Get the saddles ready and the spurs shined.
There may be horse trails in the future of Bertie Beach.
Bertie County Special Project Consultant Robin Payne has been approached numerous times by equestrians asking if there will be horse trails within the Bertie Beach complex. Concerns about horse trailer confinement within a designated parking area had been a concern for Payne and Recreation Director Donna Mizelle. However, according to Payne, the trailers would not go beyond the park entrance parking lot.
“People really want to pull their horse trailers in and just make a loop in that first field on the left, which seems doable,” she said. “I don’t see any problem with it. In the future when we design the new road for Bertie Beach the asphalt road, it’s not going to alter any of our future plans at all.”
The commissioners approved the future trails, however, no riding will be allowed until signage and designated areas are approved and implemented.
Bertie Beach is now open. A spring beach clean-up is planned and the primitive campground is being prepared for camping this summer.
Currently, the county is searching for a Park Manager. The job requirements are being approved and the position will be posted on the county website in the near future.
In August, 2023 Payne was informed that the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) required extensive information regarding future digging on the Bertie Beach site. In order to fulfill the requirement, the county hired the Tarboro firm Chronicle Heritage to perform the site inspection on the entire 147 acres.
The review was required by the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Recreation trust Fund in order to complete the grant process.
“Chronicle Heritage reviewed the whole 147 acres and, as of last week, they have not seen anything thus far,” reported Payne. “I was happy to hear that. Once the report is done we’ll file the necessary paperwork with SHPO to move forward.”
Plans are being made for a Funders Celebration at Bertie Beach this fall in conjunction with the National Heritage Designation and Harwood Forest Award. In October, 2023 the commission approved a motion to become part of the Old Growth Forest Network. The Old Growth Forest Network will be involved in planning the celebration.
The Old-Growth Forest Network is the only national network in the U.S. of protected, old-growth, native forests. The organization is looking at the virgin forest at the Southern Hook Swamp next to Salmon Creek to be designated in the network.
In conjunction with the Bertie Beach project, the commission is working closely with Destination by Design to increase county tourism and promote Bertie Beach and other natural recreational activities.
The company is in the process of conducting a resident survey on the needs of Bertie County citizens from a recreational viewpoint. The information collected will be used to develop the Travel and Tourism Master Plan.
This is the second survey the company has conducted in the past year and the data will serve as a roadmap for the further development of the Destination Bertie overall plan. Residents are encouraged to partake in the survey on the Destination Bertie website. To partake in the survey go to Destinationbertie.com. The survey will be posted until the end of May.
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