Workshop at Tremont for Universities by the Friends of Wears Valley
John Edwards September 10th, 2008
Peter Bush presents at the Worshop at Tremont
The Friends of Wears Valley (FOWV) were guest speakers at the Fall National Outdoors Recreation & Rural Tourism Consortium held at Tremont on September 1, 2008. Faculty from Eastern Illinois University (EIU), Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Murray State University (MSU), and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) along with 52 of their students, conducted a week-long study of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the surrounding gateway communities. The purpose of the program was to further understand the concept of Sustainable Tourism: the natural resources of an area, the effects of tourism upon them, and planned management of the two.
John Edwards and Terri Brown, president and treasurer of FOWV, and Peter Bush secretary for Sevier County Hillside Taskforce, spoke about the challenges of hillside development. Peter Bush discussed a Power Point presentation that he created for the Hillside Taskforce, which was presented to County Commission on 6/23/08. The presentation outlined the preliminary findings of the Taskforce on the subject of hillside development. Terri Brown, a graduate student/teaching assistant of the Earth and Planetary Science at the University of Tennessee, then showed a Power Point program on the subterranean geology of the area and the sensitivity of the eco-system to unmanaged development. She also spoke briefly about her efforts with the Cave Conservancy, pointing out that grants are available for students who want to excel in this field.
The hour-and-a-half presentation culminated with many questions from professors and students who endeavored to understand the efforts of the community in integrating a managed tourism economy, the resultant development that that brings, and the inherent beauty, natural wonder, and attraction of the Smokies.