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National Forest land is ‘priceless treasure’ and should not be sold
To the Editor:
Many thanks to Melissa Smith for alerting us to the proposed sale of public lands by the U.S. Forest Service.
That this idea has even been proposed shows that the Bush administration and the U.S. Forest Service bureaucracy, top to bottom, has its priorities skewed to a degree that is almost incomprehensible.
A company that spends its capital to meet its operating expenses will not stay in business very long. The idea of selling off National Forest lands to pay year-to year operating expenses for local schools is just as bankrupt.
The Forest Service has been charged to keep and maintain the National Forest lands. The National Forests do not exist solely to provide funds for county school budgets. Back in the day when the National Forests were being mutilated by clear-cutting, percentage payments to counties from timber revenues were often substantial. It was a fringe benefit provided by the profits of forest abuse, and some counties became quite dependent on it. Local schools certainly need to be funded – they need to be funded much better than they are now – but they do not have to be funded by logging, and they certainly do not need to be funded by selling off National Forest lands, which are priceless treasures.
Our National Forests provide incalculable ecological benefits for all citizens – those who live locally and those who travel here from other parts of the nation to visit them.
The National Forests protect watersheds by providing an unbroken forest cover over the highest springs and headwaters.
The National Forests provide many varieties of recreational experiences that are economically and socially valuable.
The National Forests provide a natural sanctuary for many native plant and animal species and for the human soul as well.
The National Forests are oxygen factories that help to offset the pollution in our air, and they provide many other benefits scientifically termed “ecological services,” which we all too often take for granted.
The National Forests are a major component of the natural beauty of this area and what we call “quality of life,” which is the most important draw that brings both new residents and visitors to this area.
A Forest Service that has forgotten all these benefits (and so many more) has lost track of its main mission. If they would offer us a devil’s bargain of “either log these lands or sell them,” then they do not deserve to be in office and should be removed.
A Congress that would sell off these national treasures rather than do their duty and find abundant funding for our public schools should be turned out of power.
Our government is in the hands of people who have their priorities seriously confused. Unfortunately, if we let them continue to have their way, it will produce irreparable damage to our quality of life and our way of life.
David Wheeler
Whittier
Opposed to sale of National Forest land
To the Editor:
I was appalled to read about the sale of our National Forest. Not to mention disgusted, aggravated and all of the other unmentionable thoughts about our so-called elected officials.
After some research, and 27 letters I wrote to many government agencies protesting this measure, I feel that I must present the true facts concerning this mess. I feel that many other local folks will agree with me and my opinions.
First off, the so-called people who lobby at the U.S. Capitol for this deal have their good buddies who want the program passed. Many are fat-cat real estate wheeler-dealers that are standing in line to see that they can buy this land for pennies on the dollar, thus opening up the door for more development and the re-sale of the land for a huge profit to their buddies from areas that are too commonly known here in Jackson County and making it harder for local people to maintain their land and property without higher taxes imposed upon them, thereby pushing locals out from underneath their heritage, homes and land.
Just like the new Lowe’s that is being built, why? We have Lowe’s in Franklin and Waynesville. What makes is so important to have one here in Sylva?
Simply because our land and rights are slowly being taken away from us by our elected officials, and the buck is being passed onto the outsider fat cats who could care less about our once sleepy-eyed community and our heritage while the politicians are getting richer with their kickbacks.
Our landscapes are being slowly torn away, our streams and rivers polluted with runoff, our mountains look like a checker board with all the scattered development by the outsiders, and then us locals are being told to deal with it by the outsiders and their phony-operated real estate companies along with approval from the elected officials. They do it because of too many legal loopholes and permission from our state officials along with other agencies and how much money is at hand.
Our mountains here in Western North Carolina are our heritage and our home, and we don’t need to be forced out like the government did when they forced families from their homes to build the Parkway. Is this not what our government is trying to do today? Think about it.
We don’t need outsiders coming to Jackson County trying to tell us what and how to live anymore and to force us into a style of life as they see it up north and out west or from Florida.
So much corruption is at hand within our government regarding our country that it would make George Washington turn over in his grave.
Let’s leave what we have left untouched within our national forest, our place to hike, hunt, fish and enjoy nature as it was intended, and enjoy what God has given us to take care of. No more development.
Our country and our lands are slowly being given away, and we are slowly being pushed aside from our homes and cast aside because of our government due to some fat cat who thinks he is the ruler.
We are supposed to be a free nation under the constitution, but lately we have found out that we are being ruled (in reality) by a dictator who is supposed to be our president.
Let’s pitch in and show our concern before it’s too late and preserve what’s left of our land and mountains. Let’s keep what’s left of our national forest and tell the outsiders enough is enough by writing many letters in protest. This is Western North Carolina, a part of the United States without fear form harassment to defend what is rightfully ours.
Let’s all protest the sale of our beloved lands and see that our future generations can enjoy the sights God gave us and keep the federal government from selling us short just for a dollar.
I encourage all of our locals to write the proper agencies in protest of the sale of our national forest, to protect what is left for all to enjoy and to curb any and all future developments of our beloved county. And if you don’t receive a reply within a few weeks, then it tells you that agency doesn’t care about you one way or the other and your letter was trashed. But yet you will receive some type of excuse of why it’s best for all concerned. Hogwash.
Alvin Frady
Sylva
Tribe owes no share of casino profits to state
To the editor:
While the Cherokee Indians certainly appreciate the state of North Carolina allowing them to remain in and around Cherokee during the removal of 1835, the Cherokees have existed at the lowest economic levels with only the barest support coming from the state since then.
Ever thankful to the state, the Eastern Band of Cherokee has worked hard over the past 168 years to maintain a good working relationship with the state and surrounding counties. It was with great dismay that I read your editorial, “With casino’s big profits, why not share with the state?”
Swain County (along with Graham County) used to be among the poorest counties in North Carolina. The fact that they are no longer among the poorest counties can be directly attributed to the Cherokee casino. Not only does the Eastern Band hire more than 1,000 non-Indians (providing accompanying benefits as well), the tribe has also contributed to the economy of Western North Carolina, Western Carolina University, Southwestern Community College and other entities in the area.
Now that the tribe is finally able to offer support to tribal members – support that goes far beyond any support the state has provided – I find it ludicrous that the state would even attempt to try to negotiate a share of the casino revenues. It is probably not a surprise that Jackson County wants a cut of those profits as well.
Much to my chagrin and dismay, it appears the Tribal Chief Michell Hicks is ready to agree to whatever the state might ask to get live table dealers. The chief’s comments before Christmas concerning these new negotiations on gaming with state officials implied the state was already losing money by not taking a cut of the casino profits.
When the Indians had nothing, very few cared. Now that the Indians have something, the state wants its cut, and apparently The Sylva Herald feels Jackson County should get a cut as well. Many people just can’t stand it that the Indians have something. After all, the reservation was purposefully split between two counties so that the Cherokees would never control a county election. With casino revenue, the Cherokees are slowly making progress on the many years of neglect and poverty. However, we still have a long way to go before we have enough money to begin helping the state. We are happy to hire your county residents and provide them with employment and benefits. Apparently, that isn’t enough.
Mary Wachacha
Cherokee
Bulldozers devouring our mountains
To the Editor:
Mountains seem to be moving around from place to place. We all knew that suburban sprawl, an unwelcome guest, was making its way into town, and yet we did nothing to prevent it. Nothing at all.
Hillsides are being plowed for future developments. Rivers fill with toxins. The forests and rural areas have become stripped and deforested. What next?
The next time you pass through a cloud of orange dust, stop for the dump truck ahead or the blanket of clay on the pavement, ask yourself one question ... why this is happening to Sylva?
Sylva is a unique town filled with rich culture and history. Unfortunately, some do not appreciate this gift. Why do they put greater value on revenue over aesthetics? Does expansion make us any better? Does it solve our local issues?
The Lowe’s project will have the biggest impact of all. What was once a beautiful rural hillside will become an expansive sea of blacktop pavement. An obtrusive “big box” warehouse will be built where majestic pine trees once stood.
Bulldozers are eating away at the core and devouring the very mountains that give our town character. It is time for someone to find a solution to this ecological catastrophe. Let’s hope it is soon.
David Windseth
Webster
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