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NC Legislature Passes Mountain Bill

added 8.10.09

Recognizing the importance of protecting the outstanding natural resources of North Carolina's mountain region, the General Assembly on August 7 passed the Mountain Resources Act with broad bipartisan support.

The act creates a Mountain Resources Commission tasked with coordinating multiple, ongoing local efforts to conserve water quality, wildlife habitat, native forests, scenic beauty and other natural resources in the mountain counties. The commission will support existing programs in the mountain communities by recommending new strategies and seeking federal and foundation support for mountain planning.

SELC played a lead role in working with the legislature over the past year on this concept as part of our long-term strategy to advance sound local and regional planning in the mountain region. We cultivated support from the mountain area Councils of Government as well as the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and local government officials, which helped ultimately to persuade the whole mountain delegation to back the bill. In addition, we coordinated with other conservation groups who advocated for the measure, including the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Western North Carolina Alliance, and The Nature Conservancy.

We are hopeful that the commission will generate momentum for a number of local environmental and land use policy proposals already in the works, and that it will serve as a vital forum and a source of resources for mountain communities on these issues for years to come.

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Watauga County Resident Survey: Strong Support for Conservation Land-use Planning

added 5.4.09

The results of an opinion survey of Watauga County voters this spring shows strong support across the board for reforming local development policies to better conserve natural areas and minimize landslide hazards in the fast-growing county in the mountains western North Carolina.

A strong majority of survey respondents is concerned about the impact development is having on the county's natural resources, with 70% to 80% expressing concern over impacts to water quality, groundwater, hiking and fishing access, open space, forestland, the county's rural character, and scenic views. Sixty-four percent of respondents are concerned about impacts to agricultural land.

The survey of 402 randomly selected Watauga County registered voters was conducted the Center for Assessment and Research Alliances at Mars Hill College, in conjunction with the Southern Environmental Law Center, and funded by the Watauga-based Helen M. Clabough Charitable Foundation.

Some of the findings:

90% agree with policies that preserve buffer areas adjacent to mountain streams to protect water quality;
At least 80% agreed with the need to protect wildlife habitat and corridors, promote voluntary conservation easements, and preserve scenic views;
70% support policies to maintain access to trails and rivers; and
60% support efforts to create connections between existing parcels of open space.

Read the full results here (pdf)