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Wilson Creek serves as reminder |
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Thursday, 06 September 2007 |
Boone is known throughout the Southeast for its beautiful peaks and gorgeous scenery. People come from all over to see the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian State University students often find themselves skipping class when the weather gets just right.
Sadly enough, it appears that the unique environmental resources that abound in the High Country are often times nothing more than a vote away from being another housing development.
Not
more than a few weeks ago, the Caldwell County Commissioners voted to
allow construction of over 200 homes on more than 600 acres of land
located two miles on either side of Wilson Creek, a nationally
designated Wild and Scenic River.
Thanks to the attentiveness and activism of the many people that enjoy
the Wilson Creek area, the Archer Group, which had proposed to buy and
develop the land, dropped its option to buy the acreage.
Those that opposed the development of Wilson Creek were so vehement in
their struggle that even after the Archer Group had dropped the
project, there were dozens of picketers and spokespeople advocating the
protection of the area at a Boone Town Council meeting.
However successful, this incident still serves as a sobering reminder
that the things that make the high country so special and beautiful are
not free and they demand protection.
To put things in perspective, North Carolina only has four designated
Wild and Scenic Rivers and never, in the entire history of the Wild and
Scenic Rivers Act, has anything like this been proposed on these or any
other protected river.
Had the development been passed, it would have wreaked havoc on the delicate ecosystem that surrounds Wilson Creek.
The construction of that many homes so close to the creek would cause
the amount of silt in the stream bed to rise significantly.
This would negatively impact not only the beauty of an otherwise
crystal clear steam, but also damage the health of fish and other
aquatic wild life as silt decreases the amount of oxygen in the water.
And if the environmental impact isn’t enough, then maybe the economic impact will make a difference.
If the fish are gone, then the scores of fishermen that flock to Wilson Creek’s clear waters will stop coming.
While this may not sound like a big deal at face value, when these
anglers come to the area, they spend money at local businesses helping
the local economy.
The same goes for whitewater boaters, mountain bikers and hikers that come to the area - they all help local businesses thrive.
The development would also have included the addition of a brand
spanking new septic tank for each house, some of which would be as
close as 100 feet from the stream bed. While this fits the legal
requirement, it hardly seems like an environmentally sound one.
Access to Wilson Creek is also an issue. The only road leading in and
out of the area is a one-lane dirt road that has been subject to damage
by flooding in the past.
A small road like that simply could not handle the traffic caused by a development of that size.
Wilson Creek is not an appropriate place for the construction of hundreds of high-end homes.
The Archer Group is a Florida based realty company that claims to be a very environmentally conscious business.
According to their Web site, “At the Archer Group, all of our business
is conducted with a strong commitment to the environment and
sustainable forestry practices, as well as complete customer
satisfaction.”
Oh really?
Then why would a company with such a “strong commitment” want to start
a development that could possibly destroy the environment that made it
so attractive in the first place, had nearly impossible access, and
catered mainly to rich, retired Floridians?
You guessed it. Money!
So is this what it boils down to?
Anyone with the right amount of money can step in and completely
desecrate everything that makes our Blue Ridge Mountains so pristine
and sacred? No.
As long as there are groups of people like those that signed the
petition against this development and those that showed up at the
meeting to protest, developers like the Archer Group will be forced to
find responsible places for their overpriced housing developments.
Nick Ianniello, a senior journalism major from Candler, is a news reporter.
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