The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources awarded the Western Piedmont Council of Governments $100,000 for the development of the Burke—Catawba Blueway Planning and Feasibility Study.

The study area for the Blueway will encompass a 55-mile stretch along the Henry and Jacob Fork Rivers in Burke and Catawba counties, extending from the Henry River Mill Village area through Catawba County to South Mountains State Park.

A Blueway trail is a designated water-based route along a river designed for non-motorized recreational activities, such as kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding and occasionally swimming. Blueways are the aquatic equivalent of greenways or hiking trails, providing safe, accessible and often scenic pathways for people to explore waterways.

Duncan Cavanaugh

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