Photo courtesy of Kathryn Newfont

Historian Kathryn Newfont documents the forest politics of western North Carolina at the local level

Native North Carolinian Kathryn Newfont is a doctoral candidate in the History Department at UNC–CH. In Spring 2000, she was awarded the Peace Sullivan Dissertation Fellowship within the prestigious Royster Society of Fellows. The award will support her during Fall 2000 and Spring 2001, while she completes her dissertation. The Fountain spoke with Kathryn on July 17, 2000 about her research.

The Fountain: Why did you choose to enroll in graduate school at UNC-CH?

Kathryn Newfont (KN): Both of my parents attended graduate school at UNC–CH. In fact, since my mother gave birth to me at Memorial Hospital on campus, I am literally "Tar Heel born!" In retrospect, it seems almost inevitable that I would make my way here sooner or later. Academically, it wasn’t that difficult of a choice. The History Department had strong programs in both U.S. and Women’s History and I was particularly impressed with one faculty member, Jacquelyn Hall, who has become my advisor.

Fountain: Could you describe your experiences as a graduate student in the History department and at UNC-CH?

KN: I feel lucky to have landed here. Jacquelyn Hall, Peter Filene, David Whisnant and Judith Bennett have been wonderful faculty mentors. The Southern Oral History program at UNC–CH has provided me with top-notch professional training in oral history. I am convinced that it offers the best graduate oral history training in the country. Through the Southern Oral History Program, I’ve been fortunate to work with faculty and students in communications studies, folklore, and political science. My graduate and faculty colleagues have been absolutely
central to my good experience here.

Fountain: Why did you choose Western North Carolina as the site of your research?

KN: After completing my undergraduate work, I taught elementary school for several years in Asheville. During that time I came to think of the North Carolina mountains as my home. So, when I found a great research topic in the mountains, I jumped at the opportunity.

Fountain: Could you briefly describe your dissertation research?

KN: My dissertation, entitled "Moving Mountains," traces the history of forest politics in western North Carolina after the 1964 federal Wilderness Act. I’ve been examining how three decades of national battles over federal lands management played themselves out at local and regional levels. Because the U.S. Forest Service owns so much land in the region, the history of western North Carolina’s forest politics offers a rare glimpse into the collective mind of a citizenry with real power over much of the local landscape. It shows us environmentalist thought and environmental history in the making.

Fountain: Has any one specifically influenced you to undertake this research?

KN: Yes. My research was guided by my first encounter with Esther Cunningham, a lifelong western North Carolina resident and activist. One of the reasons Esther and her story intrigued me is that we share a deep love for the mountain landscape and a keen desire to see its beauty preserved. Esther helped found and was the moving force behind the Western North Carolina Alliance, which is a grassroots environmental organization. I admired Esther because she had effectively mobilized many longtime mountain residents to protect their forests. Moreover, she did this by thinking outside the traditional environmentalist box, by recognizing the potential in rural mountain culture to produce a powerful forest stewardship ethic. She was a gifted leader and organizer and she spoke her neighbors’ language, so she was able to translate local ideas about the forests into a potent regional movement to protect them. I found myself thinking again and again about things she said, and I was hooked. Since then I’ve become convinced that the larger story of western North Carolina forest politics, which Esther was so central to, has national significance.

Fountain: How would you describe western North Carolina mountain residents’ relationship to their environment?

KN: Many rural western North Carolinians have what I see as a "commons" relationship with area forests. They see the woods as harvest grounds for a host of resources — fish, game animals, berries, firewood, herbs, timber, and the like. This is different from the "wilderness" relationship that many visitors to the region have with the forest. Commons users walk through the woods just as wilderness users do, but they’re more likely to have a gun on their backs than a backpack, more likely to have a bucket in their hands than a compass. The long commons tradition in western North Carolina means that many residents see the forests as richly historical. They’ve grown up hearing hunting and fishing stories, for instance, and they return to the same spots year after year to hunt or fish or gather berries. Some have family recipes that require ingredients from the forest — buckberries or sassafras or squirrel, for example — which have been passed down for generations.

Fountain: What do you think lies in the future for western North Carolinian mountain residents?

KN: Like people everywhere, they’ll continue to have to wrestle with challenges of managing the environment. Right now air pollution in the region is a big problem — the magnificent views are increasingly clouded and we have to beware of high-ozone days. I hope that longtime residents and newcomers to the region will be able to work together to address these issues. But to do so newcomers should not underestimate the knowledge and perspective of longtime residents. I’ve met a lot of bright people through my graduate work at UNC-CH, but some of the wisest sat and talked with me in mountain living rooms or on mountain front porches. And I believe what one of my interviewees, Mikki Sager, said to me, "I think the best hope for the ecosystems are going to be the people who have been there forever."

Fountain: How will being a Royster fellow affect you during the upcoming year?

KN: It has helped me already. It is such an honor to be a Royster, and I appreciate the vote of confidence the invitation represents. The stipend frees me up to finish my dissertation this year, and I am really looking forward to working with students and faculty from other disciplines.

Fountain: What are your plans for the future?

KN: After I complete my dissertation, I’ll be ready to get back in the classroom. I’d love to find a university position where I could teach women’s history, environmental history, and southern history, and potentially start or direct an oral history program.

© 2002, The Graduate School, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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