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The North Carolina gold rush
To the Editor:
While we’re on the subject of metaphors, let me throw one more into the mix: ”gold rush.”
In recent days, the comparison of Western North Carolina (and in particular Jackson County) to the rush for gold mining in California during the 19th century keeps coming to mind. As I see the housing developments going up on Bear Lake and Balsam, and hear word of yet another high-end, large-acreage development going in off Moody Bridge Road, and as I watch what was once a pristine hillside in Lovesfield reduced to little more than a glorified parking lot for the new Lowe’s store, I’m thinking “gold rush.”
Just as settlers and entrepreneurs from all over the country rushed to California during the 1840s and 1850s following the cry of “there’s gold in them-there hills!” the get-rich-quick mentality and the pandemic of the recent real estate boom we’re now experiencing in this part of the country has become more than pervasive. New agents and developers are appearing here in the mountains to stake their claims and are buying up all the land their deep pockets can hold. Instead of gold, the developers are, in fact, mining for land. (“There’s land in them-there hills!”) They’re scouring the hills of the state’s most rugged (and ironically, most vulnerable) western counties for land upon which they can put their gated communities full of extravagant million-dollar homes – homes that are popping up on the local landscape like pimples on the face of a pubescent teen-age boy.
This simile is not lost on many residents I have spoken to over the past few weeks. Such is the “acne” upon the natural “flesh” of these hills many of us lovingly look upon and caress as we farm, hike, hunt and fish the hills and hollows that we call home.
As I say, I’m not the only one who feels that we’ve been invaded by armies of interlopers from the outside, and that the look and feel of our mountains has undergone a hideous “make-over.” I’m hearing similar sentiments from across the board in our community – from scientists, local farmers, academicians, blacksmiths, shopkeepers, homebuilders, natives, recent residents and others. Many of us are beginning to feel the pressure of overpopulation and developmental overkill. It’s like we’re getting pushed out of our habitat by a kind of human tsunami that has rolled into these mountains like a great tidal wave.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining about those people who have been coming to these mountains all their lives and have decided to bring their families here to live permanently. These people, for the most part, have come to love the mountains and have, over time, learned and accepted the geographic and cultural nature of the place. What I’m railing about here is the increasing number of people from the outside who spend only a few weeks, or at most a few months here, and who couldn’t care less about the local culture and customs, or who they are pushing out of their homes because of their oversized bank accounts and suburban mansions that inflate both the local economy as well as land taxes.
I got a lovely letter recently from a woman who has been coming to the WNC mountains since she was 2 years old and has recently moved her family to Jackson County because of its natural beauty and the slower pace of life. She wrote to encourage me and others like me, who are writing letters to the editor and speaking out about this issue.
I am encouraged by letters like this that confirm the fact that I am not alone in this struggle nor in the times ahead. There are many others, who are also concerned about the “gold rush” mentality that has invaded our mountains and threatens to disfigure them and to displace us in the process.
I sincerely hope that we will continue to talk to one another about this, speak up, get involved and stand up for what we believe is truly best for this place and its people.
Thomas Crowe
Tuckasegee
Who will you blame?
To the Editor:
When the gate closes on the last fancy stone entryway, who will you blame?
When all the farmland and open space is used up; when every view includes a trophy home, who will you blame? When a man can’t find a way into the mountains without running into a gate or a fence or security, who will you blame? When there is no land to hunt and no place to run a hound, who will you blame? When the only choice of a place to live is in a subdivision or trailer park, who will you blame?
The time will come when growth and progress will overtake common sense and community. The time will come when those with big plans and even bigger pockets will make all the decisions. The time will come when we will all be strangers, and our commitment will not be to community but to property values. Maybe that time is nearer than we think.
The day will come when we can no longer deny the reality of our future. The day will come when we can no longer deny the fact that Jackson County is just another commodity, a place to be bought and sold and marketed on a pretty pamphlet. Whatever soul we had and whatever sense of place or connection to community we possessed will have been exchanged for something of no lasting value.
When that day comes and the realization can no longer be denied, people will be angry. They will want someone to blame.
But who will you blame?
Will you blame the developers who were only trying to make a living? Will you blame those responsible for economic development who sold a vision of growth without limit? Will you blame those who sold their land, or those who bought it? Will you blame those who committed desecration in the name of property rights, or those who proclaimed that only zoning would work and therefore stifled every attempt to build consensus and start a conversation? Will you blame the politicians who couldn’t lead or were prisoners of their own narrow vision and short-term interests?
When the sermon is all about sin is the preacher always aiming at somebody else? When you open the window is it always fresh air, and when the other fellow opens the window is it always a draft? Is it someone else’s problem? Is it someone else’s responsibility?
When Jackson County is just another place in a real estate pamphlet; when its landscape becomes totally unrecognizable; when its people are all from somewhere else; when its past and traditions and culture are no longer a living memory but an exhibit under glass, there will be plenty of blame to go around. Some folks think there is nothing wrong with that picture. Some folks think there is only something wrong with that picture if their backyard is in it. But I think most folks are troubled by what is happening to this county. The problem is that those who are troubled are largely silent.
If our communities become divided; if our lands become gated; if our views become spoiled; if our streams and rivers fill with sediment; if our children must leave to find work and affordable housing; if our traditions and culture are overrun or replaced, then those who have remained silent while they accepted all this as inevitable will share the blame for all that is lost.
Mark Jamison
Cullowhee
Commissioners’ ongoing impasses concerning library is mystery
To the Editor:
It was January 2005 and numerous lists of fund-raising ideas for the new Jackson County Library abounded.
Tammy Brown and I were talking about those ideas when, out of the blue, Tammy said, “You ought to do a CD and call it “The Sounds of Jackson County.” Thus was born an idea that took on a life of its own and spawned a community concert, a CD, a DVD, and countless hours of volunteer work.
I hope that you were able to attend the concert on Jan. 10 and listen to the stunning array of talent living in this small mountain community. Those attending had such a good time and left humming and replaying lyrics and rhythms that stay in one’s mind and heart.
It is the idea of “The Sounds of Jackson County” that inspired those who worked on the project throughout the year. Those who recorded, planned, designed, provided for public relations, provided financial backing, and donated their time and talent did so with gusto and the immediacy of “Yes, I will.”
There simply is no way to adequately thank the huge numbers of people (more than 150) who contributed to “The Sounds of Jackson County.” However, we can be inspired by their generosity of spirit and go forth to organize our neighborhoods on behalf of the library. So many involved in this project said that they grew up in libraries in San Francisco, in Highlands, in Sylva, in New York, and in countless other communities, and they want to see the best possible community library happen in Sylva – one that captures the feelings they had as a child. They want this for their own children and generations of children to come.
It is a mystery to me that in the same week that this amazing event took place on behalf of the new library that an article appeared in The Sylva Herald stating that county commissioners were, once again, at an impasse regarding a new library for Sylva. It is a mystery to me that all other communities that surround Sylva have a new library, or one “in the works,” and yet this community does not. It is a mystery to me that strong, decisive, honest, no-nonsense leadership does not appear to exist.
I pledge to write about the story of this community’s library from this day forth until we have what people have said they want – in survey after survey. I will find some avenue for printing this story and make sure everyone knows of the broken promises. I’m tired of the careful arguments, persuasive letters, and years of backroom politics. It is time for a different approach. What will you pledge to do?
It is imperative that a large percentage of the population is involved in this effort, not just a few people making decisions. It is imperative that we find strong leadership for this county and town.
Linda Watson
Sylva
Courts should uphold existing traffic laws
To the Editor:
There is no doubt Sylva is experiencing a serious traffic problem and Police (Jeff) Jamison makes a valid point in not wanting the Sylva area known as a “speed trap.” However, I’d rather it be thought of as a speed trap than a death trap.
Ideally Sylva’s reputation could be that of a safe place to drive if our citizens were more willing to drive responsibly and considerately. If we can be a sanctuary for birds, can we not also be a safe haven for drivers and pedestrians as well?
As I see it, we have two distinctively separate problems. The first is that many of our roads are indeed inadequate to handle the increasingly higher volumes of traffic. The remedy will require change, compromise and resourceful planning.
The second problem is more vexing and one that officials seem reluctant to accurately define, much less resolve. Collisions, loosely termed “accidents,” (as though they were unavoidable), are in reality caused by speed, tailgating and reckless, aggressive driving habits. If citizens are unwilling to consider the negative impact of their recklessness, and our community remains reluctant to exact consequences for such behavior, then we are likely to witness more mayhem on our roads, not less.
Town officials can talk about it until they turn blue. Law enforcement can issue a thousand tickets a day, and the Department of Transportation can redesign roads and install signs until the cows come home. Nothing will change significantly until our courts uphold existing laws and stop making excuses for irresponsible behavior behind the wheel.
When citizens refuse to act responsibly, then it is the duty of law enforcement and the court system to apply adequate consequences. Then, and only then, will our roadways truly be safe for all.
David Snell
Dillsboro
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