There appears to be a growing consensus among state and local officials to do whatever it takes to preserve current uses in the Needmore area of Macon and Swain counties.

At least that was the message coming from about 30 people who gathered last week to tour the area and discuss its history and future.

Participants gathered at Southwestern Community College’s Swain Center on U.S. 74, just west of Bryson City. Those taking part in the tour included members of the North Carolina General Assembly, county officials, representatives from Duke Energy, The Nature Conservancy, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, and members of the grass roots organization Mountain Neighbors for the Preservation of Needmore.

The meeting was organized and moderated by Bill Gibson, executive director of the Southwestern Commission.

The fate of the Needmore tract has generated much public concern since the transfer of ownership to Crescent Resources, the land management arm of Duke Energy. Crescent acquired the property in December of 1999, when Nantahala Power and Light was purchased by Duke Energy.

In March 2000, the Macon County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution requesting “... that Crescent Resources work with local interests to define a permanent conservation ownership and management solution for these lands.”

Swain County passed a similar resolution a year later in March 2001. “The Swain County Board of Commissioners joins the Macon County Board of Commissioners in requesting that Crescent resources work with local interests in defining and crafting a permanent ownership and management strategy for the Needmore Tract ...,” the resolution stated.

Swain County then recruited Gibson to work for the county to find a way to preserve the tract through a state and local scheme of ownership, one that would retain traditional multiple-use practices such as farming, fishing, hunting, camping, and boating. Macon County also endorsed Gibson to work on its behalf.

“I don’t know of an elected official in Western North Carolina who doesn’t support preserving this land,” said Harold Corbin, chairman of Macon County commissioners.

Corbin said that both Macon and Swain counties were in dire need of money, but “there are things more important than having property on the tax books.” He said Needmore was some of the “... most beautiful and pristine property in Western North Carolina and needs to be preserved.”

Approximately 3,500 acres of the tract is in Swain County. Swain County chairman Jim Douthit told the group, “We’ve got enough development in the county. There are other ways to raise money. We believe Needmore should be preserved, totally intact for recreation purposes.”

Paul Carlson, executive director of The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, presented a short slide show and discussion regarding the unique natural, cultural, and historical resources of the Needmore Tract. Carlson told those present that one could leave the spruce bogs of Laurel Falls, at 5,000 feet, hike down the mountain to the Little Tennessee at an elevation of 1,700 feet, cross the river, then hike to the peak of the Nantahala Mountains at about 4,700 feet, and within those 14 miles encounter every forest type in Western North Carolina.

He called the tract a “Noah’s Ark” of the fauna of WNC. The Little Tennessee is home to half of the fresh water fish species in WNC, including the endangered spot-fin chub.

The river also boasts a relatively large population of endangered Appalachian elk-toe mussels along with seven other fresh water mussel species. According to Carlson, river otter were reintroduced to the Little Tennessee watershed in the Needmore area in the late 1980s and within 10 years had extended their range all the way to Betty’s Creek in Rabun Gap, Ga.

The area is also rich in history.

“The first battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in this valley,” Carlson said. Also, artifacts from Mississippian and Cherokee cultures date back thousands of years.

Cheryl Taylor, founder of Mountain Neighbors to Preserve Needmore, spoke to the group.
“We thought we would be in for a battle, but the commissioners listened to the people of Swain County. Swain County is its people — its heritage. I’m not a tree hugger. Conservation has become a dirty word to some of the local people of this area, but we wouldn’t be here if we weren’t conservationists. We want to protect our mountain heritage,” Taylor said.

Rep. Phil Haire (D-Sylva) told Taylor, “I’m not a tree hugger either, but if the bulldozers start, I’m right there.”

Haire said the state had grown by over 1.5 million people in the last 10 years. “If we don’t get behind a project like this, there will be no mountain heritage to protect.”

The North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund appears poised to be an integral player in the Needmore scenario. State Sen. Dan Robinson (D-Cullowhee) pointed out that $40 million had been appropriated for the Clean Water Fund in this year’s budget ($10 million more than last year) and that within two years the Fund would be budgeted at $100 million annually.

In the past, Robinson said, he “... had reservations about using Clean Water funds for buying property, but Lake Logan changed that,” said Robinson. He said he fully supported the idea of using Clean Water funds to secure Needmore.

Bill Holman, executive director of N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, said Needmore was “high on their list.” He noted the Fund had worked with N.C. Wildlife Commission on Lake Logan and the commission was also interested in Needmore.

Jeoffrey Brooks of NC Wildlife Commission agreed.

“We’ve always been concerned about protecting the river and its habitat and recently, the Commission has become very interested in the possibility of purchasing the tract.” Brooks said the Wildlife Commission has worked with farm leases on other tracts and feels they could be worked into any management plan.

Crescent Resources was not represented at the meeting. Crescent is about 16 months into an announced two-year study program. They have partnered with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to come up with a management plan for the property.

Este Stifle, project director for TNC, said after the meeting that TNC and Crescent have been in an interactive planning process for the last 16 months, and will be for probably the next six months. She said that while many people will be impatient for something concrete, “that’s not where we’re at.”

According to Crescent’s most recent timeline the company plans to review existing research and determine the need for future studies by summer 2001; assemble data and draft initial findings by fall 2001; review findings and invite additional input by winter 2002; and produce a tentative report by spring 2002.

State Rep. Roger West (R-Marble) said he felt the group was “onto a good thing.”

“Whatever we’re going to do, we need to get busy,” West said.

When asked about budgeting in light of the current state crisis, West said, “raising money for clean water is not a sin.”

Many at the meeting pointed out that the property was initially purchased for public use and felt Crescent should consider that when deciding what to do with it. Area resident and Nantahala Outdoor Center employee Dave Mocchia said, “The land was bought for public use — to turn that around and make millions of dollars from the sale of the tract would be unethical.”

The meeting was followed by a driving tour of Needmore, then a canoe and ducky trip down the Little Tennessee. After the tour, Rep. Haire said he was excited about the project.

“It’s a wonderful example of a local community coming together,” Haire said. More significantly, it shows a shift in attitudes of local communities — realizing the tremendous assets in the natural beauty of the region and the desire to protect it.”

William J. Brooks III of Waynesville was appointed a trustee of the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund. He said communities often find themselves divided over environmental issues.

“It’s like they’re on two different roads, looking at each other suspiciously,” Brooks said, “but if they stay on those roads long enough, they will find those roads eventually meet. They’re meeting at Needmore. Whatever we can do to preserve our heritage, I’m for it.”

Gibson said he thought the event went well. He said the community was very articulate about what the tract meant to them and what they would like to see happen. He was also encouraged by the tone from members of the state legislature, county commissioners, the N.C. Wildlife Commission, and the director of the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

Gibson said he felt the event achieved its goal of raising public consciousness regarding Needmore and opening avenues of communication among various entities that could work to see Needmore preserved.

 

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