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Newsroom
Smoky Mountain News (Waynesville,NC)
October 6, 2005 Editorial
What is the largest tract of protected forestland west of Asheville that's not in a national forest or the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? It's the 8,030-acre Waynesville watershed, and the placement of the land in a permanent conservation easement was celebrated Monday (Oct. 3) at a press conference and luncheon.
Over the last year the Waynesville watershed has been the focus of a lot of attention, but most of that has concerned whether the easement should include the possibility of limited logging as part of its forest management plan. That is certainly an important point of discussion, and one town residents and leaders will have to make important choices about in the future.
This controversial issue, though, has turned attention away from the efforts that went into securing this conservation easement and its primary purposes - to protect a very large, very valuable source of pristine drinking water and to lock up forever 8,030 acres of forestland from encroaching development.
The watershed was purchased under the leadership of several former Waynesville mayors and town officials beginning in 1908. It was at that time that then-Mayor Ray Morgan obtained the water rights in the Allens Creek watershed. This occurred at a time when many mountain communities were building their first water systems. Nearly two decades later another mayor, this time Hardin Howe, purchased the bulk of the watershed - 7,000 acres - under threat of condemnation.
But it wasn't until 2002 that the final privately held tracts were purchased. During a five-year span beginning in 1997, $1.3 million from a variety of sources was spent to buy those last remaining acres. The town realized the urgency of these purchases after learning that its "WS-1" rating - the state's highest water quality designation - would be in jeopardy if it did not own all of the land in its watershed. That designation is now protected.
The press conference this week included a who's who of conservation organizations from throughout the state, including Bill Hollman from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Carl Silverstein of the Southern Appalachians Highlands Conservancy, Reid Wilson of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, and Paul Carlson of the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee. Siverstein made a point of addressing the concerns raised about potential logging on the tract: "I hope the commitment of these organizations will provide peace of mind to those concerned about forest management up here. We take our stewardship commitment very seriously, and anyone who is concerned about this can contact us."
Carlson said the easement helped solidify a truth that he hoped others in Western North Carolina were beginning to realize: "This easement is challenging the notion that the highest and best use of land is development. We believe the best use is conservation."
It's not a huge stretch to link the importance of this permanent, clean water supply to the current crisis over oil prices and energy supplies. Right now the population of the world is using two barrels of oil for every one discovered, according to a report by Chevron. Attention now is focused on energy, but the reality is that all natural resources - water included - are becoming more valuable as every year passes. When other communities are paying dearly for enough water to meet the needs of their homes and businesses, Waynesville and the surrounding area will be in great shape.
Finally, in an age when everything changes so quickly, the prospect of the Allens Creek watershed remaining just as it is now for centuries is a comforting thought. Waynesville's citizens and leaders should be proud.
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