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The National Committee for the New
River named State Senator Steve Goss as Legislator of the Year for
2008 at its annual meeting on July 26. The Wallace and Peggy Carroll Vigilance Award
honors the spirit, dedication, and perseverance that former Winston-Salem Journal publisher and
editor, Wallace Carroll, and his wife Peggy brought to the battle to save the
New River .
In announcing the award, George Santucci, Executive Director of the National
Committee for the New River (NCNR), noted that “Senator Goss is a legislator we
can always call and talk about New River
concerns. This year he’s been especially involved in helping us, the Blue Ridge
Rural Land Trust, and the High Country Conservancy, put together a proposal to
protect Pond Mountain
in Ashe County.”
NCNR’s statement notes that “Pond
Mountain is an 1,800-acre
mountaintop with extensive springs and streams. The area would be owned by the
NC Wildlife Resources Game Lands and open to the public for hunting and passive
recreation in the groups’ proposal to the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund.”
Senator Goss has been instrumental in encouraging regional and state
conservation groups and state officials to explore creative ways to protect and
preserve the Pond
Mountain watershed.
Goss noted, “I am honored to be recognized as a recipient of the Wallace and
Peggy Carroll Vigilance Award. For one who grew up in the New
River watershed, I am humbled to be recognized as one among many
who have worked to protect this priceless natural resource. I am convinced that
not only do we have a duty to protect the natural beauty of our region for
future generations, but also that water is and will become a resource of great
economic value for our region in the decades to come.”
The 45th Senate District which Goss represents contains three river basins, the
New, the Catawba, and the Yadkin. Goss continued, “We are seeing increasing
demands on the utilization of these sources of water, and, undoubtedly, that
pressure will only grow. The Pond
Mountain project has the
potential to protect a significant watershed for the region. I am hopeful that
the efforts of local citizens and private organizations such as NCNR together
with state officials will be successful in preserving not only the beauty of
the area but the health of the watershed for future generations.”
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