Farewell Ranger Weaver

Lake James State Park will be saying goodbye to Ranger Earl Weaver at the end of August, after 30 years of dedicated service to the people of North Carolina.

Weaver has been stationed here since starting his North Carolina State Parks career in 1990. The Michigan native has been a driving force in the development of the park’s reputation as a premier destination for outdoor recreation in western North Carolina.

Among his many accomplishments, Ranger Weaver helped construct the walk-in tent campground at the Catawba River Area and many other major maintenance projects and trails, oversaw the development and oversight of the native flower beds throughout the park and has been the driving force behind the hugely popular interpretive boat tour program.

Weaver served a term on the division’s safety board and earned his advanced law enforcement certificate.

“Earl’s skills and expertise on an enormous range of topics related to park operations will be difficult, to replace,” said Park Superintendent Nora Coffey. We have always counted on Earl’s uncanny knack for predicting how visitors experience the park to help plan logistics and work flow. I know that countless numbers of visitors have benefited from his presence and that his co-workers appreciate his willingness to assist in any task; from law enforcement incidents, to search and rescue, to trail-building, to sweeping and mopping bathrooms.”

Thank you Ranger Weaver, for your decades of hard work at Lake James. Your influence is evident throughout the park and it will not be forgotten. Best wishes on your retirement. It is well earned.