Lumber River State Park in Robeson and Columbus counties has garnered national attention, becoming an overnight contender in a promotion by Coca-Cola for a $100,000 grant.
The competition in the “America is Your Park” campaign is based solely on online voting, with people being asked to vote – as many times as they like – for a favorite state or national park. Spurred by local tourism officials, Lumber River State Park surged ahead of other North Carolina state parks in early voting, and moved into 10th place (among 3,853 national and state parks) with more than 22,000 votes.
Based on that showing, the state parks system asked all of its supporters to help Lumber River’s quest, primarily using social media including Facebook and Twitter. Votes will be tallied through Aug. 31 at the website: www.livepositively.com/#/americasparks
We hope that consolidating our efforts and choosing Lumber River as the most likely candidate from the state will bring deserved national attention to all of North Carolina’s state parks. We had 14 million visitors to our state parks system last year, and that many supporters can make a difference once they spread the word.
The Lumberton Visitors Bureau launched a similar online campaign earlier this year, collecting enough votes to have the Lumber River named one of the state’s top 10 natural wonders by Land for Tomorrow, a coalition of conservation organizations. An 81-mile stretch of the Lumber is designated a National Wild and Scenic River. The 9,239-acre park features the blackwater river surrounded by floodplain forests, making it a big draw for paddlers and birders.
The $100,000 grant is to be used for new activity equipment, such as bikes and kayaks, or for the restoration and construction of park facilities.
