The Last Ones Out: The impacts of the National Park Service on the inhabitants of Cataloochee Valley, NC

Poster will highlight the benefits and drawbacks associated with the establishment of the National Park Service in western North Carolina. Specifically focusing on the Cataloochee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the implementation of government regulations culturally and geographically affected the region in ways that did not always align. Some programs disenfranchised the local population, but simultaneously supplied the federal protection that has provided land the public can enjoy for years to come.