Forum candidates urge stronger protections, oppose selling public lands and debate park fees

Candidates addressed national parks and public lands, arguing for restoration of protections and funding while offering differing near-term remedies.

Richard Hudspeth described stewardship as a "generational obligation," saying Congress should reverse executive actions that weaken protections and that flipping the House is necessary to fix funding and oversight. Zelda Briarwood warned against mining and rare-earth extraction in Pisgah and said infrastructure projects during I'40 reconstruction caused environmental harm. Leigh Whipple urged more sustainable forestry practices and proposed a 20-year plan to transition logging toward managed harvests rather than clear-cutting.

Candidates debated how to address a multibillion-dollar maintenance backlog. Some raised the parking pass at Great Smoky Mountains National Park as an example of fee-based revenue; Hudspeth and Ager said Congress should fund parks, while others entertained targeted fee ideas as part of a broader funding portfolio. No candidate proposed a specific congressional bill; instead, they emphasized oversight, investments in staff and fair compensation for park employees, and protecting public lands from sale.

The economic importance of parks to Western North Carolina was a common theme: candidates repeatedly cited parks and the Blue Ridge Parkway as drivers of local jobs and tourism revenue and opposed proposals to sell public lands or reduce protections.