News

Sound Rivers Program Director Clay Barber was on the water this week, testing out the boat Sound Rivers used to patrol the Upper Neuse in the past, a Crestliner.

“Well, that was the first time I’d ever been in that boat, so that was a testing for me. … It was a particularly nice day on the water, last Friday,” Clay said.

Testing the boat wasn’t the only reason he was out there, however. He took the opportunity to check on the status of the McMullen platform, one of 13 camping platforms strategically located on the Tar River, from Franklinton to west of Washington. The platforms are owned and maintained by Sound Rivers, and are our contribution to the Tar-Pamlico Water Trail. The McMullen platform is located on the south side of the Tar River, just west of the U.S. Highway 17 Business bridge in Washington.

“It definitely needs some repairs,” Clay said of the platform. “I’m personally excited about the work boat, because that has been the main thing holding us back from keeping the platforms in great shape.”

Clay’s looking for volunteers to help him with upkeep on the camping platforms, and is thinking about starting a monthly work day, where one platform a month gets some TLC.

“I’d love to get some volunteers for working on the platforms, folks that don’t mind getting a little dirty, and some carpentry skills would be great. It’s usually screen and door replacements, or replacing a couple of boards,” Clay said.

Anyone interested in volunteering on camping platform maintenance and repair can email Clay at clay@soundrivers.org.