Timber Theft

Timber theft in NC has become big business. The amount of money involved is surprisingly high with cherry and walnut fetching several thousand dollars for good specimens. In 2009 penalties were increased to a class 1 felony because of increased thefts (G.S. 14-135).

Riverbend is unusually vulnerable because of a large gravel road, unprotected entry and absent landowners. Risk factors are identified in this article; timber theft.
"Prime targets for timber thieves are the trees of older landowners who do not see all of their property on a regular basis and absentee owners who may not live in the same state as their trees."

http://www.swvatoday.com/news/article/forest_owners_losing_to_timber_thefts/1861

A case from last week shows the extent of the problem; Increased timber theft.

http://rrspin.com/News-from-Roanoke-Rapids-Weldon-and-Halifax-County/Man-faces-timber-theft-counts.html

Organized timber thieves do careful research to limit their risks. One year ago I received a call from someone offering to cut some trees for me. He described several trees on my property in detail suggesting that he had actually visited the property.

Many property owners at Riverbend feel very strongly that the entrance must be secured soon.

JR Moore & Son Store

The JRMoore and son store in nearby Gulf is a wonderful resource for ... everything. It is a classic country store that is part museum, part source of supplies and great source of information. Lisa or Billy are almost always there and usually have their finger on the pulse of the region.

Logging Underway

I visited RiverBend today and heard the distinctive sound of chain saws. As I made my way through the woods to the source, the signs of commercial vehicles with their "collateral damage" became evident. This image is a commercial logging vehicle owned by American Timber Company. I asked them to stop and speak with me. Mr. McNeil told me that his company has been contracted to harvest timber on two tracts in RiverBend. He could not name or give a description of the persons he spoke with. The site pictured here is on property owned by Dave Watts. Mr. McNeil told me that there is one additional tract that he will be working on next week.

Along plank road, several tracts have been clear cut recently. I stopped at JR Moore store in route home and spoke with Billy and Lisa. This company has been very active in the area recently.

When I returned home I reviewed our sales documents. No timber harvesting. Permission to cut trees over 4" diameter must be obtained in advance.

There are many deer stands on the property. Opening day for deer hunting season will be crowded if the number of new deer stands is any indication.

Deer Season 2010

This is just a brief reminder that the deer hunting season in the Central Region of NC will begin in September. The stands that I have seen suggest that the builders intend to hunt with bow and arrow. I expect muzzleloader hunters also. As with prior years, the Gun season will probably attract many hunters to Riverbend, most of whom are unknown to the owners. Please wear "hunter orange" hats or vests if you are visiting your property. I personally recommend that you do not confront hunters about their permission to be on the property, but use your judgement.

You can find information about hunting at the following website:
http://www.ncwildlife.org/hunting/H_Season_Dates.htm


CENTRAL DEER SEASON
Bow and arrow: Sept. 12 to Nov. 6
Muzzleloader: Nov. 7 to Nov. 13
Gun: Nov. 14 to Jan. 1

RB Flower

This remarkable flower is quite abundant this year throughout the property. It is large, about 4-5 inches across an on bushes about 4-5 feet high. Any ideas about the name?

McIver Landing

One of the reasons our area is special is the Triangle Land Conservancy and their focus on preserving properties nearby. Riverbend is bordered by TLC land. Nearby is the McIver Landing to promote public river access, a project of the TLC. It is worth a visit, even if you do not have a canoe. Reading the display is reward enough.








The natural history panel is worth trying to display here.

July 18

I took a quick early morning trip to Riverbend to see the roadway after a big rain. RB remains a beautiful and unique property. The makeshift gates at the front are now removed. It is just as well, they were never very effective. There is a new sign about 15 yards into the property. It is a good sign with the right message.I see only one property for sale now. It is owned by Ryan Rose burg. Ryan informed me that one of the owners was planning to harvest timber. I informed him that this is not approved by the HOA.

The roadway is best inspected after a rain. You know the old saying about inspecting a roof in a rainstorm. This photo shows the continued deterioration in some areas. These are still easily passable, but repair will be needed. Note that some spraying of roudup has been done recently.

While hiking I came across a remarkable flower. It was on high ground and present in a small clump in a shaded area. Does anyone know what it is? Truly beautiful.

Take care and have a great week! dgremill@gmail.com

dg

New Developments

Hello fellow RiverBend owners. Several new developments deserve mention in a new post. I encourage you to post comments, and these will be uploaded quickly.

1. Deer hunters are scouting the property in anticipation of the fall season. These have been seen by several individuals on 4 wheelers with baiting devices and corn. Mr. Dave Watts has leased property to several NC State Students for hunting this fall on a one year trial basis. In some ways this is favorable because it will draw a line between the poachers and the legal hunters with contracts and insurance. They may be able to actually monitor the property more effectively than we can at a distance. It is possible that some of the others seen on the property are not part of this group. This leasing raises several important questions. Do the hunters understand that they have leased only the portion of the property owned by Dave? Are they aware of the individual property boundaries? What are the rules they are working under related to construction of stands? Have they been informed that some other property owners do not want hunting on their land and that these owners may be on the property exploring, hiking or working?

2. Timber and Mineral rights mailings have been received by RB owners as well as many others in the vicinity. If you attended the meeting on June 16th on this please report back to the owners. As we all know, no RB owners have timber or mineral rights with their land. It is important to stay informed on these developments however, because poaching of both timber and mineral resources is a well known phenomenon.

3. Vandalism has been experienced by several owners including Mr. Watts. Some of these acts have been relatively minor and some have been expensive. Some have been violent and destructive. It is important to report your experiences to determine if a pattern of acts is occurring that needs more attention. Local police may not be interested in responding to reports from unoccupied and unmonitored property far from the city limits. I have not heard of any threats or acts of personal injury.

4. Roadway deterioration is progressing. As you all know, we are required to pay $400 per year for roadway maintenance. However, this has not been collected or used for several years. We need to develop a consensus on road maintenance and documentation of use of those funds for the peace of mind of the RB owners. Also, it is difficult to pay a road fee if road repairs mostly benefit persons using the property illegally. Two property owners are considering construction soon and construction vehicle traffic will increase.

5. Property security seems to be a high priority in view of the issues that we are experiencing. We should consider our needs for personal safety, security of our small pieces of this unique land, safety of construction materials etc. I personally feel that a secure entrance is critical. This should be done before any road improvement or building construction. It should be completed before September to limit hunting traffic. All owners and individuals with a legal right to be on the property should have a key or pass code.

Please post your ideas on these or other issues. If you are not a "poster" because of privacy or other concerns please email me individually at dgremill@gmail.com.

DG

Update from Riverbend

I enjoyed a Sunday hike at Riverbend during the wonderful recent weather. The snow has mostly melted and the small creek beds mostly dry. As with previous visits, I am always surprised by the lack of activity and visitors.

While hiking, I had the startling experience of being surrounded by 6 large dogs. Within 10 minutes, their owner, Debbie came by and introduced herself. Debbie is one of our neighbors. She lives in the white house across from Logan's place. Over the 8 years that she has lived there she has taken on the mission of adopting stray dogs. People drive from nearby cities and "dump" the dogs. Some have been in pitiful shape when she finds them. Dave Watts gave her permission to run the dogs at Riverbend. I believe that she is a good resource for us as an observer and monitor of activities. She tells me that she saw no deer hunters this year but that recently, other game hunters have been active on the property.

Our main roadway continues to deteriorate but remains passable. Small cars must drive with care to avoid potholes. We will eventually need to repair these.

I must sadly report some significant vandalism to a vehicle that we left on the property. Someone smashed all of the windows and removed tools and books that we have kept there. The damage went beyond simple breaking and entering and showed a lot of anger. We have removed the vehicle to a local auto salvage yard.

My current feeling is that we will need to definitively secure the property to prevent use of the property by others.

Lee County Commissioner

During a recent visit to Riverbend I stopped
at the JR Moore store to visit with Ray, the owner. He is a wonderful repository of good quality information about the area. While I was there, the Lee Cty Commissioner, Ed Paschal came in to buy some supplies. We had a good conversation. He is knowledgeable about Riverbend and a valuable resource for owners.

DG

Timber Cutting Inquiry

Like many other owners, I have received calls asking if I wanted to sell the trees on my property. Of course we all know that the trees cannot be harvested and that approval must be granted to cut any tree larger than 4 inches diameter.

Last week the call I received suggested to me that the caller had actually visited the property since he referred to specific areas. I took this opportunity to trek to Lee county and do some hiking and photography.

Fall is one of the best times at Riverbend with improved views as the leaves fall. When hiking, be aware that deer season has opened. Currently, it is only "bow hunting." Soon, the "black powder" season will open and later in October, regular rifle hunting will start. During my visit today, I saw no sign of hunters, deer stands or baiting. If you go hiking later this month, be sure to wear colorful clothing.

I took two pictures of "specimen" trees on my property today. They are attached to this blog. Above is a River Birch that is about 120 feet high and 3-4 feet in diameter. Wonderful tree for a treehouse. To the right is an Eastern White Cedar. Both trees are highly sought after for their timber value.

Property For Sale at Riverbend

A new "for sale" sign has appeared in the Riverbend community. This property is directly on the Deep River. If you are unable to read the sign, the web address is: www.cooperrealtygroup.com.

DG

Pictures Posting

If anyone wishes to post photos to the blog, just "insert" them into the body of the message. They will be moderated quickly and posted.

Lot E - Possible Sale

I own Lot E, 10+ acre lot, it’s a nice river front lot and I plan to sell it in the near future, but I wanted to check with the property owners within Riverbend before I went to a realtor. Neighboring lots are B and Q. If any RB property owner is interested please contact me at rosebroughr@bellsouth.net or 919-854-1994.

Ryan Rosebrough

Posted Signs

Posted sign at RB. If you look closely, Riverbend owners is readable. These are at the entrance and several other key areas.

Neighbors

Yesterday while hiking I unexpectedly came upon the Hineken home which is adjacent to RB. I am somewhat bold, so I went to the door and introduced myself to Crystal Hineken. We had a nice discussion about the area and her observations since moving in two years ago. I believe the Hineken family is a nice resource for us. She agreed to call if she noticed unusual activity at RB.


I've now met all of our neighbors and they are good, down to earth country folks. The Acord family is closest and the Logan's are nearby. Their sweetcorn is waist high and should be ready for picking in about 5 weeks.

DG

Lee County Website

The county website has a great database of information on owners, sales, taxes and other topics of interest. You can visit the site using controls at the right or by going to this web URL: leecountync.gov

Enjoy the surfing.

DG

Deer Hunters at Riverbend

As many of you know, the Riverbend property was flooded with deer hunters last year. I personally encountered 3 groups of hunters and each of these gave a vague description of permissions they had been granted by RB property owners. One owner found a newly constructed deer hunting stand on his property and I have found "deer baiting" devices on my property, spent shell casings, and signs of large vehicles moving through and becoming stuck on my property.

Picture of Deer Feeder on my property, June 2009.

This deer feeder was placed by a trespasser on my property. The deer feeder is a improvised device that dispenses feed and sets a pattern of movement by deer that attracts them. In itself, it is not illegal. However, it demonstrates the extent of intrusion onto our property by unknown persons and their expectations to return later when they can take advantage of predictable patterns of movement.

There are many important issues that arise with this situation, among them, damage to property, security of personal property on site, owner safety, owner liability, and breaking NC Wildlife laws. Current NC law requires written permission from a property owner. The property owner assumes responsibility for the individual they have invited to hunt on their land and can theoretically be held accountable for any misdeeds or injuries. Because property boundaries are not clearly marked in a publicly visible manner, a permission by a land owner at RB is essentially a permission to the entire property. If a written permission is presented to an owner or wildlife agent, as required by law, it is generally not verifiable on site.

For information on NC Wildlife laws, go to NCWildlife.org. To discuss specific issues or events consider calling the wildlife officer assigned to that general area:

Bryan Scruggs, Master Wildlife Officer, 776-1028

We may need to plan carefully for this year's hunting season to avoid a repeat of last year's experience. Please wear safety colored clothing when hiking at Riverbend during the high risk season. Before granting permission to a hunter, please consider the impact on other property owners.

NC Eastern Deer Season-2009
Bow and Arrow: Sept. 13 – Oct. 10
Muzzleloading: Oct. 11 – 17
Gun: Oct. 18 – Jan. 1

DG

Riverbend Blog

The Riverbend Community began in late 2001 with a vision of preserving a beautiful natural property for the private use of owners and their guests. It is a unique natural property located in the bend of the Deep River. It has many botanical and animal treasures and owners are committed by covenant to preserving these.

This "blog" is conceived as a gathering place and clearinghouse for observations, ideas, plans and other information that will be useful for owners in their responsible management of this habitat.

Some ideas that you might consider adding to the blog:
1. Observations/photos of wildlife or plants.
2. Development plans.
3. Security issues.
4. Available properties or interests in acquiring more properties from owners.
5. Nearby political, zoning, development issues.
6. Others? Any reasonable discussion thread is welcome.

David Gremillion, owner.

Sattelite Image of Riverbend

Google Maps offers a wonderful view of Riverbend and the region. Use links to get there. Also, the Lee County site offers detailed information on property/taxes and more.

David