In June, Rep. Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) called upon the Obama Administration to look to Asheville and Western North Carolina as a model of effective and innovative conservation efforts. Today, he announced that his efforts were successful. Asheville has been chosen to host a “listening session” on July 15 as part of the White House’s Great Outdoors Initiative, which is coordinated by the Environmental Protection Agency, the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the departments of Agriculture and Interior. The listening sessions are designed to solicit ideas about land conservation and how the outdoors can drive economic growth and job creation.
“I am thrilled that the Administration recognizes our mountain region as a model of success in conservation and innovation,” said Rep. Shuler. “Western North Carolina has found numerous ways to protect its natural resources while harnessing the power of the American outdoors to create jobs and fuel the local economy. I am confident that other communities across the country will learn and benefit from our progress and innovation.”
In letters to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, as well as Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Rep. Shuler argued that, “With its abundant outdoor spaces, a host of successful conservation initiatives, and the involvement of the public and all levels of government, Asheville would provide tremendous insight to the Administration as it plans the President’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative.”
Shuler’s request pointed to the natural bounty of the region, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the country; the Blue Ridge Parkway, America’s most visited National Park Service unit; two of the most frequented national forests, the Pisgah and the Nantahala; and the national treasure of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians reservation. His letter praised numerous local land conservation organizations, as well as the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, the American Whitewater Association, the Carl Sandburg National Historic Site, and the Muddy Sneakers program to incorporate outdoors education with classroom learning.
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