Source: NCDA&CS, 11/1/18

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler was joined by state and community leaders in celebrating the groundbreaking of the Education Center at the N.C. Forest Service Mountain Island Educational State Forest (MIESF). The Center will welcome visitors and provide facility space for educational programming and informative displays about forest ecosystems and the benefits of good forest management.

While the forest provides demonstrations and educational opportunities to the public, MIESF staff currently accomplish this through outreach efforts in the surrounding communities. The Education Center will have dedicated space for forest rangers to offer educational programs concerning the mission of the forest, which includes conservation of natural resources and water quality protection.

MIESF is located on an important conservation easement designed to help protect Mountain Island Lake. The forest protects 12 miles of shoreline on Mountain Island Lake in the Catawba River Basin, which is a key part of the primary drinking water supply for Charlotte, Mecklenburg and Gaston Counties.

“For more than 10 years, our many conservation partners have worked hard to raise funds for Mountain Island Educational State Forest,” said Commissioner Steve Troxler. “The funds raised through these efforts, combined with the $3.1 million in funding provided by the state legislature last year and an additional $500,000 this year, will go a long way towards getting this important educational resource opened. I want to thank our partners who have committed themselves to this endeavor.”

Commissioner Troxler went on to express his gratitude towards Representative John Torbett, Representative Jason Saine and others in the legislature for their efforts in securing the needed funding. He also thanked the members of the MIESF Coordinating Committee and Carolina Land and Lakes for their commitment and fundraising efforts to complete the trails and other buildings needed on site.

Commissioner Troxler concluded by recognizing the Education Center’s importance to future generations. “The children that learn about North Carolina’s forest ecology here at Mountain Island, and at all of our Educational State Forests, will be the decision makers of tomorrow,” he said. “As we look ahead at the challenges that may arise in the years to come, it is places such as this that will have a profound impact on potential agriculture and forestry leaders. That gives me a great deal of hope for the future.”