Providing a place for people to enjoy nature is just one reason to preserve Sugar Loaf. Most of the county is underlain by rocks that give rise to thin, acidic soils, but only a few areas have the more productive and "sweet," soil-producing rocks such as amphibolites or hornblende gneisses, said Dan Pittillo, a biology professor at Western Carolina University. When these rocks break down, they release either high calcium (lime) or magnesium (dolomite) into the soil. These soils then support a much richer plant life than those producing the more acidic types that cover nearly all of our steep hillsides and ridges, he said.
"When you drive through the Sugar Loaf area on US 23/74 on your way to Balsam Gap, you might have noticed the dark rock of the road cut there just before the bridge crosses Dark Ridge Creek and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad," said Pittillo. "This is the amphibolite that makes the soils very rich. Each April many people have commented on the whole hillside that is covered with the white trillium just south of the road cut. This same rock mass extends along the highway here and is one of the most diverse plant communities in the area."
In the early 1990s Pittillo was asked to evaluate the potential natural heritage areas for Jackson County by a cooperative arrangement between the Jackson County commissioners and the N.C. State Natural Heritage Program.
"There are only a few sites that support this rich a plant diversity, a few on Caney Fork and this one at Sugar Loaf," Pittillo said. "While we generally think that clearcutting of the forest reduces the woodland wildflowers, this is not the case for this area,"
Pittillo noted that when U.S. 23 was extended to the four-lane highway, there was a picnic table in the Sugar Loaf area surrounding by wildflowers. These were dug from the construction zone by Cullowhee Garden Club and located to the WCU campus, where many can be seen to this day.
The Natural Heritage Program, a state organization dedicated to encouraging protection of such diverse plant communities by both public and private land owners, has the Sugar Loaf site listed as one of its top priority areas for Jackson County.
"Jackson County citizens have stated that among their highest priorities is protection of their natural areas," Pittillo said, referring to information collected during countywide meetings held in various communities by county officials.
"I think this is an opportunity for all citizens, both hunters, fishermen, and wildflower enthusiasts to support this God-given wild land we can all enjoy," Pittillo said.
Hooper said he is interested in hearing from others who support his group's effort to save Sugar Loaf. He can be reached at (828) 452-1558; locally call Ned Mills at 586-0288.
Those wishing to write their federal representatives can do so at:
Charles Taylor
22 S. Pack Square
Suite 330
Asheville, N.C. 28801
John Edwards
825 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Jesse Helms
403 Senate Dirksen Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3301
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Herald photo by Lisa Majors-Duff