Reader Looking for Mills River Info

We got the following email from one of our readers who is looking for a photo of their grandfather and his big fish.


Hi

I am trying to find a pic of our grandfather J B Stewart who caught the largest fish ever caught in Mills River NC several years ago. There was a pic and write up in newspapers at that tine but we do not have the date or even the year.

Would like to locate copy of pic and purchase copies for the grandchildren at Christmas. They have heard the stories for years and it would be great for them to see

Thanks

Blanche Surrette

If any Carolina anglers have information about this photo, drop us a line at FlyfishMagazine.com and we will pass it along to Blanche.

The Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy

One of the players in the recent Big Creek development story, The Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, wrote us a very nice email thanking us and our fellow bloggers for the recent coverage of the issue on the North Mills River. Here is an excerpt from the e-mail from Lydia Willoughby, the organization's outreach director:

The proposed plans would have negatively impacted water quality in Henderson County as well as recreational use of the area; conservationists and fly fishermen and fisherwomen alike can be tentatively satisfied that no further development will be seriously pursued. Our first completed conservation easement is in the North Mills River area bordering Pisgah National Forest, as well as one of our more recent projects, and we are indeed happy about the developer withdrawing the proposed subdivision.

Here is a description of what the conservancy attempts to make happen:

Saving the Places You Love

Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy helps landowners protect local land and water resources vital to our natural heritage and quality of life. As a local nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the places you love, CMLC is helping to create a regional network of more than 16,200 acres of protected farm, forest, park and natural lands.

Sidebar links have been added.

Developer Withdraws Plan for North Mills River Subdivision

Hendersonvillenews.com is reporting that developer Kent Smith has withdrawn his plan to develop 86 houses on the North Mills River. Instead, for the moment at least, he plans to sell the property.

"I have been talking with Carolina Mountain Land Conservation, representatives from the Trust for Public Lands and the Henderson County Soil Conservation Group," developer Kent Smith said Thursday after withdrawing his proposal. "I haven't gotten that far with them, but it is my goal to exhaust all possibilities with a variety of groups in hopes to avoid development."

Mills River Development

We have been following the efforts of a development group who want to put a gated community in an area of North Carolina's North Mills River. The community would be completely surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest with the only access being via narrow road through a park service campground.

The developer has turned down an offer of 2x the purchase price of the property by the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy. While the Henderson County, North Carolina planning board is recommending denial of the proposed plan, the general feeling is that this will probably only delay the plan and possibly limit the number of houses built. It is doubtful it will actually stop development of the property. One reader who lives in the Mills River community has asked his representative to seek federal funds to aid in the purchase of the land back from the developer. Here is the text of his call to action from a posting on the Southeast fly fishing forum.

Ladies and Gents,

The idea of the federal government helping pay for purchasing some or all of the Big Creek Lodge property has been presented to Representative Heath Shuler. They have been watching the situation and it will be their determination if they want to push for federal funding. If they decide to it will be because they hear from the local community. The message to them is simply this:

1. This is an important priority for us.
2. We hope that all or a portion of the property can be preserved.
3. Please help us with conservation dollars.

I think they have until Friday to determine if this will be a priority for them. Therefore, it would be beneficial if the local interested people contact Shuler's office via fax, e-mail, or phone to reiterate their support for this potential. If you have already contacted Representative Shuler about this issue, please do it again.Phone:(202) 225-6401 Fax: (202) 226-6422 http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Keeping our Fingers Crossed

From a Hendersonvillenews.com article:

"Henderson County Planning staff will recommend the Planning Board deny a subdivision permit for a controversial plan to build 86 homes and a fly fishing lodge next to the North Mills River Campground."

Its not a done deal yet but things are looking up for one of our favorite places to catch stockers.

"During the past two weeks, the Planning Department has been flooded with about 30 comments from groups and individuals on developer Kent Smith’s proposal to develop the Big Creek tract. Groups from the campground managers to environmentalists and trout fishermen said dense development would threaten water quality in the North Mills River, a state designated high quality trout stream and drinking water supply."

Thanks to the guys from Moldy Chum for getting the word out about this while I was on vacation.

Chum on the North Mills River

While we were partying in sin city our fly fishing brethren from Moldy Chum were keeping tabs on the story about the proposed construction of 80+ luxury houses on the banks of the North Mills River. The development would be completely surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest with the only access through the middle of the forest service campground. The developers have rejected an offer of 1.6 million dollars for the property that would have included a conservation easement that would prevent development within 300 feet of the stream bank.

The Chum posted a link to this Q & A with the developer, Kent Smith of Global Development Resources. Here's the "money quote" all pun intended.

Are you aware of the public concerns?

Sure, there was never any question about whether that was going to be the case, but it would have been the case for anybody who bought it. But the people who wanted it to remain natural did not outbid me at the auction.

Trout Unlimited and community groups are opposed to the construction.

The groups say the proposal, including plans for a large septic system to serve the homes, could endanger water quality in a popular trout stream and drinking water source. The developer has promised any subdivision would be constructed to protect the environment.

The Henderson County Planning Board will consider the subdivision at their March 15th, meeting.

Link to previous posting: This can't be good.

This can't be good...

A developer has proposed a plan to build 86 houses in an area surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest and only accessed by way of the North Mills River Recreation area through the middle of a campground. The North Mills River is home to a beautiful delayed harvest river that actually requires a bit of hike to access.

The location of a development next to a campground and along a forest road assures there will be access issues. Homeowners would have to drive through the campground and over a half-dozen speed bumps to get to their houses. The concrete bridge over the North Mills River would also have to be replaced, something Smith says his company would do. The development could not put up a gate on Yellow Gap Road, but most likely would gate the roads running to the clusters of homes, Smith said. The lodge and other property has been vandalized several times since he bought the land, he said. After one such instance, Smith erected no trespassing signs which disturbed trout fishermen who have crossed the property for years along an old road bed running up the river.

But don't worry...everything will be OK.....

The plans Smith has submitted to Henderson County show 11 homes and a "fly fishing lodge" situated on the North Mills River near its confluence with Wash Creek. The plan also shows the developer's property line in the middle of the river, so trout fishermen would be able to hike up the middle of the river without going on private land. "I don't know how we will look at access on the Big Creek Lodge side of the bridge, but certainly the river itself would continue to be open to fishing," Smith said.

Yeah.... that's the ticket.

For more information on the North Mills read our article at Flyfishmagazine.com