Plank Road

Plank Road runs past the entrance to RiverBend and is a well paved and heavily traveled route. It has an interesting past as shown by this historical marker nearby.

North Carolinians developed plank roads in the late 1840s. These wooded highways were an improvement over rough, dirt roads and an important trade development. They can be thought of as the 1840's equivalent of the modern interstate system. Trade networks at the time consisted of plank roads, railroad hubs, and seaports. this effort was considered much needed, as one historian puts it, because plank roads could free “citizens from the bondage of primitive roads.”

More reading is available online at the Plank site. The historical markers site is also very interesting.

Camera Surveillance

I purchased an 8 megapixel "wild game" camera from Costco recently. It is motion triggered and weatherproof. After trying it out around the house and yard, I set it up at a strategic location on my RiverBend property. I was surprised to see how many vehicles enter RiverBend each day. Recently a large buck in velvet passed in front of my car. Quite a beautiful sight.

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission website is a great resource for information. Bow season starts in September, 2011 and there are clear signs that our properties are being scouted by hunters. I see no new stands, but there are many stands from last year. Remember to wear bright hunter "orange" even if you are on your own property. In general, you should not confront a hunter concerning their right to be in RB. It is too dangerous. You can place a note on their parked car, and if you see them before they have set up, (i.e., walking through the woods or driving in) you can speak to them and ask them to show written permission. We now have an officer in the Lee County sheriff's office who is aware of our situation and willing to help.

The Landowner Protection Act was passed on July 5, 2011 and provides two ways for landowners to post their lands to allow only hunters, trappers and anglers with written permission to legally enter their property. Landowners can now post their land by using vertical purple paint marks on posts or trees, or, as in the past, by placing signs or posters. Penalties have been increased. LINK . They have included an online template form for use.

Liability for hunters on your property has been more carefully defined by the new law. Trespassers and persons hunting with permission (for no fee) are not a legal liability for the landowner as long as they understand that they are not permitted on your property (posted). If you have charged a hunter for entering your property, you are liable for their injuries and must identify any known hazards on the property.

Liability
Landowner Form

Prolific Growth

Trees and understory are having a great growth spurt thanks to the wet spring in the area. When someone does a tree ring analysis in a few decades, they will ask ... "What happened in 2011?

Vandalism continues unabated. I placed cables with locks across my entry points to keep the 4 wheelers out. A trespasser put a bullet hole in it but it held. Unfortunately, I cannot unlock it either.



Roads continue to develop deeper potholes. So far, no problems for smaller vehicles, but larger construction and logging trucks will have increasing problems. During the logging of last summer, one of the big trucks broke an axle. The driver told me he would never come down in here again.

Riverbend Summer

Riverbend can be surprisingly hot and humid beginning in June. The dense stands of forest and undergrowth prevent air currents and the humidity compounds the heat. I visited recently on a hot day and found myself exhausted after about 2 hours. The heavy rains of this spring have produced very dense growth. The biodiversity at RB is amazing and this year, more species are evident than in past years.

I see no evidence of building, logging or other human activity.

Riverbend Ideas

1. Owner Presence on Property.
Several owners are now spending much more time on the property, either visiting or working. I have changed my work schedule to half time and visit about once per week. Mike Stringham has retired and says he will be able to visit more often. Brian Greene is clearing and planning and may soon start construction. Steve Lanning has been clearing and visits about 3 times per week.

2. Ticks.

Ticks are a big problem this time of year. Always use repellent and inspect carefully. The high deer population completes the life cycle for Lyme disease and RMSF.

3. Roads.

These continue to deteriorate. Some potholes are so large that traveling the road after a big rainstorm is a challenge. Roadwork will be needed this summer.

4. Hunter baitings.

Beginning in June, hunters who plan to spend time at RB during the fall begin to place bait stations to set up patterns of feeding and predictable movements of deer. I always remove these bait stands and leave the apparatus visible so that it can be retrieved by the trespasser.

5. Fallen Timber

Old and fallen timber, particularly large cedar trees, are very valuable. There is a local mill that will process very small jobs. See recent post.

DG

Barham Family

I recently met a husband and wife on a four wheeler riding on our main road. Their name is Barham and they live on the Accord property in the gray home near the road. They seem like a nice and supportive couple. She is the daughter of the Accords. They indicated that city water was recently extended to the Logan "chicken coops" about 300 feet from the entrance to our property. We should watch this carefully and encourage county utility authorities to extend water supply to our property.

No Tornado Damage

Two days after the big storm I traveled to Riverbend to see if there was tree damage. Fortunately, we had no visible damage. Of course it is possible that trees away from the road and not visible could have been damaged. The main damage was to areas closer to Sanford, about 10 miles away. Dogwood blossoms have mostly dropped although an occasional blooming dogwood can be spotted in low lying areas that have been cooler.

I stopped at a roadside vendor for “rough cut lumber” near the intersection of Plank road and Hwy 421. Mr Bob Greathouse runs a small mill and works independently. He cuts one or two logs at a time and no job is too small. He takes on small and special projects at $20 per hour. He lives on site, and can be reached at 919-898-4115.

Natural Gas Deposits

Just in case you missed it, a major find of natural gas in the Sanford area has just been announced. Patterson Exploration Services reported on the find recently. The link is here: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9335301

Spring time at Riverbend

This is one of the best times of the year at RB. Many of our flowering plants are starting to blossom and distant sight views are great due to low foliage. Migratory birds are beginning to show up and of course, the weather is great.

Today I med Brian, his wife and 4 daughters. Brian is organizing an owner's meeting to discuss road work and security. He will send a letter soon to all owners. I encourage all to attend. Protecting our property values is a high priority.

DG

Owner's Meeting

Brian Greene is collecting contact info for property owners in Riverbend. He is planning a meeting, maybe in Apex or Cary, to discuss ways of improving/securing our beautiful land. If you are interested in attending the meeting, please send him your contact info and that of other owners if you have it.

Thanks,
Brian Greene 919-417-1747
brian@greeneresidential.com

Happy New Year !!

We had a wonderful and busy holiday season and I hope that all RB owners have enjoyed the holidays and family connections. I was unable to visit Riverbend until January 4, 2011. It remains a beautiful and unique property with abundant wildlife.

Since my last visit 2 months ago the road has deteriorated further with large and deep potholes. It is passable, but the large logging trucks and equipment have clearly taken a toll. Logging has continued and has now shifted to the river side of the entry road. These may be completely legitimate operations directed or contracted by the individual owners as they plan building sites. However, it is a major departure from past activities at RB and may not have had the type of homeowner association oversight required by the covenants. I am also concerned about the possibility of "timber theft" as has been reported throughout NC. Security of the front entrance should be a priority for 2011 to protect our investment.

Riverbend Update

Logging is continuing on Dave Watt’s property near the main road. The trucks and commercial logging vehicles have taken a toll on our roadway. In addition to Dave’s property, commercial cutting has occurred on Michael Greene’s and Steve Lanning’s property. These activities may be completely OK based on their property development plans, arborist advice or other issues. The logging truck driver informed me that these pines would be sent to the Albemarle mill which is currently receiving 100 trucks per day which he says relates to the high price of pine and the cash needs of property owners.
On October 7th, Dave’s brother Rick, was there loading his Jeep. His jeep and other vehicles were damaged last year with all windows smashed and riddled with bullet holes. There was similar damage to my Bronco. Rick tells me that this vandalism occurred when he called the sheriff on a 23 year old male, Mike Teal, living nearby with the Hineken family. He is the boyfriend of their daughter, both of whom are foul mouthed when attempting to reason with them. Mike Teal hunts and traverses Riverbend on his four wheel drive vehicle without any inhibition. The Hineken son (early teens) accompanies him in his escapades into Riverbend. Rick saw Teal on the Riverbend main road on the morning of October 7 driving his 4-wheeler. Rick indicated that there are several pathways of entry into Riverbend used by many trespassers.

The Riverbend dream of a community in harmony with nature is clearly at risk. We purchased property there as a respite from busy city life and a quiet connection with Nature. Now, 8 years later, it has become something else and mostly used by non-property owners. Securing the property is a high priority.

Logging Continues

Logging continues at Riverbend. In the aerial photo, the areas circled in red have had mostly pine timber harvested. Some of this work has been approved by individual property owners and may be related to future building plans and may have been approved by the arborist or others as required. It is a surprising development and I plan to monitor any new harvesting.

Dry Weather impact

There has been very little rain at Riverbend over the past month. Nearby Logan farm has begun pumping water from one of their ponds to shape the soil into mounds for strawberry planting. This dryness has produced a surprising effect ... the soil as dust has become the consistency of flour. It is very light. Just as with fresh fallen snow, it shows animal tracks in high contrast. This track is a raccoon fore paw.

Deer Season starts Saturday

A makeshift dispenser for deer corn.


This Posted sign tells an important story. It shows the contempt by illegal hunters for our efforts to keep them out. My next posted signs will be metal.


Deer season begins this Saturday (bow season). Be careful when hiking and wear bright colors.

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?