About this Episode:
We are joined by our special guest, Jeff Hunter, Senior Program Manager with National Parks ConservationAssociation (NPCA) in Asheville, where he works on a variety of issues pertaining to protecting and improving the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Presently, he is focused heavily on a collaborative project designing and building a wildlife crossing on I-40 in the Pigeon Forge in Haywood County, near the Tennessee state line.
In our conversation with Jeff, he discusses the importance of Preserving our Natural Resources and improving the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. He mentioned how you can help by spreading awareness, identifying solutions, and providing leadership to make it happen.
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TRANSCRIPT
00:00:41.010 –> 00:00:44.400 Joseph McElroy: Howdy! Thanks for joining us on this week’s episode of
00:00:44.460 –> 00:00:54.240 Joseph McElroy: Gateway to the Smokies, this podcast is about America’s most visited National Park, the great smoky mountains national park, and the surrounding towns.
00:00:54.600 –> 00:01:05.610 Joseph McElroy: This area is filled with ancient natural beauty deep-storied history wonderful adventures and rich mountain cultures that we explore with weekly episodes.
00:01:06.060 –> 00:01:19.290 Joseph McElroy: I am Joseph Franklin McElroy a man of the world, but also with deep roots in these mountains my family’s lived in the great smoky for over 200 years my business is in travel, but my heart is in mountain culture.
00:01:20.460 –> 00:01:24.510 Joseph McElroy: Today’s podcast we’re talking about safe wildlife passages in the smokies.
00:01:25.920 –> 00:01:29.460 Joseph McElroy: But first let’s hear from our sponsors, which happens to be me.
00:01:31.320 –> 00:01:40.020 Joseph McElroy: hey imagine a place evocative of motor courts of the past in modern and vibrant with a Chic Appalachian feel.
00:01:41.010 –> 00:02:01.560 Joseph McElroy: The amenities, of a country and a place for adventure and for relaxation imagine a place where you can fish in a mountain heritage trout stream grill to catch on fire and eat accompanied by fine wine or craft beers imagine a place with the old-time music and world cultural sounds.
00:02:02.820 –> 00:02:15.630 Joseph McElroy: Imagine a place with mountain heritage, food, and an underground speakeasy there is no other place like the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley North Carolina, your smoky mountain adventure starts with where you stay.
00:02:17.250 –> 00:02:28.170 Joseph McElroy: smokies adventure.com that’s plural smokies singular adventure information and listings about the smokies it, it provides lots of.
00:02:29.970 –> 00:02:42.420 Joseph McElroy: Resources for hiking, trail maps, knowledge about the area even things like wedding venues outdoor wedding venues, you can get books, you can get.
00:02:44.040 –> 00:02:51.600 Joseph McElroy: hiking guide, you can get books about the mountain culture it’s a really great resource, the emphasis of the smokies adventure.
00:02:51.870 –> 00:03:12.870 Joseph McElroy: Is I said outdoor recreation outdoor life events like weddings and adventures, along with providing information about lodging entertainment events conventions honeymoons tourist opportunities and it’s a great resource for being one of the top information portals on the smoky mountains.
00:03:14.580 –> 00:03:25.140 Joseph McElroy: Upcoming, so somewhere between caricature and character, there exists in authentic a truly unique culture of the smoky mountains.
00:03:25.950 –> 00:03:38.160 Joseph McElroy: understanding that culture blends the global and the local the old and the new and gains relevance and understanding of the elements of culture that brought us to where we are now and where we can go in the future.
00:03:39.210 –> 00:03:52.200 Joseph McElroy: The Meadowlark Smoky Mountain Heritage Center located at the beautiful Meadowlark Motel is proud to announce a series of 20 heritage-themed events scheduled for 2022.
00:03:53.430 –> 00:04:02.520 Joseph McElroy: Each of these events is designed to understand a different element of smoky mountain culture and lead members and guests on a journey of understanding for the past and the future.
00:04:03.270 –> 00:04:11.640 Joseph McElroy: The first event is Saturday, February 26 2022 at 4 pm at the Meadowlark Motel, Maggie Valley.
00:04:12.540 –> 00:04:25.500 Joseph McElroy: it’ll be led by the Meadowlark Smoky Mountain Heritage Center General Manager and Award-winning Author Bob Plott, as he launches the first of six heritage book programs and a book signing of his books.
00:04:26.100 –> 00:04:42.600 Joseph McElroy: The first program focuses on the history, of the Plott Hound the official state dog of North Carolina a legendary breed with a rich and storied history in Haywood County featured will be Bob’s first book strike and stay the story of the Plott hound.
00:04:43.890 –> 00:04:56.760 Joseph McElroy: Which is recognized as one of the premier hunting dogs in America, the Plott hound is unique among honey dog breeds because it descends from Germanic stock rather than the traditional English foxhound.
00:04:57.390 –> 00:05:07.260 Joseph McElroy: The breed story began when its original breeder Joe Hound Plott and his brother Enoch left Germany in 1750 with their prize honey dogs.
00:05:07.710 –> 00:05:19.830 Joseph McElroy: it’s this trip across the Atlantic that began the 200-year journey that will culminate in the North Carolina Mountains with the development it was now arguably the world’s finest breed of honey hunting dog.
00:05:20.880 –> 00:05:34.860 Joseph McElroy: This fascinating story of the Plott family and the Plott hound is a classic American tale of adventures and underdogs a story that Bob Plott, the great great great grandson of Joe Hounds Plott is uniquely qualified to tell.
00:05:35.460 –> 00:05:40.470 Joseph McElroy: This upon an informative program will be followed by a delicious Barbecue dinner and acoustic.
00:05:40.920 –> 00:05:47.970 Joseph McElroy: Music with Mike Ogletree the former drummer for Simple Minds and some other friends, making for an entertaining afternoon and evening.
00:05:48.540 –> 00:06:04.440 Joseph McElroy: The event is free to motel guests and heritage club members and non-members and local residents are welcome to attend the program and enjoy dinner and music for only $10 per person call 828 926 1717 to book your room and or your reservation.
00:06:05.520 –> 00:06:14.880 Joseph McElroy: More upcoming what’s better for the soul than throwing a line upstream watching it pass doing again and again and perhaps getting a bite.
00:06:15.630 –> 00:06:20.820 Joseph McElroy: All anglers know that fly fishing isn’t only about reeling in the big one.
00:06:21.540 –> 00:06:32.970 Joseph McElroy: All that’s all though that’s the one that always gets our hearts jumping blushes fishing is about being one with the river and its magnificent presence while witnessing a valuable ecosystem.
00:06:33.630 –> 00:06:39.330 Joseph McElroy: The Meadowlark Motel is offering fly fishing trout camp weekends and the smoky mountains.
00:06:39.870 –> 00:06:51.120 Joseph McElroy: What began as a way to get a group of friends together on the river is going into a way of bringing like-minded people together through fly fishing food, drinking the campfire in our recreation area.
00:06:51.690 –> 00:07:01.980 Joseph McElroy: camp weekends are perfect for those new to fly fishing and those looking for some extra instruction or anyone with experience, who enjoys fishing and a small group of making new friends.
00:07:02.640 –> 00:07:14.520 Joseph McElroy: Each trip is built around those attending and we all share those experiences, you can expect quality time in the river and nights around the campfire or in the speakeasy if it’s not so nice.
00:07:14.790 –> 00:07:24.690 Joseph McElroy: With a drink in half-truths and tall tales are always at the camp and camps are limited to 20 anglers and there’s going to be one instructor to every two campers.
00:07:25.770 –> 00:07:39.750 Joseph McElroy: So the first one is April 15 to 16th 2022 located at the Meadowlark Motel that’s $875 per person in the guide services beast coast anglers owned and operated by
00:07:40.260 –> 00:07:50.880 Joseph McElroy: Charles Humphrey III, really interesting guys have master fisherman he’s also been on this podcast talking about.
00:07:51.570 –> 00:07:59.700 Joseph McElroy: Music, amongst other things, he’s an award-winning songwriter in fact we’re talking about doing a songwriting camp with him later in the year.
00:08:01.140 –> 00:08:07.560 Joseph McElroy: and includes a couple of nights for lodging free breakfast and on Saturday and Sunday for a Barbecue dinner.
00:08:08.160 –> 00:08:16.140 Joseph McElroy: To free beverages and speakeasy a half a day of hands-on instruction in the morning and then four hours of intense fishing on this.
00:08:16.410 –> 00:08:25.350 Joseph McElroy: On an elite stream Saturday afternoon and entertainment at the motel Saturday evening, and then a little checkout and Sunday morning with a nice breakfast probably with some trap.
00:08:27.120 –> 00:08:34.290 Joseph McElroy: Call eight to 8289261717 to make reservations and they are also some programs on the history of fly fishing.
00:08:35.250 –> 00:08:41.280 Joseph McElroy: And also what’s happening in the mountains about fishing, but now we’re here to talk about wildlife.
00:08:42.030 –> 00:08:53.490 Joseph McElroy: passages and preserving the smokies and our guest today is Jeff Hunter he is a Senior Program Manager of the National Parks Conservation Association, the NPA CA and national.
00:08:53.910 –> 00:09:04.740 Joseph McElroy: where he works on a variety of issues pretending to protect and improve the great smoky mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian National scenic trail.
00:09:06.090 –> 00:09:17.670 Joseph McElroy: Presently, he is focused heavily on a collaborative project designing and building a wildlife crossing on I-40 in the Pigeon Forge in Haywood County, near the Tennessee state line. Hello Jeff.
00:09:18.510 –> 00:09:20.550 Jeff Hunter: hey Joseph good to see you thanks for having me.
00:09:20.820 –> 00:09:26.610 Joseph McElroy: Sure thing good to see you, so I understand you’re originally from New York State Rockland County I think.
00:09:26.970 –> 00:09:27.570 Jeff Hunter: I am.
00:09:28.080 –> 00:09:32.760 Jeff Hunter: yeah CHF and Clark county high school North class of 1979.
00:09:33.060 –> 00:09:40.680 Joseph McElroy: cool well back then raccoon was I was pretty full of wildlife, I read that you called your childhood Pharaoh What did you mean.
00:09:41.490 –> 00:09:50.430 Jeff Hunter: I was in the woods every chance, I could get fishing and looking for frogs and toads and turtles and snakes anything I could find that was while.
00:09:51.840 –> 00:09:58.200 Jeff Hunter: And that slow, I saw that slowly disappear over the years, you know, was an inspiration to do what I do today.
00:09:58.740 –> 00:10:01.530 Joseph McElroy: wow you know I grew up in Haywood County and.
00:10:02.760 –> 00:10:05.160 Joseph McElroy: I guess I would describe mine as a little bit Feral like that.
00:10:06.750 –> 00:10:10.380 Joseph McElroy: I think, was to go down to the pond or the Greek and fish for our so.
00:10:12.420 –> 00:10:24.450 Joseph McElroy: So I’m so pretty early on, you got involved in environmental issues, you were part I ever that you were part of an effort in the 90s, to save sterling forest what inspired you and how did you get involved in that.
00:10:24.960 –> 00:10:26.130 Jeff Hunter: Well, that was my home.
00:10:26.760 –> 00:10:28.620 Jeff Hunter: Forest was you know my backyard.
00:10:29.130 –> 00:10:34.680 Jeff Hunter: Well, I hike or I fished, and there was a this is 18,000 acres with a privately-owned lance.
00:10:35.190 –> 00:10:50.340 Jeff Hunter: And the orange of those lands had plans for 14,000 housing units and 8 million square feet of commercial office space in the headwaters of North New Jersey is drinking water supply and so myself and others who love that place got together and.
00:10:51.480 –> 00:11:00.390 Jeff Hunter: You know, eventually, the owner of that land became a willing seller and turn that over, and now we have sterling for a state park in New York, so what.
00:11:00.450 –> 00:11:01.740 Jeff Hunter: about protecting what you love.
00:11:02.640 –> 00:11:05.940 Joseph McElroy: What was the what will you think there was a tipping point to make that happen.
00:11:06.780 –> 00:11:16.170 Jeff Hunter: I think the public sentiment and persuading the local Congressman that it was in the best interests of his constituents to protect this place so.
00:11:16.890 –> 00:11:19.230 Joseph McElroy: How big is your crew, did you guys have that we’re doing this.
00:11:19.530 –> 00:11:23.370 Jeff Hunter: Oh, there were hundreds of folks I played I played a bit part let’s be honest.
00:11:23.430 –> 00:11:25.230 Joseph McElroy: I mean you were young, yeah you know.
00:11:26.280 –> 00:11:32.100 Jeff Hunter: You know, I was in my 30s at the time, and I was raising a family, but I stood up at public meetings and.
00:11:33.240 –> 00:11:39.060 Jeff Hunter: Let my voice be heard and volunteer and got involved at the volunteer level right.
00:11:40.290 –> 00:11:46.020 Jeff Hunter: And that set the stage for you know changing careers and moving on to what I do today.
00:11:46.680 –> 00:12:00.840 Joseph McElroy: Well, prior to coming down South you had a 20-year degree career 20-year career in New York, most of that was a Verizon as an engineer, but your college degree was in environmental studies, how did you end up there.
00:12:02.580 –> 00:12:17.340 Jeff Hunter: Good question, so I ended up in Verizon because I didn’t apply myself in college, shall we say, so what one takes what they get but you know I worked hard and I started in the Union position and was promoted to management and.
00:12:18.720 –> 00:12:26.730 Jeff Hunter: You know, raise some kids and bought a home in orange county New York, but eventually, you know that wasn’t enough, so I wanted a little bit more out of life and.
00:12:28.080 –> 00:12:31.950 Jeff Hunter: started to look around for volunteer opportunities and get involved in the Community.
00:12:33.150 –> 00:12:35.040 Jeff Hunter: And one thing leads to another, and here we are.
00:12:35.370 –> 00:12:42.750 Joseph McElroy: yeah well remember you were telling me one story about something happening in New York City of you are involved with security or something like that.
00:12:43.830 –> 00:12:51.630 Jeff Hunter: yeah I handled a New York state’s metadata for the horizon and the 90s and that’s every single call the data so.
00:12:52.890 –> 00:13:03.090 Jeff Hunter: I worked with those national security issues, and it was an interesting time it was usually pretty boring but every once in a while, like a hot when there was a terrorist incident, for instance.
00:13:04.500 –> 00:13:04.980 Jeff Hunter: So.
00:13:06.390 –> 00:13:15.990 Joseph McElroy: cool wow big difference well we’re gonna take a break right now and then we’ll come back and we’re talking about how you made that change what led up to that change in your life.
00:13:16.890 –> 00:13:17.190 Okay.
00:15:32.910 –> 00:15:45.030 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklin McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcasts with my guest Jeff Hunter so Jeff, I will, I have two different stories yeah ready website that.
00:15:45.690 –> 00:15:58.080 Joseph McElroy: The Appalachian trail through high changed your life and that’s why you made your career change with you just you texted me about music and you said, the grateful dead or larger responsible for my career change, so I got two stories I got here.
00:15:58.380 –> 00:16:03.060 Jeff Hunter: Sure sure okay so back in the 90s.
00:16:04.440 –> 00:16:23.490 Jeff Hunter: You know, I was a fan of live music and the dead was one of my favorite bands and I got some tickets to go see a benefit concert at the garden in New York, and so I attended, and it was the dead and a bunch of other folks Baba today all the tunji the great Nigerian drummer and.
00:16:25.080 –> 00:16:31.530 Jeff Hunter: lots of other folks and they were talking in between artists about the issue of tropical rainforest ecosystems.
00:16:32.220 –> 00:16:46.500 Jeff Hunter: And it really you know I’d never heard anything about it, and so I started a group in my community and started reaching out to public schools and engaging Community members, and you know, I was that lit my fire more than.
00:16:48.120 –> 00:16:49.170 Jeff Hunter: Verizon did shall we.
00:16:49.170 –> 00:16:49.470 say.
00:16:50.550 –> 00:16:57.270 Jeff Hunter: And so you know if you can find a way to get paid for what your passion is you know that’s the path that I chose to follow.
00:16:57.870 –> 00:17:06.330 Jeff Hunter: And you know along the way, speaking of paths, you know, then the Appalachian trail came along, and in 2000 I took a leave of absence and.
00:17:06.870 –> 00:17:17.190 Jeff Hunter: walk from Georgia domain and that was the coup de gras right there the corporate experience you know I did not want to go back to white noise and 68 degrees and the hum of mainframe computers.
00:17:18.690 –> 00:17:24.630 Jeff Hunter: The call of the wild, shall we say, apologies to jack London was begging to me.
00:17:25.200 –> 00:17:26.940 Joseph McElroy: You know that’s it’s funny but you know.
00:17:29.070 –> 00:17:40.170 Joseph McElroy: The grateful dead concert was also instrumental in me making a major career-changing my existence, I was working at IBM research triangle park out of college for eight years and.
00:17:40.890 –> 00:17:48.210 Joseph McElroy: You know I sort of got burned out, you know wasn’t I did really well, but I wasn’t I didn’t like big corporate existence and I.
00:17:48.630 –> 00:18:07.740 Joseph McElroy: I went to I and I’ve been working on losing some weight and lost a lot of weight and then I went to a grateful dead concert and in Raleigh right and I went dressed in a coat and tie suit and tie right from work, and when I left I no longer had the coat and tie and bought.
00:18:09.090 –> 00:18:09.930 Joseph McElroy: All sorts of.
00:18:11.010 –> 00:18:13.440 Joseph McElroy: stuff and it was working that.
00:18:14.670 –> 00:18:32.070 Joseph McElroy: And really after that never looked never even considered core corporate existence anymore, within a few months, I had left and was you know traveling and doing my artistic entrepreneur existence, it was like you know it was like the catalyst.
00:18:32.130 –> 00:18:38.430 Jeff Hunter: So you know, and I know that there’s nothing like a grateful dead concert and you know those are days gone by.
00:18:38.700 –> 00:18:47.790 Jeff Hunter: Oh, it was such a profound experience you know, and when issues of the day, were brought into that wonderful music, it was moving and inspiring.
00:18:48.120 –> 00:18:58.350 Joseph McElroy: yeah so um so so you know this so 2000 years how long did you how did long did it take you to do that three through like I mean it’s interesting to me.
00:18:59.040 –> 00:19:11.400 Jeff Hunter: If people five and a half months, so I started march seven down in Georgia, you know winter conditions in the mountains for sure and got to Maine on August 21st so.
00:19:12.870 –> 00:19:21.420 Jeff Hunter: five and a half months with 26 or 28 days, where I didn’t walk a mile what we would call a zero-day where you take a day off so.
00:19:21.930 –> 00:19:28.620 Joseph McElroy: We hear a lot about people taking us working through walking it, but how many people actually do the through the whole thing.
00:19:29.460 –> 00:19:33.210 Jeff Hunter: You know, since I did it 22 years ago the numbers have almost doubled.
00:19:33.480 –> 00:19:36.540 Jeff Hunter: Really, which is a concern, because you know listen.
00:19:37.920 –> 00:19:40.200 Jeff Hunter: There are finite resources in the mountains and.
00:19:42.120 –> 00:19:42.420 Jeff Hunter: But.
00:19:43.530 –> 00:19:53.640 Jeff Hunter: it’s the most beloved trail in the world, and I think at the time that I did it there were maybe somewhere around 400 or 500 people who completed it that year.
00:19:53.970 –> 00:20:00.690 Jeff Hunter: mm hmm I don’t know what the current numbers are but the volume of traffic on the trail is increased significantly.
00:20:01.410 –> 00:20:04.350 Joseph McElroy: that’s interesting, do you think they’ll have to do some sort of.
00:20:05.730 –> 00:20:13.200 Joseph McElroy: eventually have to do something to slow that down or segment it out, or you know, giving maybe let people do segments, or what would they do.
00:20:13.380 –> 00:20:15.840 Jeff Hunter: You know that’s a question for brighter minds the mind.
00:20:15.870 –> 00:20:28.890 Jeff Hunter: But, clearly we want to have a sustainable trail right, we want to have an experience that our children can have our grandchildren can have, and make sure that that remains, you know, an amazing place.
00:20:30.090 –> 00:20:31.170 Jeff Hunter: to inspire and.
00:20:33.450 –> 00:20:35.460 Jeff Hunter: make people curious about the natural world.
00:20:36.330 –> 00:20:51.090 Jeff Hunter: So thankfully it’s the largest volunteer effort, I think, in the States, it’s the trail is maintained by volunteers, the Appalachian trail conservancy is amazing in their stewardship of this trail it’s also a unit of the National Park service.
00:20:51.450 –> 00:20:51.900 So.
00:20:53.130 –> 00:20:54.900 Jeff Hunter: it’s got some own behind it, shall we say.
00:20:54.960 –> 00:20:59.550 Joseph McElroy: Well, you know there’s a nice little segment of it that goes to the rocky mountain park right.
00:21:00.330 –> 00:21:02.880 Jeff Hunter: yeah the smokies I did the smokies and six days.
00:21:04.290 –> 00:21:09.870 Jeff Hunter: It was cold, it was wet and I was glad to come out of the mountains, but the beauty was not lost on me.
00:21:09.960 –> 00:21:10.170 Right.
00:21:11.250 –> 00:21:16.620 Jeff Hunter: You know whether it was climbing the rich molly’s rich damn Python time and Bam or you know.
00:21:17.790 –> 00:21:26.220 Jeff Hunter: up at newfound gap trying to hitchhike a ride down into Gatlinburg to no avail, and then continuing in the snow onto the north, end of the park.
00:21:27.990 –> 00:21:33.420 Jeff Hunter: Now I probably complained a little bit back then, but here I am in the warmth of the home, and I can look back and say.
00:21:34.740 –> 00:21:36.210 Jeff Hunter: Forget about the aches and pains.
00:21:37.860 –> 00:21:45.540 Joseph McElroy: You know we have a lot of hikers that come and stay at the hotel when they come out of the mountain and they all talk about the beauty of it, you know it’s like a.
00:21:45.990 –> 00:21:53.460 Joseph McElroy: You know it’s really a trend transcended for some of them, so when you did this hike was that your first time in the smoky mountains.
00:21:53.880 –> 00:21:54.810 Jeff Hunter: It was actually.
00:21:55.290 –> 00:21:57.000 Jeff Hunter: You know it’s funny today.
00:21:58.230 –> 00:22:03.480 Jeff Hunter: my daughter Martha sent me a photograph of something I mailed to her from the trail.
00:22:04.710 –> 00:22:06.090 Jeff Hunter: I was at a hostel in
00:22:07.350 –> 00:22:14.970 Jeff Hunter: a place that no longer exists called mountain mama’s country store was your big creek at the Waterville exit off I- 40.
00:22:15.630 –> 00:22:26.460 Jeff Hunter: And I found a piece of sycamore bark and I wrote my daughter a note on this piece of bark and I mailed it to her when she was 10 years old and so 22 years later today.
00:22:27.330 –> 00:22:36.420 Jeff Hunter: And it said something to the effect of you know, this is a beautiful place and I want to, I want to bring you here someday and she lives in Tennessee now and I live in North Carolina.
00:22:36.450 –> 00:22:41.580 Joseph McElroy: wow did you ever think when you were doing that hike you would end up living in this area.
00:22:41.970 –> 00:22:44.370 Jeff Hunter: Not in my wildest dreams, to be honest with you.
00:22:45.660 –> 00:22:48.150 Jeff Hunter: it’s you know I’m a lucky man.
00:22:49.350 –> 00:22:59.190 Jeff Hunter: You know my I followed my passion and my dad used to always say work hard and it’s not my favorite thing to do, but.
00:23:00.840 –> 00:23:05.130 Jeff Hunter: I tried to follow his advice and it’s led to some good outcomes I’m grateful for that.
00:23:05.580 –> 00:23:06.990 Joseph McElroy: Well, how did you end up in the smokies
00:23:09.390 –> 00:23:10.830 Jeff Hunter: You mean on the trail or.
00:23:10.890 –> 00:23:13.290 Joseph McElroy: No, no, moving down here how did you end up here.
00:23:13.530 –> 00:23:21.360 Jeff Hunter: Oh gosh so it’s a real circuitous journey, I guess, in 2003 I moved from the lower Hudson Valley, I was living in Warwick New York.
00:23:21.420 –> 00:23:22.140 Jeff Hunter: orange county.
00:23:22.320 –> 00:23:33.570 Jeff Hunter: Apple Country to Chattanooga Tennessee and I worked for five years for the American hiking society working on recreation issues involving trails in a nine-state region.
00:23:34.410 –> 00:23:46.740 Jeff Hunter: And from there, I was recruited to go and lead a wilderness campaign focused on the Cherokee national forest which eventually protected permanently four and a half miles of the Appalachian trail and a new wilderness area.
00:23:48.630 –> 00:24:04.470 Jeff Hunter: From there, I was recruited to go out to California, to the Eastern Sierra a high desert landscape, to work on that in that place, and then I was lucky enough to be able to come back here to the East and work for National Parks Conservation Association in the Asheville area.
00:24:05.130 –> 00:24:11.850 Joseph McElroy: Oh cool what was a well when we first came here to American hiking society, what was the project that attracted you.
00:24:12.570 –> 00:24:21.270 Jeff Hunter: it’s called the Southern Appalachian initiative, and it was an effort to build a 5000-mile interconnected network of hiking trails in a nine-state region.
00:24:22.830 –> 00:24:27.690 Jeff Hunter: included something at the time that was called the Western Appalachian alternative which was.
00:24:28.140 –> 00:24:43.890 Jeff Hunter: This view of long-distance south to north hiking trail west of the Appalachian trail, which today exists it’s called the Great Eastern trail so that vision of a new system of protected lands that would offer experiences to folks really called to me.
00:24:45.570 –> 00:24:51.240 Jeff Hunter: And it’s funny a friend of mine sent me that job posting for someone who I met in Manhattan.
00:24:52.290 –> 00:25:05.250 Jeff Hunter: who’s now he’s gone he’s passed, but I would not have known about that job unless you’ve mailed me that that announcement you know so sometimes it’s about being in the right place right time and connected to the right people and.
00:25:05.850 –> 00:25:10.620 Joseph McElroy: Did you have anything to the mountain to the sea trail part of that or is it something different.
00:25:10.920 –> 00:25:19.470 Jeff Hunter: Oh yeah the mouse to sea trail was definitely involved so in 2007 I I’m a facilitator it’s one of the things I do I facilitated their first-ever.
00:25:21.210 –> 00:25:22.170 Jeff Hunter: Strategic Plan.
00:25:23.280 –> 00:25:29.820 Jeff Hunter: I also work with the Carolina mountain Club in Asheville that same year, and helped them with this change plan their first.
00:25:32.520 –> 00:25:39.930 Jeff Hunter: So yeah I love the MST I’ve walked parts of it in the smokies and parts of it along the Blue Ridge parkway it’s a great system.
00:25:40.860 –> 00:25:45.930 Joseph McElroy: So you, you went hippie for a little while went out to California and then he came back.
00:25:48.480 –> 00:25:54.090 Joseph McElroy: And what was the project that brought you back to the national parks conservatory conservation association.
00:25:54.210 –> 00:25:57.060 Jeff Hunter: Well it’s interesting you know when I interviewed for the job.
00:25:58.830 –> 00:26:05.280 Jeff Hunter: The gentleman interviewing me tossed up a book on the table in front of me and said there’s your work plan, and it was a.
00:26:05.970 –> 00:26:14.790 Jeff Hunter: was a document that was drafted by a friend and colleague of mine who are when you know works for the wilderness society, it was called return the great forest.
00:26:15.420 –> 00:26:22.380 Jeff Hunter: And in that document, it talked about the issue with interstate 40 being an obstacle to wildlife moving from the South to the North.
00:26:23.040 –> 00:26:31.620 Jeff Hunter: And that, when I heard about that I thought wow that’s a topic, I think I could sink my teeth into because who likes to see an animal get hit on the road right nobody.
00:26:32.730 –> 00:26:41.040 Jeff Hunter: And the older, I get the more it pisses me off, frankly, and so it provided an opportunity to put some energy into that effort.
00:26:42.360 –> 00:26:47.520 Joseph McElroy: So what is the type of work that you do, what is it you actually do in your job.
00:26:48.090 –> 00:26:51.960 Jeff Hunter: Sure, I like to think I bring people together to have.
00:26:53.610 –> 00:26:56.730 Jeff Hunter: Successful meetings with good outcomes that benefit the natural world.
00:26:58.200 –> 00:27:05.670 Jeff Hunter: And the communities that surround them so whether it’s protecting clean water or clean air or teaching the next generation about.
00:27:07.350 –> 00:27:20.820 Jeff Hunter: civics how to get involved in the system, how our parks are owned by all of us that’s lost on people they don’t realize the smokies belongs to every single American is our heritage.
00:27:21.960 –> 00:27:31.350 Jeff Hunter: And it’s entrusted to the National Park service they manage those lands for us but Congress ultimately appropriates the funds that make that system run.
00:27:31.860 –> 00:27:35.430 Jeff Hunter: And, and the American voice is important, so we lift up voices and.
00:27:36.690 –> 00:27:39.450 Jeff Hunter: Protect place and wildlife and it’s.
00:27:42.840 –> 00:27:45.390 Jeff Hunter: it’s it’s a large responsibility.
00:27:46.800 –> 00:27:47.190 Jeff Hunter: To have.
00:27:48.090 –> 00:27:53.910 Joseph McElroy: So a little bit of a Community organizing a little bit of PR and a little bit of hard work right.
00:27:54.750 –> 00:28:05.220 Jeff Hunter: yeah you know I learned how to be an organizer when I lead the Tennessee wild wilderness campaign if you’re going to pass legislation in Congress, you need to bring people together and so it’s about.
00:28:06.690 –> 00:28:12.960 Jeff Hunter: Bringing diverse voices, you know all across the political spectrum together and common cause and that’s what I do.
00:28:14.730 –> 00:28:21.600 Joseph McElroy: All right, well, we have to take another break and when we come back we’ll talk the more about this passion for the wildlife and the safe passage.
00:30:28.110 –> 00:30:34.650 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklin McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcast my guest Jeff Hunter.
00:30:35.130 –> 00:30:41.820 Joseph McElroy: So Jeff one of our earliest guests in the show is a colleague of yours, Frances Figart and we’re carrying her.
00:30:42.630 –> 00:30:56.580 Joseph McElroy: You know her book safe passages book at the Heritage Center bookstore and you know it’s a wonderful little story for finding out about, especially for teams, I think, to learn about wildlife crossings and why they’re good.
00:30:57.690 –> 00:30:58.320 Joseph McElroy: Can you.
00:30:59.520 –> 00:31:05.370 Joseph McElroy: Can you tell us you’re working on a project now to create a wildlife crossing you mentioned, where is that.
00:31:06.660 –> 00:31:18.120 Jeff Hunter: Here, so I facilitate a collaborative effort it’s you know we have federal state tribal and non-governmental organizations coming together around the table.
00:31:18.870 –> 00:31:28.170 Jeff Hunter: working to improve wildlife’s ability to cross Interstate 40 in a 28-mile stretch just outside the smokies that are eight miles in Tennessee.
00:31:28.500 –> 00:31:38.670 Jeff Hunter: And 20 miles north Carolina from the Maggie valley exit to the State line in the state line to the foothills parkway in Tennessee we’re looking really closely and seeing how can we.
00:31:40.080 –> 00:31:41.520 Jeff Hunter: How can we fix this situation.
00:31:42.630 –> 00:31:49.140 Jeff Hunter: For instance, we had 101 dead bears down along the side of the road, and the last three years.
00:31:50.220 –> 00:31:57.630 Jeff Hunter: 2019 2020 2021 three years and that’s probably two and a half times low that numbers and that’s.
00:31:59.040 –> 00:32:05.670 Jeff Hunter: Some people would say that’s the cost of doing business and I disagree and so we’re coming together working on that.
00:32:06.990 –> 00:32:09.630 Joseph McElroy: Have you how do you get, how do you get those mortality records.
00:32:11.250 –> 00:32:18.960 Jeff Hunter: Well, historically, they exist across various agencies, but you know, for the real-time stuff the last three years are driving surveys.
00:32:20.010 –> 00:32:26.040 Jeff Hunter: Every week going out and driving the corridor and looking you know, on the road to see.
00:32:27.300 –> 00:32:36.300 Jeff Hunter: what’s been hit our focus species have been black bear white-tailed deer and elk big stuff you know, because if you hit that with your car.
00:32:36.690 –> 00:32:41.700 Jeff Hunter: It could cause serious property damage, maybe personal injury and you can actually quantify the impact.
00:32:42.300 –> 00:33:00.750 Jeff Hunter: Of that damage and, of course, if you can make it better for those big things to cross the road, perhaps you, you can improve it for the little stuff right and the smokies are filled with little stuff whether it’s salamanders or snakes or you name it, you know raccoons small mammals.
00:33:01.830 –> 00:33:09.090 Joseph McElroy: Oh yeah I mean for all those big ones die there are probably 10 times that are the small animals or die right.
00:33:09.240 –> 00:33:10.770 Jeff Hunter: The small stuff has no shot.
00:33:10.800 –> 00:33:18.240 Jeff Hunter: In this corner right there’s it’s two lanes each direction there’s a concrete barrier in the middle.
00:33:19.800 –> 00:33:28.110 Jeff Hunter: You know it’s a death trap, but some of the big stuff can get through, but with 26,000 vehicles, a day you know a lot of stuff that gets killed.
00:33:28.410 –> 00:33:38.310 Jeff Hunter: we’re looking forward to the day when there’s 35,000 vehicles, a day or 45,000 vehicles, a day and nothing has a shot that’s the situation we’re trying to avoid.
00:33:38.700 –> 00:33:43.560 Joseph McElroy: When a lot of cases humans get hurt too, but pretty badly there’s a lot of costs associated with that right.
00:33:44.040 –> 00:33:50.670 Jeff Hunter: Well, on average over 200 Americans every year are killed in wildlife-vehicle collisions so it’s a real situation.
00:33:51.960 –> 00:33:58.020 Jeff Hunter: You know and Maggie Valley right there are thousand-pound bull elk you did not want to hit a bullet with your
00:33:59.550 –> 00:34:00.510 Joseph McElroy: Total your car.
00:34:01.470 –> 00:34:02.280 Jeff Hunter: You know so.
00:34:02.370 –> 00:34:17.100 Jeff Hunter: You know the US 19 through Maggie Valley right there that’s a slower road than I 40 and so you’re going 60 miles an hour on I-40 and an elephant here in the middle of the road that’s a problem that’s a big problem.
00:34:18.750 –> 00:34:29.670 Joseph McElroy: You know I you I went to that presentation you didn’t Maggie Valley chamber, commerce and you were talking about that I thought was an interesting project you guys do use you put up live cameras right to keep track of where they’re crossing.
00:34:30.540 –> 00:34:40.080 Jeff Hunter: Now we had about 120 cameras spread out in the gorge over two years you know, in the right of way seeing what’s encroaching on the roadway also.
00:34:41.670 –> 00:34:51.780 Jeff Hunter: Checking structures, like you know exits are their animals going underneath the bridge or the crossing on the highway there and so we’ve got an A tremendous amount of information.
00:34:52.980 –> 00:35:08.580 Jeff Hunter: Next month will be reconvening the stakeholders and making some key decisions about our research findings, you know where can we agree on priority areas in the gorge you can’t fix everything right you can’t literally fix everything on every road.
00:35:09.450 –> 00:35:16.320 Jeff Hunter: We can establish priorities and get together and make a concerted effort to make the world that place we’ve all wanted to see.
00:35:17.400 –> 00:35:27.330 Joseph McElroy: that’s cool you know, one of the wonderful I really sort of uniquely memorable experiences reaches is not only the great geographical beauty but.
00:35:28.380 –> 00:35:38.670 Joseph McElroy: The easy access and exposure to unusual wildlife big ones like the elk and deer Turkey and black bears and I know that, during my lifetime.
00:35:40.170 –> 00:35:51.750 Joseph McElroy: When there was time those animals were almost extinct, and you know, in our case, the elk was extinct and it’s got reintroduced so it’s really great to see all these species have rebounded and are increasing.
00:35:52.980 –> 00:36:05.760 Joseph McElroy: But it took decades to do that, and the last thing we want is to see these animals will be decimated again now so I’m pretty happier doing so what is the current status of the project.
00:36:06.720 –> 00:36:07.290 So.
00:36:08.370 –> 00:36:22.080 Jeff Hunter: We conducted this to your research, as I mentioned, and we’re in the final stages of analysis and late in late March march 29 actually will be convening stakeholders and Haywood Community College.
00:36:23.760 –> 00:36:27.930 Jeff Hunter: Shannon Rabbie there who runs the wildlife program is opening up that.
00:36:29.940 –> 00:36:36.330 Jeff Hunter: That University that College for us that Community college and will be his students will actually be volunteering and observing.
00:36:36.690 –> 00:36:52.170 Jeff Hunter: Alongside folks from the National Park Service, the fire service, the North Carolina Department of Transportation the Tennessee wildlife resource agency, and lots of other groups, looking at maps, looking at the hotspots where stuff getting killed and what might we do together.
00:36:53.490 –> 00:37:00.930 Jeff Hunter: to fix that and I certainly don’t have all the answers, right here, right now, those answers will need to come together.
00:37:02.970 –> 00:37:03.930 Jeff Hunter: through collaboration.
00:37:04.290 –> 00:37:05.730 Joseph McElroy: mm hmm what.
00:37:06.750 –> 00:37:12.660 Joseph McElroy: What is it all government-funded or also private money or donations how’s it getting funded.
00:37:13.080 –> 00:37:20.640 Jeff Hunter: So so for my work, we don’t receive government funding national parks conservation association is funding funded by ours.
00:37:21.090 –> 00:37:33.630 Jeff Hunter: members and supporters and if folks want to learn more they can check us out at mpc a dot Org but in terms of safe passage our research partners, while dance network and my organization.
00:37:34.710 –> 00:37:36.990 Jeff Hunter: Are funding the research have funded the research.
00:37:38.040 –> 00:37:48.270 Jeff Hunter: And we’re coming together when we first started talking about this issue, there were no dollars at the state or federal level to do anything about reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions.
00:37:48.750 –> 00:37:57.240 Jeff Hunter: But here’s the good story here’s the exciting stuff now just in the last six months, Congress has passed an infrastructure bill.
00:37:58.230 –> 00:38:06.180 Jeff Hunter: That appropriate that that provides 350 million dollars over five years for pilot projects to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.
00:38:07.110 –> 00:38:21.030 Jeff Hunter: So there are issues all over the country, but when you have all the stakeholders together in one room already talking about the issues following science taking a science-based approach we’ve got a real shot at those competitive dollars so.
00:38:22.620 –> 00:38:24.600 Jeff Hunter: there’s good stuff on the horizon we’re hoping.
00:38:25.020 –> 00:38:28.440 Joseph McElroy: As soon as well you know how long it take to takes to complete this one.
00:38:29.580 –> 00:38:35.070 Jeff Hunter: You know it’s hard to say, this is nothing that happens quickly in the transportation world.
00:38:36.180 –> 00:38:44.310 Jeff Hunter: These agencies plan out 2025 years so looking at the growth they’re anticipating where they’ll need to widen roads so.
00:38:45.690 –> 00:39:01.080 Jeff Hunter: Hopefully there’ll be some short-term benefits for wildlife, you know if we can figure out areas where fencing can funnel wildlife to existing structures and get them safely under the road to protect motorists and the wildlife themselves.
00:39:02.400 –> 00:39:09.900 Jeff Hunter: will look for those I’m sure bigger stuff if there’s the new infrastructure needed, you know whether that’s why like overpasses or underpasses.
00:39:11.160 –> 00:39:13.980 Jeff Hunter: That will take a little longer right because you have feasibility.
00:39:16.350 –> 00:39:20.370 Jeff Hunter: I’m an organizer our research tells us where the problems are right, but you need.
00:39:20.370 –> 00:39:30.420 Jeff Hunter: an engineer to say Okay, the geology here is stable enough to do something, whether it’s a wildlife overpass or an underpass so those folks you know.
00:39:30.900 –> 00:39:40.380 Joseph McElroy: So you’re going to build a mix of things like going through culverts and doing stuff at overpasses and only animals use and that sort of there will be people be able to use as overpasses.
00:39:41.310 –> 00:39:45.480 Jeff Hunter: So, best practices wildlife only for overpasses right.
00:39:46.710 –> 00:40:02.760 Jeff Hunter: And so that would be certainly my desire, I will say this, that not far from Maggie Valley it’s probably about a 90-minute drive if someone was Dr 19 down to near Fontana Dam on North Carolina 143.
00:40:04.080 –> 00:40:12.000 Jeff Hunter: The do T as an answer they’re going to build a bridge for wildlife and Appalachian trail hikers at a place called stucco a gap.
00:40:12.300 –> 00:40:24.240 Jeff Hunter: Oh, this is between sheila bald and Fontana damn on the trail that’s a rugged area it’s also the first place, I did a 20-mile day to get to a payphone to call my 10-year-old daughter, on her.
00:40:27.960 –> 00:40:38.130 Joseph McElroy: Well that’s fabulous I mean it’s so nice to see that there are others are there, others are happening, do you are, you are you do you know of any other projects, you might be working on that are.
00:40:41.130 –> 00:40:48.030 Jeff Hunter: You know, every interstate highway this east, west where it passes through public lands becomes a problem for wildlife.
00:40:48.120 –> 00:40:50.250 Jeff Hunter: If you don’t have wildlife.
00:40:52.320 –> 00:40:59.940 Jeff Hunter: factored into the design of the roadway so so we’re looking you know where we’re looking at I 40 we’re looking a little north or south.
00:41:01.020 –> 00:41:05.880 Jeff Hunter: The key is that we’re working with the agencies we’re building a community of practice right.
00:41:06.240 –> 00:41:07.770 Jeff Hunter: Here in the East, you don’t have as.
00:41:07.770 –> 00:41:16.500 Jeff Hunter: Many wildlife overpass underpass structures to see do out West, you know, because the majority of public lands in this country let’s face it, or out West.
00:41:17.070 –> 00:41:33.570 Jeff Hunter: But here in North Carolina and Tennessee we’ve got the smokies but 523 000 acres you know, surrounded by the napa Haleigh the pisco Cherokee national forests, the Blue Ridge parkway there’s an abundance of public lands and so it’s in the public’s interest right.
00:41:34.680 –> 00:41:37.230 Jeff Hunter: 14.1 million visitors to the smokies.
00:41:37.350 –> 00:41:42.690 Jeff Hunter: yeah who wants to hit a bear on your way to make a what a way to ruin a vacation right.
00:41:42.750 –> 00:41:43.140 Joseph McElroy: Real quick.
00:41:43.320 –> 00:41:44.520 Joseph McElroy: Real quick in her yeah.
00:41:44.940 –> 00:41:45.720 Jeff Hunter: Right so.
00:41:47.250 –> 00:41:49.680 Jeff Hunter: You know it’s a big picture approach we’re taking.
00:41:50.460 –> 00:42:01.560 Joseph McElroy: Well, besides, you know obvious government regulations and bureaucracy and things like that Where are you getting pushback from anything for doing this sort of thing.
00:42:02.580 –> 00:42:11.730 Jeff Hunter: You know it’s funny it’s nice to have an issue like this right, I mentioned earlier, I ran a wilderness campaign wilderness can be pretty contentious you know because.
00:42:11.940 –> 00:42:20.910 Jeff Hunter: you can’t take a mountain bike you can’t take anything motorized and wilderness can’t even take a chainsaw wilderness right, you have to clear the trails with a cross-cut saw the old-timey way.
00:42:21.960 –> 00:42:28.290 Jeff Hunter: The issue I’m working on with safe passage is is the public is just responding and great ways.
00:42:29.370 –> 00:42:43.560 Jeff Hunter: They understand the issues clearly I mean every you drive the interstate you’re going to see that there are deer dead raccoons dead foxes and coyotes it gets old right it’s like can we fix that and.
00:42:44.730 –> 00:42:51.870 Jeff Hunter: So people get excited about the idea of actually having their tax dollars spent on something that not only benefits them but benefits wildlife.
00:42:52.740 –> 00:43:04.860 Joseph McElroy: cool well, we got to take another break here when we come back we’ll talk a little bit about you know your knowledge of the area where visitors might want to come to do.
00:45:05.910 –> 00:45:12.120 Joseph McElroy: howdy it is Joseph Franklin McElroy back with a gateway to the smokies podcast and my guest Jeff Hunter so.
00:45:12.540 –> 00:45:17.400 Joseph McElroy: Jeff you, you know the Appalachian trail you’ve gone the whole distance and you know you know the.
00:45:17.970 –> 00:45:33.360 Joseph McElroy: Great smoky mountain national park and the Blue Ridge parkway so I doubt there are many folks that know all these betters all these three areas, better than you so where what would you tell visited this area that are really nice places to visit what’s your favorite place.
00:45:33.930 –> 00:45:35.580 Jeff Hunter: Oh gosh there’s so many.
00:45:36.900 –> 00:45:45.330 Jeff Hunter: You know I’ve got a map of the smokies here, open up on my desk while I’m talking to you, and you know, one of my favorite places of the Blue Ridge parkway.
00:45:46.080 –> 00:45:53.520 Jeff Hunter: To hike in the smokies is that flat creek trail and that’s just a short distance from Maggie Valley it’s.
00:45:54.120 –> 00:46:12.630 Jeff Hunter: it’s a relatively easy trail of walk with big rewards, particularly in spring with songbirds and flowers that are a favorite place or you can drive up to the parkway and go north to what a rock knob which has over 6000 feet beautiful views cool weather.
00:46:14.460 –> 00:46:18.750 Jeff Hunter: You know that’s close right now, because of the season, but those are a couple of favorite places.
00:46:20.130 –> 00:46:21.330 Jeff Hunter: The Cataloochee Valley.
00:46:21.810 –> 00:46:23.310 Jeff Hunter: um which is you know.
00:46:23.370 –> 00:46:24.390 Joseph McElroy: A spectacular.
00:46:25.020 –> 00:46:40.020 Jeff Hunter: Maggie Valleys the gateway there that’s where elk reintroduced just over 20 years ago and there are historic structures there a lot of historical interpretation about the folks who live there, back in the day and.
00:46:41.100 –> 00:46:49.710 Jeff Hunter: Last time I was there I saw a couple of bears eating apples and some apple trees that and those trees are there because there were settlers there.
00:46:50.190 –> 00:46:51.570 Jeff Hunter: And one of the partners created.
00:46:53.430 –> 00:47:01.920 Joseph McElroy: Now I took my three-year-old up there, when I was, like last time now down there they just they got to see out for the first time that first big animal of any sort and they were just dumped.
00:47:03.540 –> 00:47:09.960 Joseph McElroy: old enough to know that it was something you know what I mean it’s like yeah getting their experience the wildlife early is great.
00:47:11.610 –> 00:47:18.660 Joseph McElroy: Do you have any places where a real experienced hiker needs to get you would have to go to anything like that.
00:47:18.810 –> 00:47:22.890 Jeff Hunter: Oh yeah I totally do I’m flipping the map over here.
00:47:24.660 –> 00:47:28.560 Jeff Hunter: I’ll tell you a little story, if I may.
00:47:28.830 –> 00:47:32.010 Jeff Hunter: Sure, my wife and I, Carra.
00:47:33.660 –> 00:47:41.820 Jeff Hunter: We went to the park in late December with the goal of hiking the Booger Man trail.
00:47:42.270 –> 00:47:52.680 Jeff Hunter: Boogerman trail goes through the old-growth forest this huge giant oak trees and poplar trees and all the hemlocks are dead, sadly, but lots of big trees remain.
00:47:53.250 –> 00:48:01.470 Jeff Hunter: We were going to make a loop with the Caldwell for the trail, and unfortunately there were a series of bridges out on the Caldwell for the trail.
00:48:02.280 –> 00:48:13.770 Jeff Hunter: that’s a result of the maintenance backlog with the park service and that’s an issue we work on to ensure park funding so that parking infrastructure allows for safe experiences for visitors now.
00:48:15.000 –> 00:48:24.450 Jeff Hunter: I guess we’re not your typical visitors we like that you know Alan a hairy edge sometimes, so we ended up doing all those stream crossings waiting across them in the winter.
00:48:25.920 –> 00:48:28.260 Jeff Hunter: The water was waist-deep in some places.
00:48:30.330 –> 00:48:36.990 Jeff Hunter: It was exhilarating it was in nursing, but in the end, it’s an experience will never forget.
00:48:37.590 –> 00:48:39.960 Joseph McElroy: So that the experience people don’t take your kids there.
00:48:41.760 –> 00:48:51.000 Joseph McElroy: But that’s cool well you’re also you told me a music aficionado and you live in the Asheville area whatever what are you some of your favorite music places in that area.
00:48:51.330 –> 00:48:57.210 Jeff Hunter: Well, so there’s a new place called rabbit downtown that has a lot of outdoor shows.
00:48:58.230 –> 00:48:59.010 Jeff Hunter: In Ashville.
00:49:00.120 –> 00:49:10.560 Jeff Hunter: And we have tickets to go see bony there this June and Bonnie light Horsemen that should be fun of course he had the orange peel and places like the great eagle great venues.
00:49:11.790 –> 00:49:16.230 Jeff Hunter: You know it’s really a shame, what the pandemic has done to these live music venues they’re.
00:49:17.520 –> 00:49:27.960 Jeff Hunter: Really they’re there they’re trying to keep above water, so you know as we emerged from this crisis, you know I would encourage people to support the local establishment’s local music scene.
00:49:28.590 –> 00:49:38.670 Jeff Hunter: You know here in Burnsville where I live, and Yancey County, which is about 40 minutes from Asheville we have a place called the homeplace brewery and you’ll get a kick out of this.
00:49:39.690 –> 00:49:44.160 Jeff Hunter: This spring marks the 50th anniversary of the grateful dead’s Europe 72 tour.
00:49:44.310 –> 00:49:48.990 Jeff Hunter: Oh so on may 25 of 2022.
00:49:49.590 –> 00:49:50.160 Jeff Hunter: On the air.
00:49:50.250 –> 00:50:04.080 Jeff Hunter: The MC and a host for an event at the homeplace brewery in Burnsville where we will stream the show from May 26 1972 the Lyceum in London, England, and will stream that in its entirety.
00:50:04.920 –> 00:50:11.700 Jeff Hunter: Hopefully, will you know get the dance a little bit and enjoy the days leading up to Memorial Day weekend so.
00:50:11.790 –> 00:50:15.240 Joseph McElroy: wow you’d be able to give some commentary about what you remember.
00:50:15.810 –> 00:50:19.680 Jeff Hunter: Well, you know at the time I was 11 right my show is was 78.
00:50:19.740 –> 00:50:30.510 Jeff Hunter: So, but that’s my favorite period of music the beauty, is that folks back in the day recorded the show, so these recordings for man are artifacts.
00:50:32.310 –> 00:50:37.770 Jeff Hunter: And they’re out in the public domain it’s you know it’s a gift that keeps on giving.
00:50:38.160 –> 00:50:43.200 Joseph McElroy: Did you see that documentary of the Beatles that last concert that just recently came out.
00:50:43.590 –> 00:50:52.650 Jeff Hunter: I haven’t known, and you mentioned Frances who you had on your podcast recently she and I were corresponding over the weekend and she asked if the car and I had seen that yet.
00:50:52.950 –> 00:50:57.870 Jeff Hunter: She and her husband had just seen it so it’s on the yes pile, but we will get there.
00:50:58.440 –> 00:51:02.010 Joseph McElroy: yeah I got so many on my got to see pile it’s like yeah.
00:51:03.090 –> 00:51:16.680 Joseph McElroy: there’s too much content these days and I’m a content producer so it’s always an adventure so what’s the website people can go to to find out more information about wildlife past the wildlife passages.
00:51:16.860 –> 00:51:27.690 Jeff Hunter: sure that the address is smokies safe passage and that’s Smokiessafepassage.Org
00:51:29.190 –> 00:51:38.580 Jeff Hunter: And you know, there are six nonprofit organizations that have come together, specifically to create that website and push information out to the public.
00:51:39.240 –> 00:51:44.850 Joseph McElroy: cool and if they want to follow you is do you have any place for them to come follow you.
00:51:45.690 –> 00:52:00.960 Jeff Hunter: I, the only place I’m at other than here and Burnsville are LinkedIn, believe it or not, you know, I was an early adopter to that networking platform and that’s really it’s actually helped in my work and building the efforts.
00:52:02.280 –> 00:52:04.290 Jeff Hunter: To protect places like the smokies so.
00:52:04.590 –> 00:52:09.780 Joseph McElroy: I noticed that to find you those Jeffrey H you don’t have your last name up there yeah.
00:52:09.840 –> 00:52:12.330 Jeff Hunter: I think that’s the privacy setting you just have to.
00:52:12.720 –> 00:52:13.170 Jeff Hunter: Really.
00:52:13.230 –> 00:52:15.090 Jeff Hunter: Unless you’re connected to me you can’t see the last name.
00:52:15.180 –> 00:52:21.660 Joseph McElroy: Well, to try and find somebody is trying to search for you right you try to search for the different hunter and you will find you.
00:52:22.590 –> 00:52:23.790 Jeff Hunter: I think they’ll find, I think.
00:52:24.960 –> 00:52:34.560 Joseph McElroy: I was just trying to do that earlier and I couldn’t I had to do it, I had actually gone Jeffrey and then your position and you’re an organization that’s I found.
00:52:34.710 –> 00:52:41.040 Jeff Hunter: yeah listen to people who want to reach out here’s my email is Jayhunter@NPCA.Org
00:52:41.460 –> 00:52:43.560 Jeff Hunter: And I love a conversation over coffee.
00:52:43.560 –> 00:52:45.030 Jeff Hunter: Virtual or otherwise.
00:52:45.540 –> 00:52:54.750 Joseph McElroy: Well cool I appreciate when I come down here, you should come out to Meadowlark and see what we’re doing there and hang out and have a car, I have, I have something the speakeasy we’re doing some music now too so.
00:52:55.410 –> 00:52:58.050 Jeff Hunter: I’ll do that, you can rest assured.
00:52:58.470 –> 00:53:09.510 Joseph McElroy: All right, that’d be cool I’d like to hang out appreciate you being on this podcast it’s been enlightening I think you’re doing is a fantastic thing and I love the grateful dead connection.
00:53:12.270 –> 00:53:13.410 Joseph McElroy: Of the small world isn’t it.
00:53:13.410 –> 00:53:15.270 Joseph McElroy: Oh, to do a dead, have you ever been to burning man.
00:53:16.320 –> 00:53:16.770 Jeff Hunter: You know.
00:53:17.490 –> 00:53:31.260 Jeff Hunter: I’ll just throw this and I actually teach classes on the grateful dead at UNC Asheville it’s a volunteer effort, I just through the pandemic I’ve been doing it virtually to bring people together and build community and that’s what I do is build Community I try anyway.
00:53:31.770 –> 00:53:44.610 Joseph McElroy: So cool alright so again, thank you very much, so this podcast is on the talk radio dot NYC network, which is a network of the live podcasts.
00:53:45.720 –> 00:53:52.620 Joseph McElroy: ranging from small business help to self-help to travel shows to you know to.
00:53:53.760 –> 00:54:01.830 Joseph McElroy: Health shows alternative wellness and I think it’s a very interesting network, you should go to talkradio.NYC and look at all the shows and.
00:54:02.130 –> 00:54:11.130 Joseph McElroy: Follow someone can listen to them live, I also have another podcast on Fridays at noon it’s called wise content creates wealth, which focuses in.
00:54:11.580 –> 00:54:22.650 Joseph McElroy: On using content to build your opportunities, whether it’s you’re looking for a profit of monetary sense or building a community is fun getting followers is just giving a cause known.
00:54:23.520 –> 00:54:41.670 Joseph McElroy: You know, you can find out more about that, on my podcast this podcast at the gateway to the smokies and you can find out more about it it’s smokiesadventure.com there is a link at the top, for the gateway to smoking’s podcast you can see all the previous podcast.
00:54:42.930 –> 00:54:50.970 Joseph McElroy: And, and the newsletter that you can sign up to you can also go to talk radio dot nyc to their shows section and click there and find out more about the shows.
00:54:51.780 –> 00:55:01.410 Joseph McElroy: We also have a Facebook page where it streamed live its facebook.com/gateway tothesmokiespodcast where you will definitely.
00:55:03.060 –> 00:55:06.000 Joseph McElroy: see more and more about us.
00:55:07.290 –> 00:55:12.990 Joseph McElroy: it’s been a really great pleasure to have you again, and I want everybody to go to that safe.
00:55:14.070 –> 00:55:30.480 Joseph McElroy: passages website that he mentioned and donate I notice there’s a donate button there, and so we should all go in a little, because what is happening is very important, and I think that we should be part of it looks like you got a great section on getting involved too.
00:55:30.870 –> 00:55:32.730 Joseph McElroy: Really for newsletter take a.
00:55:32.730 –> 00:55:38.460 Joseph McElroy: pledge education and even though, about what upcoming events you have that grateful dead there when I hope so.
00:55:40.290 –> 00:55:44.070 Joseph McElroy: Anyway, see you guys next week it’s been a pleasure bye.
