Walter Bell, Juston Bell and Robert Earl Best were first to launch their boat at the new WRC Hampstead Boating Access Area.The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Hampstead Boating Access Area is now open to the public. It opens boating opportunities for an area that had limited ramps and parking spaces for vehicles with boat trailers.

The new ramp is now available for adoption. A partnership with the North Carolina Public Access Foundation, Inc. and the NCWRC called the Adopt-A-Boat-Ramp program works the same as the NCDOT's Adopt-A-Highway program does, with litter clean-up by those adopting a ramp freeing up WRC Boating Technicians for more important work in upgrading ramps and other duties. As much as 90 percent of their work is maintaining ramps, which is mostly picking up trash.

Citizens, groups and businesses have now adopted 13 boating access areas. While all, except these 13 are available for adoption, some of the sites the WRC would like to be adopted are listed on the NCPAF, Inc. website. For more information, visit www.ncpaf.com.