The North Shore/EIS/ Assumptions

Reply to story released Asheville Citizens 10/18/07.

I find it alarming that Mr. Kidd arbitrarily would decide the matter is now settled. While the EIS is completed it shows little detrimental effect to the park as a whole and surely no more than the already established roadways throughout the present Great Smokey Mountain Park system. It is well understood that the Park itself is charged with conserving the assets it has regardless of whether it's a road or an additional parking area and for that they have my gratitude. The Park's stance over preferring a monetary settlement was certain before it started. However the contract is there for the road along the North Shore, which was formulated and executed by the Federal Government and others which in turn is the overseer of the Park and takes precedence over the Park's position.
This area, culture, heritage has been literally wiped from the face of the Earth to be forgotten and is a human tragedy at the expense of the people the Park is hear to serve as well as others. To trivialize it with a price tag only denigrates the issue even further. I reference the following link for those who might not know or understand the nature of the culture which has been extinguished, http://aam.wcu.edu/grant/Photographs.html
Was this heritage worth something? Absolutely, and those people who gave their "all" asked for access to their past by way of a road along the North Shore. This was agreed by all parties including the Federal Government. Does it have monetary worth? I'm not sure how to consider this. Just exactly what is the price we should place on a culture or a heritage? Should we even try while we are now in the process of extinguishing even the memories of this moment in time. A shameless tragedy.