Jonathan's post below reminded me of an interview that I did with the man who protected Grandfather Mountain from a federal road plan that would have destroyed much of the mountain to build the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hugh Morton, who recently stepped down as President of Grandfather Mountain, debated the head of the National Park Service Conrad Worth back in 1957 about the proposed road. His quote that the federal road plan would be like ""taking a switch blade to the Mona Lisa" saved the mountain as it made headlines across North Carolina and a different route was eventually laid.

The interview with Morton covers both that fight and explains how his private reserve is managed compared to nearby lands, in particular the Great Smokies National Park. All in all, I came away from the interview and from my visit to Grandfather Mountain with the distinct impression that the private preserve was managed even better than the nearby National Park for both visitors and environmental amenities. But judge for yourself.