South Korean Forest Service Delegation Visits Grandfather Mountain
High level officials from the South Korean Forest Service visited Grandfather Mountain over Thanksgiving weekend to learn how the Mountain manages its private lands for public use. The group of seven individuals visited the Mountain to kick off their weeklong journey exploring conservation and land management efforts in North Carolina.
The delegation was led by the Director General of the Korean Forest Service, Gil-Bon Koo. Also part of the group were two deputy directors and three assistant directors of the Forest Service. Accompanying them as interpreter was Daegu University Professor Dr. Ju-Hee Lee who has been in North Carolina for the past two years teaching tourism at North Carolina State University.
The Korean Forest Service is responsible for maintaining all of South Korea’s forest lands whether publicly or privately owned. When they contacted officials in Raleigh to arrange the trip, Grandfather Mountain was the first place they asked to visit. The group was very interested in how Grandfather Mountain, as private landholders, balance the conservation of the property with the demand for access.
The guests first enjoyed lunch at Mildred’s Grill in the Nature Museum where they were able to ask questions and share ideas with Trails Manager Steve Miller, Naturalist Gabe Taylor and Marketing Director Catherine Morton. Topics of conversations were focused on environmental conservation and the numbers and expertise of the staff needed to carry on the day-to-day operations of Grandfather Mountain.
After
the meal, Taylor led the group to the Wildlife Habitat where they were
able to see the Mountain’s animals. The group then headed up the
Mountain with Steve Miller, taking a guided hike along the Bridge Trail.
All seven Korean visitors crossed the Mile High Swinging Bridge. While
on Linville Peak the group asked many questions about who owned and
managed the different areas of land they could see spreading out below
them.
“The mountain is beautiful,” said Director General Koo. “The welcome has been as warm as the weather.”
Although the day was meant to be a learning experience for the international visitors, Grandfather Mountain staff members were able to benefit from the meeting as well.
“It’s always interesting to speak with someone from another country,” said Miller, “and to learn how they do things and think up ideas where they are from.”
The trip was coordinated through the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The group was hosted by Libby Wilcox of the Office of Environmental Education who was selected to lead the tour after meeting the Director General at a conference in South Korea last year.
Grandfather Mountain was just the first stop for the visitors from Korea. A weeklong journey was set up to take them to other places such as the Great Smokies National Park, the Natahala Outdoor Center, the Cradle of Forestry and Biltmore Estate
Their final day was spent at NCSU meeting with North Carolina’s Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources Bill Ross and representatives of the North Carolina Forest Service.
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