York Hill Access is one of the most scenic access areas we have visited in the Yadkin River River Basin. This public access area has a lot of underutilized potential. Situated at the top of High Rock Lake reservoir, it is of a great benefit to paddlers, fisherman and hunters from Davidson, Davie and Rowan Counties. York Hill lies in the heart of the "historic trading ford". The last major civil war battle won by the South, was here at York Hill. I think you'll find that most users of the access are unaware of the area's rich history. It's sad to see there aren't signs telling visitors about the historical significance of this area.
The Trading Ford has seen over five centuries of American cultural, industrial, military, and transportation history. From Indian trading paths, failed colonization by the Spanish, travels by troops in the American Revolution and Civil War, to a site of numerous ferries and bridges, the Trading Ford is an important part of North Carolina History.(Click the Link Underline above to read more)
Driving across the bridge to Spencer or heading to Charlotte on I-85 , the typical motorist is totally unaware of the beauty, which lies below. I have to admit, that was my impression of the Yadkin was formed by what I saw from the bridges. I can tell you it wasn't a positive one. Once I started paddling I saw the vast difference between the view from the car vs the view from below. It wasn't until I visited the York Hill area, did I realize how distorted my opinion of the Yadkin River had been. I never knew the beauty of the Wil-Cox Bridge until I viewed it from the access below. The access area itself is also a beautiful setting. I discovered how these rivers are just pretty as any of the lakes we visit.
This was the 3rd Big Sweep for "HRL Paddlers" this year. Kudos to Bobby, Harry, Sheila, Terry, Dana and Neal Patrick for all they did.
We had very cool temperatures for this weekend's Big Sweep. The warm temperatures of the day and the cool temperatures of the night, created a very slippery slopes on the river bank. Normally one can wear tennis shoes in most places, but we've learned that it's best to wear rubber boots when working on a river bank. No one fell in, but there were times we easily could have.
Sadly we have to report that York Hill had the most trash of all the access areas we participated in during Big Sweep. We plan to keep "York Hill on "HRL Paddlers" Big Sweep list for years to come. Our most unusual finds were a microwave oven and cb radio. It's disturbing to see that some people will not make the effort to walk 10 feet to a nearby garbage can to dispose of their trash.
We all asked ourselves the question " how do you make people pick up or dispose of trash properly? " Terry suggested the following and later in this post I took the liberty of modifying it some.
"Anyone using an access area who is seen with trash around them while fishing , should pick it up or be subject to an fine." Subjecting all users to a fine for throwing down or ignoring litter is the rule we may need to make in order to keep these areas clean. A free access area is a privilege for all those who use it.
I thought Terry's suggestion was a great idea! Before you discard the notion as being silly, please take a moment to think about it. No littering signs with warnings just aren't enough these days, because the offenders have to be caught. Now if you have a rule were any user of the access can be fined if trash is found near them, people will take note and start enforcing the rule themselves. Those who think this rule is to tough, then there is an alternative we could pursue. We could ask the county to charge launch and fishing fees. Moneys from these fees could be used to pay a "ranger" to oversee the area on the weekend. This is something similar to what they do at Lake Thoma-Lex. Personally I would hate to see fees charged, because it would eliminate people who couldn't afford to pay. Unless we are willing to take and accept more stringent measures to get the litter under control in these areas, there may be no other choice, than to charge a fee.
Of course the rule will need to be more specific about what would invoke a fine.. One suggestion would be for the rule to fine a person for any trash found within 10ft of the spot they are fishing. The same rule would also apply to anyone leaving trash found within 10 feet their parked vehicle.(we find a lot of people throw out trash in front of where they park a car) This should all so be applied to all camp site areas, but with greater distances(making the radius 50 feet, might make them use that trash can that is 15 feet away.)
It's sad to think we would even need such a rule, however this is what it will take to win the war against litter. We have to all be willing to make the brush of enforcement a little broader, defining "that trash on the ground is unacceptable".
We all ignore trash that most of us could so easily pick up. I will admit I'm guilty of doing it . Instead of trying to be a part of the solution, we complain about the sorry individuals who throw their trash down. Could we not just as easily pick it up? "It's not my responsibility" is what we say, when the act of picking up the litter we see demonstrates to others what being responsible is about.
We can just as easily be part of the solution. People will say there needs to be stricter laws and higher fines. $1000 littering fees don't correct the problems, when someone has to be present to enforce it. Making it a penalty when it's left lying around, no matter who is responsible, will put an end to the trash we see at these access areas. It's easy to blame others for not doing their job, when with just a little effort we could do more ourselves.
All I'm saying is"this would be the stricter law we need", if we are to win this war.
Having a rule that could not easily be ignored by anyone would insure that these areas always stay clean. Big Sweeps would be freed up to focus on others areas that need the attention more. Clean areas would inspire counties to do put more money into these access areas. The Old 421 Park in Forsyth County is a great example of what can be done, when we take pride in an access area. Part of the reason we don't have more access areas is the litter problem, that comes with them.
It would be great if we could start a movement lobbying for such a law. Use of any Public Access Area should always be a privilege. It's time we had some hard rules to safe guard these areas from those who would trash them. I would be willing to subject myself to such a rule if that's what it would take to keep these areas trash free.
HRL Paddlers will start practicing the 10 foot rule on all areas we launch or take out from. We will add this new rule to our paddler's code. "TPUR"(trash pick up rule or "aka" Terry pick up rule) might inspire others to do the same.
When you really think about it, Terry's suggestion has great merit!
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