There is a consensus to preserve the Needmore Tract in its current use, a government official working with various groups and agencies told a small group of area residents last week.

Bill Gibson told the group that during his tenure with Southwestern Commission he had been a party to numerous ventures, including the merger between Duke and NP&L. He said he had never been involved with a project that had the consensus of opinion that preserving Needmore has. He said he had been to Raleigh last week and heard lots of support for Needmore from the western legislators there.

“I don’t know where it’s going to end up, but I have a positive sense the final solution will be compatible with the interests you shared here,” Gibson told the group of stakeholders representing Mountain Neighbors for Needmore Preservation at an April 12 meeting.

Cheryl Taylor, who organized the group, said she felt a bit more optimistic about the future of Needmore after the meeting.

Needmore is a 4,500-acre tract along the Little Tennessee River in Macon and Swain counties. Most of the land, approximately 3,400 acres, is in Swain County. In December 1999, after Nantahala Power & Light was acquired by Duke Energy the tract was transferred to Crescent Resources, the land management arm of Duke. Crescent partnered with the North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and in February 2000 began what they estimated would be a two-year process to determine the fate of the property.

The Needmore tract and the section of Little Tennessee that runs through it are renowned for their biodiversity and revered for their natural beauty and recreational opportunities. Although originally acquired in the 1930s for hydroelectric production, the river was never dammed and for the last half century Needmore has been a mosaic of leased pasture, farmlands, and wooded river and mountainsides with nearly unlimited public access.

Fears that Crescent would develop large areas of the tract spurred many people to action. Macon County commissioners signed a resolution in March 2000, stating their desire to see established land use of the Needmore Tract preserved and continued.

Taylor, through letters to the editor, phone calls and word of mouth, created Mountain Neighbors for Needmore Preservation, a group of leaseholders, adjacent property owners and other interested stakeholders seeking to preserve the character of Needmore.

Recently Swain County commissioners passed a resolution seeking to preserve the current multiple land-use pattern in Needmore. Swain County took it a step further and enlisted Gibson to work on behalf of the county to accomplish the goals set forth in the resolution. Macon County followed suit and empowered Gibson to work on its behalf concerning Needmore, as well.

Gibson told the group at Thursday’s meeting the counties have “told me to do whatever it takes, in their interest, to keep current uses.”

When asked, Gibson said that he didn’t feel money would be the issue.

“The issue will be having Crescent and Duke come to a determination consistent with the desires of the public and local governments at a price that is affordable,” said Gibson.

He said he felt the money could be put together “when Duke puts a price on this.” He said the money would most likely come from grants and there would be no repayment.

Paul Carlson, director of The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (TLT), agreed. “The counties should not carry the burden of profit Duke-Crescent makes,” said Carlson.

TLT is a not for profit organization that is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the integrity of the Little Tennessee River.

“There is nothing like that river,” said Carlson.

He feels that funding will be made available for the protection of the water in Needmore. He noted that there were 27 miles of river and 37 miles of tributaries on the tract.

Gibson said TNC was quite aware of the biological value of the property. According to Gibson, Este Stifel of TNC felt it was a “no brainer” to TNC that the property should be conserved.

Gibson and Carlson identified the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the Heritage Trust and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as likely sources for funding.

Crescent’s latest timeline for Needmore calls for continued meetings with stakeholders during spring 2001; reviewing existing research and determining the need for future studies, summer 2001; assemble data and draft initial findings, fall 2001; review findings and invite additional input, winter 2002; and produce a tentative report, spring 2002.

Stifle said that Crescent had people on the property for the first time last week to assess it from a development perspective.

“It was a step forward. We need these assessments to see where we’re headed,” Stifel said.

Gibson met with Stifel and Crescent project manager Scott Munday before the Needmore meeting. He said he got a sense that Crescent might wind up its process by the end of this year.

When asked about tying Needmore to Duke’s hydroelectric relicensing efforts as mitigation, Gibson told the group, “mitigation is not in our best interest at this time.”

“Relicensing is going to be a long and drawn out process and we don’t want to extend the time frame with regards to Needmore,” he said.

In a recent conversation, Chris McGrath, non-game project leader for state Wildlife Resources Commission, said with both Swain and Macon counties supporting the preservation of Needmore, the wildlife commission has enthusiastically joined the discussion. Gibson has spoken over the phone with Joffrey Brooks of the NCWRC and confirmed there is a definite interest in the tract.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News