Back in 2003 there was a large, long, concerted effort to purchase a separate parcel of land, including a fundraising campaign, and then eventual failure due to NC WRC's denial of trail access to the current trail.  You can read a small bit more about it here:

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Photo/detail/photoid/18211/

Too bad that didn't work out.  But things will work out.