ACTION ALERT: Protect Our Forests and Farms from Sprawl

We need you to email the Henderson County Board of Commissioners to ask them to take action to prevent sprawl and protect our forests, farmland, and rural communities.

Take Action

Henderson County is drafting its new Comprehensive Plan — the blueprint that will guide growth and development here for the next twenty years. As part of that process, they have surveyed members of our community, and that survey shows broad support for conservation.

Henderson County residents identified:

protection of open spaces and forests (55.30%),
farmland preservation (45.16%), and
conservation (35.04%) of unique natural areas

as their top 3 priorities for the 2045 Henderson County Comprehensive Plan.

Unfortunately, MountainTrue has serious concerns that the comprehensive plan being created by the county’s consultants is out of step with the desires and needs of Henderson County residents. The County has circulated a draft Future Land Use Map that prioritizes sprawl — development that spreads too far into the countryside, unnecessarily destroying forests, farmland, and rural communities — at great expense to taxpayers and against the desires of county residents.

So we need you to act today. Email your Henderson County Commissioners, and ask that they adopt a smart, responsible and sustainable comprehensive plan.

Watch: How Henderson County can accommodate growth without sprawl.

Chris Joyell, MountainTrue’s Healthy Communities Director, discusses how Henderson County can welcome far more population growth than the state anticipates without causing sprawl. Watch.

Learn More About the Henderson County Comprehensive Plan

Henderson County’s new Comprehensive Plan will serve as the blueprint for growth and development over the next twenty years. Learn about how this plan will help determine how our communities grow and develop to meet the challenges of climate change, a growing population, and increased pressures on our built environment.

What are Algal Growths and How You Can Help Prevent Them

The most powerful nutrients for the growth of plants, including algae, are nitrogen and phosphorus. When nutrient concentrations are low in a lake, algae are relatively sparse. In contrast, high concentrations of nutrients can cause excessive growths of algae and other aquatic plants. An explosion of algal growth can cause the water to look like “pea soup”, form surface scum, or have an unpleasant odor.

Typically, reservoirs in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains contain very low concentrations of nutrients and are relatively clear with only a small amount of green coloration. Because this natural condition exists, a seemingly small amount of nutrients — particularly phosphorus — can cause a relatively large amount of algae growth or an “algal bloom.”

While nitrogen and phosphorus can come from fertilizers applied to lawns, agricultural fields, athletic complexes, or golf courses, human and animal waste is the largest source of nutrients in our waters. Leaking sewer pipes, faulty wastewater treatment plants or septic systems, livestock operations, and even large concentrations of wildlife, such as Canada geese, contribute to excess nutrient and bacterial problems. (Bird waste is exceptionally high in phosphorus!) Nutrients from these sources are primarily delivered to a waterbody by stormwater runoff, but livestock accessing waters directly is also a problem in some areas.

Erosion and sediment pollution also contribute to higher levels of nutrients in our lakes. Nutrients, bacteria, and pollutants can attach to soil particles and be carried along with stormwater runoff. Soil erosion in the watershed leads to more sediment in streams and lakes and, therefore, higher levels of nutrients. When sediment fills in shallow areas of a lake, these areas become warmer because sunlight penetrates to the lake bottom over a larger area. These shallower, warmer, and nutrient-rich waters are prime conditions for algae growth.

You can help combat algal blooms by ensuring that septic tanks are being properly utilized and maintained, finding ways to minimize water usage and stormwater runoff, and discouraging populations of domesticated Canada geese. Property owners can also evaluate their properties for ways to retain or treat stormwater and plant native trees or shrubs along the streams and the lake. And residents should encourage their local governments to implement water quality protection measures.

Educate yourself & others about the issues (Hint: You’re doing the first bit now!)
If you have a septic tank, ensure that it is being properly maintained
Restore and/or maintain a woody riparian buffer along streams and the lake
Evaluate your home site for ways to retain or treat stormwater
Evaluate your practices at home to find ways to minimize water usage and runoff
Advocate for local water quality protection measures, such as stormwater master planning & ordinances
Volunteer!
Donate to MountainTrue!

You can also report algae blooms in our Southern Blue Ridge lakes when you see them. In North Carolina, you can use the NC Division of Water Resources Citizen Report Form to report algae blooms and fish kills.

For Lake Chatuge & Lake Nottely, you can report these incidents to MountainTrue’s Western Regional Office. Please include the following information:

Date and time the event was first observed
Waterbody where the event occurred
County and nearest town
Location (Coordinates or Street Address, if you have them) and some type of landmark (e.g. bridge, road, community)
Photos, if you have them

Henderson County Can Accommodate Growth without Sprawl

The Henderson County Planning Department is circulating a draft Future Land Use Map that contradicts our community’s priorities as reflected in the County’s own survey results. The draft map prioritizes sprawl — development that spreads too far into the countryside, unnecessarily destroying forests, farmland, and rural communities — at great expense to taxpayers and against the desires of county residents.

Fortunately, Henderson County has plenty of space to accommodate new residents in areas where development and infrastructure already exist.

This is the Future Land Use Map released by Henderson County. Source: https://www.hendersoncountync.gov/planning/page/planning-board-workshop
It looks very green, but let’s take a closer look.

Here is Henderson County. Permanently protected lands like Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Forest are shaded green. Greenways appear as dotted green lines, with the Ecusta Trail running east-west and the Oklawaha Greenway running north-south.

Here we’ve shaded the municipalities in gray –Hendersonville, Fletcher, Laurel Park, Flat Rock, and Mills River. The County’s plan does not include these towns. County land that is served by water & sewer is shaded in dark yellow. Taken together, these areas have the existing infrastructure to support new development.

The state estimates that Henderson County should expect about 32,000 new residents over the next 20 years. If vacant land in the towns and the shaded county land were built out according to existing zoning, they could absorb three times as many people–nearly 95,000 new residents.

Here’s our version of the County’s Future Land Use Map. We’ve changed the color of areas open to development and sprawl from green to a more neutral light yellow.

If this land were built out, the County could accommodate an additional 75,000 people. If you add the 95,000 people that can already fit on vacant land served by sewer and water, you get a plan that accommodates 170,000 new residents when we need less than 1/5th of that.

In short, this is a recipe for sprawl, and it comes at the expense of taxpayers and our agricultural and natural heritage.

So to repeat, Henderson County can protect more forested lands and farms, save tax dollars and still accommodate new residents.

Let our commissioners know there are smarter ways to grow. Click here to take action.

Take Action to Support Good Comprehensive Planning

Henderson County is drafting its new Comprehensive Plan — the blueprint that will guide growth and development here for the next twenty years. This is a critical opportunity to have a voice in how our communities grow and develop to meet the challenges of climate change, a growing population, and increased pressures on our built environment.

Take Action

Julie Mayfield: I’ll be taking on a new role as MountainTrue’s Senior Policy Advisor

Dear members and supporters,

I want to let you know about some changes coming to MountainTrue. Starting next year, I will be taking on the new role of Senior Policy Advisor and stepping aside as co-director of MountainTrue. Bob Wagner, with whom I’ve worked side-by-side as Co-directors since 2013, will become MountainTrue’s Executive Director.

As you know, I was elected in 2020 to the North Carolina State Senate, where I represent Asheville and most of Buncombe County. I find the work of representing my constituents and, more broadly, the people of North Carolina to be deeply rewarding. However, my growing responsibilities in Raleigh and within the Senate Democratic Caucus leadership don’t leave me with the time I need to maintain my day-to-day management responsibilities at MountainTrue.

Looking back, I’m proud of everything that MountainTrue has accomplished during my time as Executive Director and Co-director. When I was hired as Executive Director of MountainTrue (then known as the Western North Carolina Alliance) in 2008, the organization had five staff and a budget of $232,000. In the 14 years since, the organization has grown to a team of 25 and a budget of $1.8 million, with offices in Asheville, Boone, Hendersonville, and Murphy.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue to be part of the MountainTrue team in this new capacity. As Senior Policy Advisor, I will continue to play an integral role in planning and will lend my policy expertise and my relationships with the community and government to the work of our advocacy and policy teams. I still love this work and MountainTrue, and I look forward to being part of many future successes.

Bob and I have built an incredibly strong team that just keeps getting better, and my new role is part of that. This management restructuring will ensure continuity of leadership and a bright future for MountainTrue. In addition to Bob assuming the executive director role, staff members Gray Jernigan and Karim Olaechea will be moving into deputy director positions to support Bob and help lead the rest of the staff.

These changes will go into effect in January 2023. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me.

Sincerely,

Julie Mayfield
MountainTrue Co-Director

Hendo Comp Plan URGENT ACTION: STOP THE SPRAWL

URGENT ACTION: STOP THE SPRAWL

The Henderson County Planning Department is circulating a draft Future Land Use Map that contradicts our community’s priorities as reflected in the County’s own survey results. The draft map prioritizes sprawl — development that spreads too far into the countryside, unnecessarily destroying forests, farmland, and rural communities — at great expense to taxpayers and against the desires of county residents.

Take action: Email Henderson County Commissioners and ask them to fix its Future Land Use Map and adopt a responsible, sustainable Comprehensive Plan.

The Case Against Sprawl

Perhaps the greatest threat to clean air, clean water, and natural landscapes in Western North Carolina is sprawling, poorly-planned development.

Sprawl is a financial loser, too. It wastes taxpayer dollars on unnecessary roads, sewers, and other infrastructure, even as it threatens the farms and orchards that make our county attractive to visitors and investors.

What is Sprawl?

Sprawl is development that spreads too far into the countryside, unnecessarily destroying forests, farmland, and rural communities. The key word here is “unnecessarily.”

Between 1976 and 2006, Henderson County’s developed land area grew eight times faster than its population, according to a UNC Charlotte study. In other words, as the county’s population slowly grew 92%, its developed land area exploded by 730%. At the same time, other counties in Western North Carolina experienced something similar.

What is at Stake?

Unfortunately, the same sprawl-inducing forces are still at work today. Growth in Henderson County is governed by antiquated rules that allow low rural land prices to drive development out into the countryside. And … roughly 40,000 new residents are expected here between now and 2045. About 17,000 new homes will be built. If we don’t take action, current rules will allow new development to explode all over the county map, endangering…

Clean Air: Sprawl forces residents to drive more miles, increasing air pollution and exacerbating climate change

Clean Water: Sprawl threatens the purity of creeks and rivers. Asphalt, roofs, and lawns dump polluted storm water directly into waterways, rather than letting it be filtered through the soil. More asphalt, roofs, and lawns means more pollution.

Wildlife: Sprawl displaces wildlife. The Southern Appalachians are a global biodiversity hotspot. To protect the amazing variety and abundance of local species, we must protect more land — not just forests, but also the habitat provided by open fields and pastures.

Rural Heritage: Sprawl undermines rural heritage. Henderson County lost one-third of its apple orchards between 2002 and 2017, according to the county’s comprehensive planning consultant. If this trend continues, the consultant added, no apples will be grown here by 2040. For decades, Henderson County has been “apple country.” Why destroy our heritage, and our branding, unnecessarily?

Fiscal Prudence: Sprawl burdens taxpayers. When developed land grows faster than the population, each taxpayer becomes responsible —unnecessarily — for fixing more potholes, maintaining more sewers, repairing more electrical wires, buying more gasoline for fire and police protection, etc.

Hiker’s Guide to a Successful Hike-A-Thon

Here are some helpful tips to help you recruit supporters and raise money!

Set a Goal

Setting a goal can be a powerful motivator. Be sure to pick a specific goal, whether miles hiked, dollars raised, or both. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s attainable between now and the end of September. Personalize your Rally Up page with a photo of yourself, and write updates along the way so your friends and family can track your progress.

Ask for Support

Let your people know what you’re up to and how they can help out. You can do this in person, over email, or with your social media accounts. See page two of this guide for examples of how you can ask your network for support.

Keep Your Supporters Updated

Your supporters want to know how you’re doing! Take photos and short videos when hiking and post them to your social media. Give updates on how many miles you’ve hiked and how close you are to your fundraising goal. We recommend giving your network two to three updates along the way. To reach your supporters directly, compose an update on your personalized Rally Up page. Your post will automatically be sent to everyone who has pledged to your hike.

Invite Others to Join

Host a group hike and invite others to become a hiker as well. Make it a friendly competition to see who can hike the most miles, raise the most money, or just team up and enjoy your days in the woods with some of your favorite people.

Asking by email

Here is a sample letter that you can modify and send to friends and family:

Greetings, Friends and Family!

I have accepted the challenge to raise money for MountainTrue’s 40th-anniversary event: 40 Miles for 40 Years Hike-a-thon. The Hike-a-thon takes place from June until the end of September 2022. Hikers (that’s me!) raise money for every mile hiked during this time. My goal is to hike [insert #] of miles and raise [insert $amount.]

[Why MounTrue’s work is important to you]

Every dollar raised through the Hike-a-thon supports MountainTrue’s work creating and sustaining a healthy environment by ensuring resilient forests, advocating for clean waters, building healthy communities, promoting sustainable living and clean energy, and increasing civic engagement in policy-making. You can find out more about MountainTrue and their important work here: https://mountaintrue.org/.

Please support me in celebrating MountainTrue’s 40th anniversary! You can make a pledge for my miles or a one-time gift here: [insert your personalized link (don’t forget to make it a hyperlink)]. Donating through the site is simple, fast, and secure. You can also send a check at the end of the Hikeathon to MountainTrue 29 N Market St., Suite 610 Asheville, NC 28801.

Many thanks for your support — and please consider forwarding this to others who might want to donate too!

Sincerely,

Social media ask

Here is a sample social media posts to inspire you:

Hey friends! I have accepted MountainTrue’s 40 Miles for 40 Years Hike-A-Thon challenge. [Why MountainTrue’s work matters to you]. My goal is to hike [insert #” of miles and raise “insert $amount.]

Please support me in celebrating MountainTrue’s 40th anniversary by pledging your support! You can make a pledge for my miles or a one-time gift here: [insert your personalized link.]

*Post with a photo of you hiking or enjoying the outdoors.

Download This Guide As a PDF

Download

Raleigh Report: Reviewing the Primaries and Looking Ahead to the Budget

Congratulations to all of us for getting through a particularly energetic and crowded primary election season.

In this update, we will get you up to speed (quickly) about who in WNC won and lost on Tuesday, then turn our attention to the North Carolina General Assembly, which began its so-called “short session” on May 18.

For Western North Carolina, the primary season was dominated by the Republican nomination in the 11th Congressional district, where state Senator Chuck Edwards defeated incumbent Madison Cawthorn. But, there were a few other races of note as well. Perhaps the most closely watched was the GOP primary for the 47th state senate seat, where incumbent GOP Senators Ralph Hise and Deanna Ballard faced off. Hise won the race narrowly – by 311 votes. In other races, GOP state Senator Warren Daniel likely earned a return to the Senate after defeating Mark Crawford in a Republican-leaning 46th Senate district. In Buncombe County, incumbent Julie Mayfield (and MountainTrue co-director) defeated Asheville City Council member Sandra Kilgore and entrepreneur and community activist Taylon Breeden in the Democratic primary for the heavily democratic 49th Senate district. In the House, Rep. Jake Johnson defeated Rep. David Rogers for the GOP nomination after redistricting forced them to run in the same heavily Republican 113th district.

With primary elections complete, lawmakers will come into the capital as focused on the general election as any bill or budget. For the last few years, Republicans — who control both the state Senate and House — have been unable to find the votes to override Gov. Cooper’s numerous vetoes. The GOP leadership hopes to pick up enough seats in both chambers in the general election to secure veto-proof supermajorities for Cooper’s last two years in office.

With so much at stake in November, the 2022 session is expected to be short, and many lawmakers have talked about adjourning for the year by July 4. So look for the General Assembly to avoid controversial issues and pass relatively few bills.

The major work of any short session is to revise the second year of the state’s biennial budget. This year, lawmakers have more money than ever before to accomplish this task. State revenues are expected to be at least $5 billion more than projected when the two-year budget was approved last year. Whether and how to spend that money will be the major issue of the session, along with expanding Medicaid eligibility for the approximately 600,000 North Carolinians without health insurance.

On spending, look for the Senate Republicans to push to put most of the surplus in the state’s strategic reserve. House Republicans will also support increased savings, but will want to spend more to win votes in November and keep rank-and-file members happy with investments in their districts.

Of course, a revised budget requires the Governor’s signature, and last year reaching a budget deal took months of negotiation. With a budget already in place for FY22-23, another long stalemate is very unlikely. If they cannot get a budget deal, the GOP leadership is more likely to shut the session down, proceed to electioneering, and return to pass a bill in 2023 when they hope they won’t need Cooper’s signature to pass a budget or a bill.

For MountainTrue, our priorities for the session are simple. We’d like lawmakers to use some of that surplus to help farmers, property owners, and local governments keep our rivers and streams clean. That means investing more to help farmers pay for fencing and other strategies to keep animal waste from causing spikes of E. coli in WNC waters. Like this agriculture assistance money, demand for state funds to help homeowners and local governments keep their runoff and wastewater out of rivers and streams is also far outstripped by demand. We’d like to see those funding shortfalls addressed.

Finally, MountainTrue has developed a list of shovel-ready, noncontroversial projects for river and stream access, trail development, and dam removal across the region that we hope rank-and-file lawmakers will support as part of their budget priorities in their districts.

Providing WNC with a voice in Raleigh for clean water, clean air, and a sustainable future is a cornerstone of MountainTrue’s mission. For more information about our advocacy efforts, visit our website and, as always, thank you for your support – we could not do what we do in the mountains or in Raleigh without you.

Shovel-Ready Projects for WNC

Polk County – Expand public access to the Green River by developing a new public river access point on property owned by the Polk County Community Foundation at S. Wilson Hill Road ($150,000 nonrecurring to Polk County Community Foundation).
Watauga County – Improve public access to the Watauga River Paddle Trail by purchasing an additional access point ($500,000 nonrecurring to Blue Ridge Conservancy).
WNC – Promote eco-tourism in Western NC by creating the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail – includes at least one publicly-accessible site in 24 WNC counties, a website, a printed trail map, and an educational panel at each site ($150,000 nonrecurring to Mainspring Conservation Trust).
Cherokee County – Improve public access to the River Walk & Canoe Trail on the Valley and Hiwassee Rivers in downtown Murphy by fixing erosion under the bridge at Leech Place, building a boardwalk for the Fisherman’s Loop, and extending the path to a new workforce housing development ($250,000 nonrecurring to Town of Murphy).
Jackson County – Improve public access and water quality by constructing green infrastructure in Sylva’s Bridge Park. This project is recommended in the Scotts Creek Watershed Action Plan and is shovel-ready ($700,000 nonrecurring to the Town of Sylva).
Haywood County – Enhance Chestnut Mountain Nature Park by building new hiking, biking, and walking paths and trails and installing a playground and creekside park. This project is shovel-ready, including a detailed budget and construction plans ($600,000 nonrecurring to the Town of Canton).
Transylvania and Henderson Counties – Help manage a steep increase in public use at DuPont State Recreational Forest by creating one additional recreation staff position ($70,000 recurring to NC Forest Service).

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People Joined Together, and the Work was Done

By Mary Jo Padgett, Co-Founder of Environmental and Conservation Organization (ECO)

As a way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of what’s now known as MountainTrue, I’ve been asked to reminisce with you about the “old days” of ECO. The Environmental and Conservation Organization, popularly known as ECO, was one of the three organizations that merged together in 2015 to become MountainTrue. What comes to my mind as I surf through my mental movie of those early years are the things that made it exciting then and now – the intelligent, creative people, progressive ideas, and responsible, thoughtful action that was ECO and continues as MountainTrue.

It started as an idea while chatting around the kitchen table in 1987. My husband, David Malpass, and I were doing just that – discussing, as we frequently did, local political issues that seemed to us to have negative impacts on the environment. Among the topics of the day: a county-wide discussion about building an incinerator in Fletcher as a way to dispose of garbage; an attempt to build an asphalt plant in Rugby on land that was a recognized wetland; and NCDOT’s unpopular idea to cut down several trees on Four Seasons Blvd. (which had been planted as part of Lady Bird Johnson’s national beautification program) for no better reason than to allow better visibility of billboards. In Henderson County, where we lived, there was no shortage of environmental concerns.

David and I were average, employed, concerned citizens – he was a high school vocational ed. teacher; I was an associate editor at The Mother Earth News magazine. We decided we wanted to connect to the folks we saw and heard speak about environmental issues at the many County Commissioner meetings we attended. We also wanted to find people who wanted to get outdoors and explore our locale. So, we decided to call a meeting to see if anyone would show up to watch a video and talk about wetlands. We issued a press release to invite like-minded citizens to attend a gettogether. And they did! The 35 hiker-environmentalists who attended that first meeting on September 23, 1987, became the backbone of what grew to become the Environmental and Conservation Organization. They brought good ideas, a propensity for action, and more people to the next meetings.

We called it the Outing and Environmental Group, which for two years was managed from our kitchen table. Newsletters, program agendas, speakers, news announcements, projects, and finances were handled by us, the “founding couple.” Right away, the group had a big idea — build a Jackson Park Nature Trail. By 1990, the 1.5-mile trail was done (dedicated and officially opened on Earth Day that year). This was a growing group that liked to learn, hike, participate in political decision-making, and do environmental projects. It became clear to me that his organization needed an official structure.

Key folks hunkered down with us to hash out bylaws and create a nonprofit organization with a board of directors. In the process, the name became the Environmental and Conservation Organization (ECO), and by 1992, the 501(c)3 incorporation papers had been written, submitted, and approved by the State of North Carolina. Membership dues were established.

By 2007, ECO had nearly 500 members in Henderson County and beyond. Political advocacy and outdoor-oriented programming were plentiful and fruitful. Action was so profound that an army of ECO volunteers had received awards and recognition from the Governor; state, national, and local environmental agencies; and businesses. All efforts were focused on the goal of conserving the land that sustains us, keeping it safe, healthy, and productive. Our motto: take care of your own backyard.

David Malpass was a major force with ECO until our divorce in 1993. As co-founder, I served in various capacities over a 20-year span, from organizer to president of the board, PR chairman to interim executive director, and then as executive director from 1995 to 2007. I retired as executive director in 2007 and passed leadership on to others.

By 2015 a merger with other environmental groups in WNC seemed a good next step so that the productive meetings, exciting projects, and intelligent leaders could keep citizens engaged and the ideas and action continuing to flow. MountainTrue was born.

Photo: ECO volunteers do a presentation on recycling and composting for local school children

Dupont State Forest: Making a Hidden Treasure a Public Resource

Once a private, hidden treasure, DuPont State Recreational Forest is now beloved by millions thanks to MountainTrue and a broad coalition

By Jeff Jennings, MountainTrue member and former director of Friends of DuPont Forest

When I first moved to Western North Carolina more than 30 years ago, a colleague took me on a memorable drive through the deeply forested acres surrounding the DuPont company’s Brevard film plant. It was not a small patch of woods — the company owned 11,000 acres and used it to ensure water supply, entertain customers and offer employees amazing outdoor opportunities. I remember when we stopped to look at Triple Falls, it seemed unbelievable that such a jewel was basically our very own to enjoy.

Today, with visitation surging to about 1.3 million last year, DuPont State Recreational Forest has established itself as one of Western North Carolina’s top draws for both tourism and local outdoor recreation. With approximately ⅓ of its 12,000 acres dedicated as NC Nature Preserve, the property protects numerous endangered plants and animals while contributing to clean water, public health, and the local tax base.

An extremely broad-based coalition of individuals and groups is to thank for saving this significant land from becoming yet another private golf course after the DuPont company left the area. While some groups in the coalition are well known, many people may be unaware of MountainTrue’s role in establishing the public forest, which lies in both Transylvania and Henderson Counties.

In 1995, I was working as an engineer in the DuPont’s Research and Development group when DuPont announced that it was selling the X-ray film plant to a private equity company while putting 7600 acres of its more remote forest on the market. Most people assumed that this land would turn into housing developments sprawling along the roadways. Hooker Falls was part of this tract, but the iconic High Falls, Triple Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls remained with the X-ray film plant as a private “donut hole”.

I was also President of the Environmental and Conservation Organization (ECO) at that time. Established in the late 1980s, ECO served as the leading local conservation advocacy group in and around Henderson County. Founded by Mary Jo Padgett, the organization was a forerunner and founding partner of MountainTrue, which was formed in 2015 when several regional groups consolidated.

When I heard the news about the film plant’s sale, I was in a perfect position to see if there was a way to conserve the property and open it to all. I made calls to corporate headquarters and learned that DuPont had a Land Legacy program that could facilitate this. I contacted Chuck McGrady, former executive director of ECO and then president of what is now Conserving Carolina, who brought in contacts at the national Conservation Fund, which facilitated the sale of this original tract to NC for less than $300/acre in 1996.

At that time, most local people had heard of the private forest around DuPont but only insiders were familiar with what a spectacular resource it was. The public learned about DuPont State Forest primarily through the ECO website, which hosted virtually the only source of information about the forest for the first eight years. Maps, photos, and trail guides were available online. Hand-drawn trail maps were color copied and sold at the local Visitor’s Centers to raise funds for ECO. The trails were wildly popular with adventuresome backcountry hikers and equestrians and (eventually) mountain bikers. But the parking and accommodations were extremely limited, and the crowds were only a tiny fraction of what we have today.

In the year 1999, the new owner of the X-ray film plant decided to sell to yet another company, but this time the spectacular waterfalls were being sold to the highest bidder in a private sale. A major Asheville golf course developer appeared to have the inside track during private negotiations and was able to outbid the State of North Carolina. No final bid was offered to the State, even though it owned the surrounding forest and had funds to match the bid.

In 2000, a band of conservationists, hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, and outdoorsmen formed Friends of the Falls to advocate for the legal condemnation of the property in the public interest. The group, which included several ECO leaders, utilized ECO as the fiscal agent to receive contributions. The effort to save the waterfalls from private golf course development was highly controversial, and it was by no means clear that we would be successful. We fought this battle primarily through the internet, with the informal DuPont State Forest Home Page being hosted on ECO’s website. The website funneled email, faxes, and phone calls to the Governor, generating the largest number of communications to the Executive Branch in NC history.

The campaign culminated on October 23, 2000 when Governor Hunt and the Council of State voted to condemn the 2700-acre donut hole, forcing a sale to the State. This added the majestic three waterfalls to the Forest, while dramatically upgrading trail connectivity and increasing acreage. The forest opened to the public two months later in December.

In April, 2001, Friends of the Falls evolved into the 501(c)3 Friends of DuPont Forest (FODF). I served as the founding president, along with several ECO and Conserving Carolina leaders. FODF volunteers served significant roles in the early years of the Forest. 21 years later, FODF has grown to 800 members with the mission of maintaining trails, protecting delicate habitat and biodiversity and encouraging sustainable public enjoyment of the forest. MountainTrue cooperates with FODF in projects such as invasive plant removal and water quality monitoring, and advocates in the General Assembly for funding for the Forest.

While names have changed, MountainTrue members should reflect on the contributions that their organization has made for DuPont and other projects throughout the region. Today, it is difficult to imagine Hendersonville or Brevard without access to High Falls, Triple Falls, Cedar Rock or Fawn Lake. For me, working with others to protect these gems for the future and share them with all people has been one of the most significant honors of my life.

ECO Blazing the Path to Environmental Change in Hendersonville

By David Weintraub, former executive director of ECO

The Year Was 2007. The Hendersonville Times-News had just completed an explosive series on “The Building Boom” alerting the public to the major changes coming if developers continued to call the shots. According to the series editor then Managing Editor, Bill Moss, the county was slated to add hundreds of new subdivisions constituting over 3,000 new homes which would eventually put the rural character of the county in the dustbin of history.

Most folks in Henderson County did not support the loss of the county’s natural heritage, quality of life, and historical roots but most folks weren’t considered stakeholders by county commissioners. ECO, the Environmental and Conservation Organization wanted to change that and they realized the first step was for citizens to build their voice loud enough to be heard above the din of trackhoes, skidders, and wood chippers that were disassembling the native forest.

The first step was organizing residents to pack county commission hearings and Hendersonville City Council meetings to make it loud and clear to public officials that the county’s remaining open space was not a pie to be divvied up by Florida developers. The public needed a voice and it was time for it to be heard.

The county had a freshly minted Comprehensive Plan which had a pretty good Growth Management Plan declaring that 1) growth should be directed where infrastructure like water and sewer already existed, that 2) public utilities should not be brought into rural communities because it would become a lightning rod for development that would destroy the rural nature of those places and 3) farmland should be protected. ECO thought all of those elements of the plan were a good thing. The problem was that when development decisions were actually being made, it wasn’t the Comp Plan that was pulled out and applied. Instead, the Planning Board, heavily stacked with members of Beverly-Hanks, Keller Williams, Coldwell Banker, and the rest of the real estate community called the shots with little opposition from commissioners.

But commissioners under pressure for years from the League of Women Voters, ECO, and other groups, finally agreed to put a development code into place. Even they realized it no longer made sense to continue the “anything goes” approach to growth which was rapidly turning our beautiful county into Any Town, USA. When the development community got wind of the plan to create land rules, like blood in shark-infested waters, a feeding frenzy took off, leading to hundreds of developers applying for “vested rights” claiming that they already had development plans and wanted their development to follow the old “rules” rather than be forced to follow more restrictive guidelines.

As a result, the commissioners were forced into the position of holding weekly vested rights hearing while they were planning to develop new rules. ECO thought that put policymakers into a schizophrenic position, so we floated the idea to commissioners to pass a temporary building moratorium so that they could focus on the future without being saddled with the development frenzy pounding on their doors.

ECO began a series of town hall meetings in many communities targeted for increased development. We launched a petition drive to demand that commissioners pass the moratorium and we packed commission hearings. The meetings were flooded with public comments from natives to newcomers, putting pressure on policymakers to listen to what the rest of the community was demanding. The culmination of this effort was when ECO delivered over 4000 signatures to the commissioners on the eve of a critical Board of Commissioners meeting that would decide the fate of Crab Creek, a very rural community that would have been decimated had the plan to build a massive country club development called Glen and Highlands gone forward. In the first of many such decisions, the commissioners found their backbone (with ECO’s guidance as to their environmental chiropractor) and denied the development plans.

Over time, many harmful developments were deterred through this process. A Land Development Code was passed through citizens’ input and then strengthened to require that large developments set aside open space. It also stopped the practice of bringing waterlines to large developments and more. Additionally, a local erosion control ordinance was passed.

These all serve to be guideposts for current efforts to create a new Comprehensive Plan that can better meet the challenges of today. One of the greatest lessons that were learned in these battles of the past is that it only takes a small number of people to make a substantial difference. But also, planning rules today can easily be dismantled tomorrow if citizens don’t continue to be vigilant. They’re not making a new land. We have to protect what we have for ourselves, our kids, and the other critters who call our community home.