Encourage Clarity and Public Participation in GAP Restoration Project

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Encourage Clarity and Public Participation in GAP Restoration Project

In July, the US Forest Service released a draft environmental assessment for the Grandfather, Appalachian, Pisgah (GAP) Restoration Project. The GAP Project aims to reduce wildfire risk, restore fire-adapted ecosystems, and improve forest health over the course of roughly a decade.

While these goals are commendable, the actions identified to achieve them lack specificity and could lead to inappropriate management of sensitive areas. This lack of site-specific information also obstructs public participation by limiting our ability to fully evaluate the project’s potential environmental impacts.

Please act now and encourage the Forest Service to clarify the GAP Project’s environmental impacts and improve collaboration with the public over the project’s duration.

TAKE ACTION

Comment Deadline: August 12, 2024

Review the locations affected by the project here: GAP Restoration Project (arcgis.com)
Review the project website here: Forest Service (usda.gov)

Our Concerns:

Project duration is not clearly defined: Although the GAP Project is part of the 10-year Pisgah Restoration Initiative, there is no clearly stated project duration for GAP included in the draft environmental assessment. However, the GAP Project includes annual goals for management activities such as timber harvest, prescribed burning, and temporary road construction. Without a clear project duration, the environmental impact of these and other activities is difficult to estimate.
Recommendation: The Forest Service should state a duration for the GAP Project to help clarify its environmental impacts.
Locations for logging activities are not clearly defined: A lack of specificity around exact locations for various management activities like burning and harvesting also creates confusion. A stated goal of the GAP Project is to reduce wildfire risk. However, the project identifies logging as a potential management activity in cove forests – moist forests that are not fire-adapted and do not pose any significant wildfire risk. The GAP Project proposes over 10,000 acres of potential timber harvest in cove forests.
Recommendation: The Forest Service should identify cove forests in the project area and exclude them from logging activities.
Allowable management activities are poorly defined for areas with saw timber versus areas without saw timber: In the GAP Project proposal, the Forest Service fails to make a distinction between allowed management activities in areas with sawtimber and areas without sawtimber. Both areas over a total of 29,000 acres allow for temporary road construction, tree removal, and the same harvest methods. All of these activities have the potential to contribute to erosion and habitat disturbance.
Recommendation: Rather than relying on the presence of sawtimber in an area, the Forest Service should make a distinction based on whether or not trees will be removed from the site – this will help avoid future confusion over which management activities are allowed in a particular site.
Project proposes to log along the Appalachian Trail, backcountry, and in sensitive ecological areas: Unfortunately, the GAP Project proposes several controversial sites for commercial timber harvest, including 1500 acres along the Appalachian Trail, 1600 acres of backcountry, and areas with unique ecological values. Logging in these areas could damage these values through road construction and the presence of heavy machinery.
Recommendation: The Forest Service should amend the project so as to not allow commercial timber harvest or road construction along the Appalachian Trail, in Backcountry Management Areas, or in Special Interest Areas.
The proposal lacks specificity on what kind of management activities will happen and where: The GAP Restoration Project promotes wildfire risk reduction and habitat restoration but lacks clarity on site-specific management activities and timelines. The Forest Service seeks to approve the project before determining where roads will be built, what type of timber harvest will occur where, what the harvest methods will be, which areas will be burned, and before biological and archeological surveys have been completed.
Recommendation: The Forest Service should provide more information and complete more analysis before approving the GAP Project.

The GAP Restoration Project has the potential to greatly benefit the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests, but it needs clear guidance for which activities happen where. Unfortunately, as currently proposed, the project could open up sensitive ecological areas, backcountry, and areas along the Appalachian Trail to commercial logging.

Submit your comments now, and urge the Forest Service to provide more information and complete more analysis before approving the GAP Project.

Take Action: Oppose Weakening Macon County’s Flood Protection Ordinance!

Let Macon County Commissioners know that you oppose weakening Macon County’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance by removing restrictions on the use of fill dirt to elevate new houses or expand development in high-risk flood areas.

Two ways to take action: *these actions have now expired, thanks to everyone who raised their voice in favor of flood protection!)

1. Attend the July 9 Public Hearing to oppose changes to the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance:

Macon County Board of Commissioners Meetings
July 9 at 6:00 p.m. in the Commissioners Board Room, Courthouse, third floor.
5 West Main Street • Franklin, NC 28734

2. Email Macon County Commissioners and let them know you oppose gutting our floodplain protections.

Seventeen years ago, to better protect public safety and the environment in a region with steep mountain slopes and a higher risk of flooding, Macon County adopted an ordinance that is stricter than the state’s minimum standards. A natural floodplain allows water to spread out during a flood event, soak into the soil, and reduce a river’s speed and destructive power.

Now, Macon County Commissioners are considering weakening the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance to allow property owners to use fill material in these areas — decreasing safety and increasing public and private losses due to flooding, including potential loss of life. Using fill dirt to raise houses, create driveways, or build more homes in flood-prone areas reduces the amount of floodplains that we have to mitigate flooding and puts more people at risk of floods by encouraging more homebuilding and development in floodplains.

Using fill dirt and materials in the floodplain will also increase costs for residents and taxpayers by raising insurance premiums and creating the need for the government to update floodplain maps routinely. The increased risk to life and property from accelerated flooding will also demand costly county resources and put county emergency personnel and volunteer rescuers at risk.

Because of Macon County’s steep slopes, narrow floodplains, and fast-flowing streams, former county leaders adopted stronger floodplain restrictions that have served the county well for many years.

Let Macon County Commissioners know that you support keeping our community safe by keeping these reasonable flood protections.

Read more:

Petition to Designate the First Broad River as a State Trail

The First Broad River is a gem in North Carolina, offering stunning natural beauty, recreational opportunities, and economic benefits for our community. By designating it as a State Trail, we can ensure its enhancement for future generations. Join us in urging the North Carolina General Assembly to recognize the value of this vital waterway. Your signature on our petition will help us preserve this natural treasure and expand access for all to enjoy. Sign today and make a difference!

Letter to Our Members: We’re Going to Court to Protect Endangered Wildlife

On Thursday, April 18, MountainTrue, in collaboration with our partners at the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Center for Biological Diversity, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for violations of the Endangered Species Act committed during consultation and development of the Biological Opinion on which the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan relies. This legal action seeks to protect endangered wildlife that are threatened by the new Forest Plan, which prioritizes commercial logging in habitat that is critical for the survival of several species.

Our decision to pursue litigation was not made lightly. After our previously issued Notice of Intent to Sue—a mandatory precursor under the Endangered Species Act—was filed last July, it became clear that the Forest Service was not going to take steps to correct its failures. Despite our extensive efforts to work collaboratively with the Forest Service to produce a balanced and scientifically sound plan, we are again forced to go to court to seek the changes necessary to protect endangered wildlife. This is MountainTrue’s commitment to protect our diverse ecosystems and the communities that cherish these forests.

DONATE TODAY

Our members and supporters power our Resilient Forests program. Donate today, so we can continue to protect our old-growth and mature forests, which are critical habitats for many endangered and threatened species.

Photo of a Virginia big-eared bat by Larisa Bishop-Boros – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

The flawed Forest Plan jeopardizes not only the endangered northern long-eared bat, Indiana bat, Virginia big-eared bat, and the gray bat but also impacts species like the little brown bat and the tricolored bat, which are currently being considered for the endangered species list. Our lawsuit aims to rectify the inaccuracies, incomplete data, and flawed analysis that underpin the current plan, ensuring a more sustainable future for these critical habitats and the wildlife that dwell there.

To be clear, our goal with this lawsuit is not to stop logging on the national forest. However, we believe logging should be limited in areas known to be used by endangered bats. Unfortunately, the new forest plan allows run-of-the-mill logging in many of these areas without even looking for endangered wildlife.

Our Resilient Forests program, powered by the support of our members and donors, is essential in this fight. We thank you for your generous support. Every donation helps us work to protect old-growth, mature forests, and critical wildlife habitat.

The path ahead is challenging, but with you by our side, we can continue to advocate for a forest management plan that truly reflects the ecological and communal values we stand for. The future of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests depends on our collective action.

Thank you for standing with us,

Gray Jernigan
Deputy Director & General Counsel

Rein in Buncombe County Short-Term Rentals

This Monday, March 18th, the Buncombe County Planning Board will be discussing the issue of Short-Term Rentals (STRs) for the second time. MountainTrue strongly supports the proposed text amendments to regulate short-term rentals. Mitigating the loss of year-round housing to short-term rentals is a top priority for our residents.

In particular, we join our community partner, PODER Emma, in strongly supporting the proposal to prohibit short-term rentals in mobile home communities, as their residents are particularly vulnerable to displacement.

Take Action:

1. Monday, March 18: attend the Buncombe County Planning Board Meeting and let them know you want the regulation of short-term rentals in Buncombe County.

Buncombe County Planning Board Meeting
Date: Monday, March 18, 2024
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Where: AB Tech Ferguson Auditorium
Tech Dr, Asheville, NC 28801

2. Email the Planning Board and let them know you support the regulation of STRs in Buncombe County.

Take Action

Background:

It is no secret that Buncombe County, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing an acute housing crisis. More people are struggling to find an affordable place to live due to the cost of living and the dearth of housing options. There are an estimated 5,000 Short-Term-Rentals (STRs) in Buncombe County – that’s 5,000 potential homes that have been removed from the market.

During the county’s comprehensive planning process last year, thousands of community members voiced their concerns about STRs and their impact on affordable housing. It is clear that reducing the loss of year-round housing is a top priority for residents.

Buncombe County faces a significant housing gap, particularly for low-income individuals and families. The proposed text amendments offer a proactive approach to bolstering affordable housing options. Coupled with potential conversion incentives discussed by the Board of Commissioners, these measures have the potential to make a meaningful impact on our housing crisis.

By ensuring that short-term rentals are appropriately regulated and located, we can create more opportunities for long-term rental and owner-occupied housing in our county. MountainTrue recognizes the connection between the built and natural environment. With less long-term housing, people are pushed away from the schools, jobs, and services that they rely on. This increases miles traveled and destroys more habitats.

The steps that are being taken are crucial for increasing the housing stock in Buncombe County. We must ensure that short-term rentals are appropriately regulated and located. Please consider taking action: attend Monday’s listening session and email the Planning Board to express your support for the proposals. Thank you for your attention to this issue and making change in our community.

TAKE ACTION to Protect the North Fork of the French Broad River in Transylvania County, NC!

Email Transylvania County Commissioners to encourage their support of the designation of the North Fork of the French Broad River as a Wild & Scenic River!

There is a once-in-a-generation chance to protect the North Fork of the French Broad, which is eligible for designation under the Wild & Scenic River Act. Congressman Chuck Edwards has indicated that he would introduce legislation for the North Fork with the support of the Transylvania County Commissioners. The Commissioners need to hear from Transylvania County residents, business owners, and property owners. Please take the time to send them a message.

Wild & Scenic River designation requires an act of Congress and typically enjoys broad popularity and bipartisan support. A Wild & Scenic designation for the North Fork of the French Broad would ensure that this section of the French Broad River is never dammed, and it would guarantee critical water quality protections and management by the US Forest Service to protect its biodiversity and recreational values. Transylvania County citizens defeated proposed dams in the past, and their hard-won success should be made permanent.

Email Transylvania County Commissioners

The North Fork is the headwaters of the French Broad River, a recreation staple in Brevard and Asheville. The French Broad River is responsible for over $3 billion dollars of economic activity annually. Good water quality in these headwaters is essential for local agriculture and recreation economies. Maintaining the health of the North Fork of the French Broad River is also critical to the protection of aquatic wildlife, including hellbender salamanders, musky, and trout.

Email Transylvania County Commissioners

The 3.2 mile-long river corridor proposed for protection (pictured below) is owned and managed solely by the US Forest Service. Therefore, no private lands would be affected by designating this stretch of river as Wild & Scenic. The Wild & Scenic Rivers Act has no effect on private lands, including any private lands upstream or downstream of the designated reach.