The Observer News Enterprise in Newton (outside Hickory, in Catawba County) has an interesting interview with a farmer who’s a fan of the planned Carolina Thread Trail.
Stanly Stewart, who’s been a grain farmer for 35 years, says some farmers worry that a trail near or on their land would bring litter and vagrants.
But Stewart says, public trails aren’t the big threat to farmers: “The major threat to farming is unbridled development,” he said. He’s right. Suburban sprawl and even rural sprawl are eating away at this region’s last farmland – ironic in an era when so many people are rediscovering the importance of locally grown foods and meat.
He has experience that proves his point. Stewart’s family owns land around Murray’s Mill, the article reports. It says, “They decided to build trails around the land for people to enjoy the property. Since the area was opened to the public, the amount of trash has greatly decreased. Stewart attributes the decrease to the public’s renewed interest in the land around the trails.
“When you light up an area, the dark goes away,” he said.”
The Thread Trail is a plan for a connecting network of trails throughout the Charlotte region. Each community gets to plan where the trails would go. No land would be taken by eminent domain. In Charlotte, a small portion runs alongside Little Sugar Creek, through Freedom Park. Someday, if all goes well, you could walk from uptown Charlotte to South Carolina, or to Crowders and Kings Mountain.