Grandfather National Scenic Area Volunteer’s Action List and Marching Orders

From Lamar Marshall

Folks,
It’s time to move and to move fast. An organization called the Southern Appalachian Multiple Use Coalition, a special interest timber group, is calling all our representatives and writing letters to newspapers in an attempt to kill our Grandfather National Scenic Area bill before it gets off the ground. Here’s what we have to do:

1. Find more volunteers to contact more people. Give them our information and put them in touch with me.

2. Immediately call every elected representative on the enclosed list. Follow up the call with a fax and email if there is an email address.
Important: Don’t waste time writing congresspersons or senators, it takes 4 to 6 weeks to get a letter through national security. Congress is in recess the last week in August.

3. Write letters to every newspaper around, both near and far. We will provide a list soon. Until then, do an internet search and you will find contact info.

4. I am developing color material to take to businesses, town councils, and individuals for sign-on and action sheets to hand out to them. I will have you something late next week. E-mail me your mailing addresses so I can mail the materials.

Ideas – Find organizations who will make calls or do member appeals for support.
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Blowing Rock and other churches.
Get their members to write letters to newspapers and to call their representatives.

E-mail our material to everyone you can think of.

Blowing Rock Historical Society and other historical societies.

Any group with members will usually have one person who can contact a dozen or a hundred.

We need as many people to call Congressman Virginia Foxx’s and Senator Libby Dole’s office as possible. These are our primary targets. In addition, it is important to call Congressmen McHenry and Senator Richard Burr. We have to generate pressure. I will write news releases about their indecision or indecision to support our bill in order to put more pressure on them.

…

Here’s who to contact:

Senator Elizabeth Dole
Washington, D.C.
Arjun Mody, Legislation Assistant
Phone 202-224-6342
Fax 202-224-1100
Email: Arjun_Mody@dole.senate.gov

Raleigh Office
Toll Free Phone 866-420-6083
Phone 919-856-4630
Fax 919-856-4053

Salisbury Office
Toll Free Phone 866-420-6084
Phone 704-633-5011
Fax 704-633-2937

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx
Washington, D.C. Office
Steve Holton, Legal Assistant
Phone: 202-225-2071
Fax: 202-225-2995

Boone, NC Office
Legal Assistant Aaron Whitener
Phone: 828-265-0240
Fax 828-265-0390
Email: Nikki.Johnson@mail.house.gov

Clemmons, NC Office
Phone: 336-778-0211
Toll Free Phone 1-866-677-8968
Fax: 336-778-2290
Todd Poole, Legal Assistant

Congressman Patrick McHenry
Washington, D.C.
Phone 202-225-2576
Fax 202-225-0316

District Office Hickory, NC
Phone 828-327-6100
Email Dave McCrary david.mccrary@mail.house.gov

Senator Richard Burr
Washington, D.C. Office
Phone: (202) 224-3154
Fax: (202) 228-2981

Winston Salem, NC Office
Phone: 336-631-5125
Toll Free Phone: 1-800-685-8916
Chad Tilley, Assistant
Email: chad_tilley@burr/senate.gov
Fax: (336) 725-4493

Be Prepared toTalk
Decide on a short message in your mind before calling: Use your own arguments and pick a few from our barrel of reasons below:

Summary of the Grandfather National Scenic Area Bill:
Support the bill to designate the Grandfather National Scenic Area, a 20,175 acre scenic area along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain and the Town or Blowing Rock. The scenic area is on the public lands of the Pisgah National Forest. For decades past and for decades into the future, the U.S. Forest Service plans to log and clearcut this area which is ruining it for millions of Americans who come to see the scenic views. This bill will designate the area as unsuitable for timber production.

Here are some talking points:

Right Thing To Do
Tell them you support the bill to designate the Grandfather National Scenic Area. It is the right thing to do and you are depending on them to do the right thing. The area deserves the high level of protection the bill will provide. There is no down side to this designation.

Private Property Rights
This bill will protect the private property rights of all residents who own property with views. It will protect developers investments. It will not affect the private property rights of landowners in and around the public property. It will not affect roads.

Public Property Rights
This bill protects the public’s right to their National Forest from being damaged from “special interest groups” who want to cut it down.

Good Economically
It is good for business, tourism, recreation, responsible for billions of dollars to our local and state economy. Blowing Rock deserves it. There is no down side to this proposal. It is good for the Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain and all the surrounding areas. It will bring national attention to our area.

Good for the Forest Service
It will allow the Forest Service to protect communities from fire, to manage for invasive species, and will lower their need to waste taxpayer money subsidizing the timber industry.

All legal traditional Uses Will Continue
No roads will be closed. Hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, will continue as usual.

Conservation is Conservative
This is not a party issue. It is good for democrats and republicans.

No elected representative should have any reason NOT to support this. Their job is to listen to the democratic mandate of the pubic and implement the will of the majority’s will.

More coming….

Lamar Marshall

About JW Randolph

Raised on the banks of the Tennessee River, JW's work to create progress in his home state and throughout Appalachia has been featured on the Rachel Maddow Show, The Daily Kos and Grist. He served first as Appalachian Voices’ Legislative Associate and then Tennessee director until leaving to pursue a career in medicine in 2012.