NC S329

Authorizes the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to add the South Fork Passage Trail to the State Parks System as a State trail, spanning Catawba, Lincoln, and Gaston Counties along the South Fork of the Catawba River

Creates a 60-mile hiking and paddling trail beginning at Jacob Fork Park (at the confluence of Henry Fork and Jacob Fork) and ending at the South Carolina border on Lake Wylie

Waives the typical requirement for adequate appropriations to accompany the addition, allowing the State to fund land acquisition through donations and existing funds from the Land and Water Fund, Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, Complete the Trails Fund, and federal Land and Water Conservation Fund

Connects to the existing Wilderness Gateway State Trail and serves a metropolitan area of 2.7 million people (25% of North Carolina's population) that currently lacks State-designated recreational facilities

Encompasses 3,600 acres of existing protected land with ecological importance, including habitat for bald eagles, bog turtles, and other threatened or endangered species