This is the seventeenth issue of my free newsletter. Your feedback is most welcome!
What is bioregionalism?
It means looking at a natural/cultural area from the viewpoint of ecosystems and natural systems, rather than political boundaries. For example, an area can be defined by the type of forest, such as the oak-poplar forest found in this area. The Southern Appalachians are a great place for a bioregional movement, since the region is more clearly defined here than elsewhere. It corresponds almost exactly with the area inhabited by the Cherokee. Their culture was based on the characteristics of the area, and gives us a good idea of what a bioregional culture looks like. Their dwellings made use of the local elements: for instance, the Cherokee had pole-frame buildings with wattle-and-daub sides made from split white oak. When the whites came, they too developed a distinctive Appalachian culture reflecting their relationship to the bioregion.
What is the Katuah bioregion?
Katuah is the Cherokee word for “this place.” It is defined by the Blue Ridge geological formation, which extends from northern Georgia and the corner of South Carolina (Pickens County), up through eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, and north to Floyd, Virginia. The bulk of it is in western North Carolina. One defining characteristic is the power and spiritual strength of these mountains, giving rise to many medicinal plants. The steep slopes create many microclimates, and high species diversity. There are 130 tree species here, which is greater than the number of tree species found in all of Europe!
Please tell a little of the history of the movement.
In 1982, a group of six of us got together and decided to create a journal. None of us had cash, we had to raise money to publish it. At its height, the Katuah Journal had around 500 subscribers and we distributed as many as 3000 per issue. Our goal was education, so people would understand the bioregional concept, learn from the Cherokee ways, buy local, and use local resources. We advocated keeping large untouched habitat areas for native plants and animals, keeping out roads and development. We had some success; the concept of a “sense of place” is much more prevalent now. The publication ended because the core group burned out, and people went their separate ways. As for me, I started doing environmental activism, working with the Western North Carolina Alliance, opposing clear-cutting and advocating sustainable forestry. Rob Messick located remnant old growth throughout the region, and created a directory. The result was that timber companies have, so far, been kept out of the old growth. Organizing is a slow process; one must appeal to diverse sectors of the public to do things like getting sediment out of rivers.
Where do you see the movement going now?
It’s a healthy, multi-faceted movement. Everything interweaves—environment and economy are very connected. A good consciousness is growing about the importance of a local economy, with Mountain Micro-Enterprises and the Green Building Council. There’s the sustainable forestry movement, which is led by the WNC Alliance, Earthaven, and the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition. We’ve seen a resurgence of tribal culture among the Cherokee recently, a very good sign. The Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project advocates for protection of species. Then there are those who are promoting local and organic agriculture, such as the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project and Carolina Farm Stewardship Project. What we do in our private lives impacts the whole ecosystem. The land-trust movement has been protecting forested lands for future generations, by preventing its development into subdivisions.
It would be valuable to bring these diverse strands together, so that the bioregional movement would have a shared, central core concept. We need to clarify how all these aspects of the web of connection affect and interrelate with one another, and are part of one developing cultural response to the conditions of this area.
How does the bioregional movement fit with environmental activism?
When people understand the interrelationships, they can see how their daily decisions and activities affect the broader system. When you shop at the Farmers’ Market, you not only get good fresh food, but you help the local economy and preserve farmland instead of housing developments. Bioregionalism clarifies the importance of our cultural relationship to local ecosystems and adds depth to the environmental movement. It helps us remember the importance of keeping a functioning ecosystem that preserves the defining characteristics of the Southern Appalachian bioregion. The ecosystem is necessary for us, as well as other species, to flourish here.
How are you feeling about the October gathering at Earthaven?
I’m really pleased that the central concept of bioregionalism is being resurrected. It will help to bring together the various strands within the movement. That core concept was like a revelation to me; it helped me understand why I was doing what I was doing as an activist, also why I was so drawn to the Cherokee culture. I hope for that same breakthrough in awareness to come to many other people as a result of this gathering.
What other ideas would you like to share?
I think it is crucial to have models, and Earthaven is an excellent model for bioregional living. People see what you are doing there and say, “This is possible, and even fun!” Earthaven’s Forestry Cooperative is really taking the lead in sustainable forestry.
I’d also like to mention the spiritual aspect of the movement. There are several strands: the Cherokee reverence for everything in nature; the Creation Spirituality movement within Christianity; a Green (Buddhist) Sangha in Asheville; and a pagan group. This is a spiritually powerful area. These are the second-oldest mountains in the world, after the Urals. I believe that these wise, ancient mountains exert a powerful spiritual force that can create cultural change.
Blessings,
Cathy Holt
