The tiny campus of Southwestern Community College in Swain County is an unassuming place. Inside, the campus auditorium is even more so — sparse, with little but a couple folding chairs and tables. Average in appearance, this room does little to warrant much attention at first glance.

But looks can be deceiving, because as of late the SCC auditorium has served as a battlefield to a conflict brewing in Swain County and throughout the region.

In the past decade, the tiny Western North Carolina enclave of Swain County has seen rapid growth as second homeowners have discovered its natural beauty and outdoor enthusiasts put down roots. Development has caused some to demand the county adopt some measure of planning to protect its environment — a thought that leaves an equal number here aghast at what that could do to their private property rights.

As a result, two opposing sides have developed over the issue of development, and both have met in the auditorium of the SCC campus in the past month.

The meetings — one a presentation by private property rights expert Steve Henson and the other a forum sponsored by the Mountain Landscapes Initiative — share similarities. Location, for one. Both had roughly equal turnouts — about 25 a piece. Even their goal — fighting for their cause — is similar.

“Sometimes it seems as though you’re fighting a losing battle, but you’ve got to hang in there and keep fighting. Don’t give up,” is a rallying cry that could be heard at Henson’s presentation last week.

But the audiences in attendance — and the presentations given — were vastly different.

Private property rights

Steve Henson, executive director of the Southern Appalachian Multiple Use Council, opened his slideshow May 1 with statistics on the growing amount of land in the hands of government, land trusts and conservation easements. He followed with a quote from Ronald Reagan: “Property rights are being reduced and even eliminated in the name of environmental protection,” which received nods and murmurs of agreement from the audience.

Henson’s main topic was the Wildlands Project, which he and many private property rights advocates decry as an attempt to place a large amount of land into the hands of the federal government.

The project is guided by the philosophies of deep ecology and conservation biology. The first teaches the equality of human and non-human life; the second is concerned with the maintenance, loss and restoration of biological diversity.

The Wildlands Project is the ultimate realization of those two fields, and entails setting aside vast areas of wilderness to be undisturbed by humans.

Though the project has received funding from various private organizations, it has little bearing on actual government policy. Indeed, to make the project a reality would necessitate relocating most of the U.S. population.

The crowd of private-property rights proponents who sat listening to Henson subscribe to a view of “live and let live” that is deeply entrenched in the history of Swain County. This is a place where the federal government took acres of county land for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, flooded more to construct Fontana Dam, then reneged on a promise for a road that would allow families to return to either of those places. As a result, there’s little trust in the idea of giving government more control over regulating land.

“We have been robbed of our land so much already that I do not want to restrict our local people on our land more than what’s already been taken away from them,” county commissioner David Monteith has said.

The private property rights camp came out in force in December to oppose a subdivision ordinance that would have comprised the county’s first-ever planning regulations. Since then, the ordinance has been tabled indefinitely and county commissioners each say they won’t be the one to bring it back up again.

The private property advocates came out again recently to oppose new flood maps drawn by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The maps, created with new and improved mapping technology, identify flood risk areas for the purpose of making flood insurance available. The 100-plus crowd that turned out at the presentation, though, said there were inconsistencies between what the maps showed and what they’d observed in real life.

With the stricter building requirements that come along with areas in a flood plain, many simply viewed the redrawn flood maps as another attempt by the government to restrict property rights.

Local effort condemned

The private property camp’s next move was a hot topic of discussion at the end of Henson’s presentation, and centered around a meeting held in the very same room several weeks before.

On April 10, a much different crowd occupied the SCC auditorium listening to project director Gabe Cumming give a presentation on the Mountain Landscapes Initiative. The goal of the project, sponsored by the Southwestern Commission, is to create a “toolbox” of planning resources — everything from slope ordinances to road regulations — that counties can use as they delve into the planning process.

Cumming first presented a documentary that had been filmed over the course of several months using sources from the seven WNC counties. It featured various people discussing what they love about and what should be preserved in the mountains.

Afterward, the floor was opened up for discussion. The audience — including members of the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, paddlers and residents — broke into groups and talked about ideas for preservation. The dialogue was vastly different than it would be in the same room just over two weeks later.

Some of the comments shared from various groups included preserving property rights through smart construction practices, providing incentives for smart building and electing government officials who will start the planning process.

“I don’t think any of us want to be dictated to or overruled, but we need some development regulations,” said Ramelle Smith, a group coordinator and LTLT member.

“To me this is so basic. I can’t understand why we can’t do it,” lamented Swain County resident Gwen Bushyhead.

Working for a cause

The culmination of the Mountain Landscapes Initiative is a charette scheduled for May 13 that will feature a panel of experts who will give advice to communities based on the commentary that has been gathered.

If discussion at the Henson presentation was any indication, the charette may not go as smoothly as planned.

“I’m deeply concerned about it and looking ... for people that go to this charette to make some noise down there,” said Norm Roberts, a Macon County resident who traveled to hear Henson speak.

“What it amounts to is a committee that trumps your private property rights,” he said of the MLI. “They’re going to come out with a bunch of rules, and they’re not going to leave. They’re going to come back next year and next year and next year. (It’s) a socialist takeover of our private property.”

“He’s got some very scary thoughts there,” said Swain County resident John Herrin, agreeing with Roberts.

Anyone interested in attending the charette was asked to fill out an index card. A stack of cards could be seen at the end of the meeting.