Our opinion

Mountain landscape gets attention

"I gauge this as the most important thing we've ever done," Bill Gibson, executive director of the Southwestern Commission, said recently of his agency's involvement in the Mountain Landscape Initiative (MLI).

That's a pretty big statement, given the role the Southwestern Commission has played in improving government and quality of life in the region throughout its 40 years.

As the council of governments for the seven southwestern counties (Region A), the commission has probably been better known by local government officials than by the general population. Its historical emphasis has been on such behind-the-scenes activities as locating funding sources for the seven counties, administering projects and fostering cooperation among governments.

The commission gained prominence during a highly public campaign to bring the Needmore lands into state ownership. That project, in which the commission took a lead role, led to the conservation of 4,500 acres along the Little Tennessee River in Macon and Swain counties.

The newest initiative undertaken by the commission addresses planning and land use management - a matter of grave concern to all the mountain counties.

Last June, representatives of the seven Region A counties met in Franklin to participate in a growth management workshop. Their interest in working together to find solutions impressed the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina - enough so that the foundation decided to provide $100,000 for a pilot project with Region A.

That was the genesis of the present initiative.

It sounds as if things will happen rapidly from this point. The commission is already on-track to select a team of consultants to supply technical expertise for the project. That team will manage the process, with significant local involvement. Within six months, it should have completed a "tool box" pattern book to guide the region's development. The application of the tools to model scenarios in a range of development and growth management issues will be demonstrated during a multi-day charette.

The pilot project will eventually serve as a model for all 18 counties of Western North Carolina.

The MLI puts us on a fast track to coming to grip with some of the most emotional, complicated and important issues of our time.

Much work has gone on, both publicly and behind the scenes, to get the people and local governments of the region to this point. All those involved deserve credit - including the people themselves.

Clearly, the public now has a keener understanding than ever of the value and vulnerability of the mountain landscape. And that should make the next six months productive ones for the Mountain Landscapes Initiative as it evolves under the able stewardship of the Southwestern Commission.