Minton named new superintendent of Elk Knob State Park

Veteran park ranger Tracy Minton has been named superintendent of Elk Knob State Park in Meat Camp, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced Wednesday.

Minton succeeds Larry Trivette, who retired in 2012.

A superintendent is the chief of operations and administration at a state park or state recreation area with wide-ranging responsibilities for staffing, training, law enforcement, visitor services, natural resource protection and environmental education.

Minton has been a ranger at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area since 2005. A native of Hays in Wilkes County, he earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation and park management from Appalachian State University in 1997.

After working as a seasonal employee on the Blue Ridge Parkway, he joined the state parks system in 1999 as a ranger at Jones Lake State Park and later worked as a ranger at Lake Norman State Park. Minton is a certified environmental educator, a physical fitness instructor for the division and a certified prescribed burn leader.

“Tracy has worked in a variety of settings, and with his background and deep knowledge of the mountain region, is well-regarded in the community,” said Lewis Ledford, state parks director. “He is an outstanding choice to lead Elk Knob State Park, a relatively new park that is quickly growing in size and visitation.”

Elk Knob was established as a state natural area in 2003 and re-authorized as a state park in 2007. The park now encompasses 3,469 acres in Watauga and Ashe counties and reported visitation in 2012 of 31,926. The park boasts long-range views from its 1.9-mile summit trail.