re not doing any activity out there right now,” Okel said. “Ultimately, we will be building thread trail out there, but we’re not doing any of that right now.”
Also not involved in activity at Seven Oaks is Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. Jim Hoffman, marketing director, said his group has nothing to do with the clearing.
“The garden just owns the 400 acres here at the garden,” he said. “Down below us and along the highway, down to the water, that’s all the foundation.”
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