Public input sought on Jackson County conservation plan
The ‘Headwaters District’ is named for its unique location within the county encompassing a portion of the Eastern Continental Divide, north from which flow headwaters of the Tuckasegee, and south from which flow the headwaters of the Chattooga, Whitewater, and Horsepasture Rivers. Donated graphic.
The Jackson County ‘Headwaters District’ Conservation Plan seeks to apply an objective, fact-based approach to assessing the conservation and development priorities of communities within the southern half of Jackson County.
This effort will generate recommendations for the County Commission based on established best practices together with broad public input and will explore incentives that promote balancing natural resource protection and responsible development.
The “Headwaters District” is named for its unique location within the county encompassing a portion of the Eastern Continental Divide, north from which flow headwaters of the Tuckasegee, and south from which flow the headwaters of the Chattooga, Whitewater, and Horsepasture Rivers. The district contains six Townships spanning the southern half of the county, from Caney Fork in the north down to Cashiers in the south.
Equinox has been contracted to lead the effort, with broad fiscal support coming from Jackson County, The Community Foundation of WNC and the Tourism Development Authority. The public input phase is critical in shaping the plan, as any final recommendations for the county commission will be informed in part by opinions and preferences shared during these live public engagement sessions and via the open public survey.
Equinox is looking for participation from a wide spectrum of interest groups, including but not limited to farmers, shop owners, people who enjoy the outdoors, students, educators, developers and tradesmen, folks involved with tourism, hospitality or food, real estate, foresters, hunters and fishers, multigenerational and shorter-term county residents, and others.
