Posted on 01/13/2013 8:46:11 AM PST by haffast
Primitive N.C. retreat a bit too primitive for Watauga officials
Watauga County mountain man Eustace Conway’s passion for teaching primitive living came to a sudden halt in October when local government officials shut down his operation, citing safety and health concerns.
After receiving a tip that Conway had built structures without a permit, Watauga County Planning and Inspections Director Joe Furman obtained an administrative search warrant to inspect the roughly two dozen buildings and structures at Turtle Island Preserve, Conway’s 500-plus acre retreat in the mountains east of Boone.
In September, Furman assembled a team of building inspectors, health department officials, a tax assessor, and sheriff’s deputies, who made a surprise visit to the site. Conway refers to the inspection as a “raid.”
The following month, local officials ordered Conway to stop hosting visitors and interns at Turtle Island Preserve until he obtains several permits.
snip
(Excerpt) Read more at johnlocke.org ...
The Battle at Turtle Island Continues, Both Sides Stand Firm as Sen. Soucek Could Become Unlikely Mediator - Dec. 7, 2012
"Conway shows reporters the compost pile that he said was deemed illegal by Watauga County officials."
- Unsound structures with rock foundations, high winds could be problematic
- All lumber used in buildings is unmarked – not certified by a grading organization
- Motor vehicles without valid license plates
- No gate or protective measure surrounds the preserve’s sawmill
- Each structure doesn’t have fire access roads nearby
- Buildings don’t have kitchen areas, sinks, bathrooms, potable hot water, showers
- Unacceptable exterior wood treatment on one of the buildings consisted of motor oil
- Building code doesn’t allow use of outhouses for public use
http://www.hcpress.com/news/turtle-island-story.html
The History Channal - Meet the Mountain Men > Eustace Conway
http://www.history.com/shows/mountain-men/bios/eustace-conway
The Legend: Eustace Conway - (Our State magazine)
http://www.ourstate.com/eustace-conway/
Watauga County ‘mountain man’ fighting to keep his nature camp open - Friday, Dec. 07, 2012
UPDATE: Conway arrested for trespassing
http://www2.wataugademocrat.com/News/story/UPDATE-Conway-arrested-for-trespassing-id-009888
"Currently Closed"
Turtle Island Preserve is currently closed to the public.
We are not accepting any visitors at this time.
Thank you for your support of Turtle Island Preserve.
828-265-2267
http://www.turtleislandpreserve.com/home
Does a bear poop in the woods?
.
Don’t these officials have anything better to do, ferchrissake?
And terminated, when the time comes.
I’ve seen this guy on that Mountain Men show. He strikes me as a hippy
Permit this, tax that, regulate everything.
That’s big brother for ya. No more freedom from over reaching government. Sad.
“and herd all the peasants into high-rise containment facilities”
Our own personal Warsaws.
Come and get me coppers!
/johnny
I also saw him on the show. When you stick your head up and cry for attention, nobodies like you and I notice, but so do meddlesome petty local bureaucrats with work schedules to fill each week.
They always start with the eccentric outliers. “Look at that nut. We did it for his own protection!” Or witness the Freeper above who says he looks like a “hippy”. Guess that makes it all ok, then.
[[Watauga County mountain man Eustace Conway’s passion for teaching primitive living came to a sudden halt in October when local government officials shut down his operation, citing safety and health concerns.]]
Correction- Eustace Conway hireso n lackeys who ‘want hte wilderness experience’ so that he himself doesn’t have to work any longer- just orders kids around and makes them do the dirtry work that he doesn’t liek doing- and let’s not forget, that he became delinquint on his taxes on his 1000+ acre stretch of land that he was given hte privilege of maintaining-
Eustace is NOT innocent in all this- He was on giovenrmentl and, and most likely agreed to certaibn things in order to be allowed to live their and he neglected to fulfill his part of hte bargain. This was NOT his own land-
Yep, some of those ‘buildings’ he has are a joke. Any old timer I know would have been ashamed to have their names on such poorly built and maintained structures.
Did I say it made it ok? Or are you just a liar?
We have watched this guy on TV and he’s always crying about something. He got behind on his taxes so he cried about that for 2 shows. Everybody’s agains’t him blah, blah, blah. Hey Eustace, just be grateful you have 500 acres of land and get a job and pay your taxes.
I was wondering how he had so much land. In one show he was chasing “poachers” off his land. I kinda wonder if it was someone on the public land.
Compared to the other two guys in that show he’s a piker.
He did not directly say that you said it was okay. Nothing to get upset over IMO.
The government doesn’t tolerate people who refuse to be under its control. Live in the woods without paying taxes or getting government handouts is something that bureaucrats can’t stand.
The guy is a hippy who is living off other people. He’s not a conservative who wants to live a primitive life.
[[I was wondering how he had so much land. In one show he was chasing “poachers” off his land.]]
Yeah, not so much- two overweight people AND a camaeraman ‘chasing a lone fit hunter’ and catchign up with him? I don’t think so- it- like ALL the ‘reality shows’ was correographed for maximum ‘drama’ (read: The ‘poacher’ was nothing more than an actor hired to pretend he was poaching)
Eustace charges $95 dollars for ‘spoon carving lessons’ which I’m sure his lackeys happily fork over to him in order to ‘learn how to carve’ a spoon-lol
Eustace is nothing more than a hippy hypocrite who loves capitalism when it coems to himself, but despises it for everyoen else- He’s a merketting entrepeneur who has learned that clueless kids ‘looking for a wilderness experience’ will jump at the chance to do all his dirty and hard work while he sits back and rakes in the dough- I’m not certain, but htese kids probably even have to PAY him for the ‘privilege’ of his ‘experience’
He’s a capitalist who doesn’t pay his taxes- bottom line-
I understand that. Just ignore him and live your own life. I'm not condoning him. Never heard of him. Never watched his show. Other than a heavy handed raid by the government it wouldn't even be newsworthy here. So I read it and go on.
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