Sylva Town Board members are brainstorming for ways to manage the Fisher Creek watershed, a 1,088-acre tract recently placed into a permanent conservation easement with the help of a $3.5 million grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

The land, located on the outskirts of town off Skyland Drive, was purchased in 1912. The watershed was decommissioned in 1992 when the town, along with other municipalities and county government, formed the Tuckasegee Water and Sewer Authority. TWSA built a new water intake, treatment and transmission facility in Cullowhee to serve the town and central Jackson County, thereby negating the need for the Fisher Creek watershed.

In conjunction with the creation of TWSA, the town passed a six-part resolution stating that the land would remain public and open to recreation. An outgrowth of that resolution was the Pinnacle Park Foundation. Foundation projects have focused on developing a system of hiking trails that run all the way from Fisher Creek to Waterrock Knob.

Pinnacle Park is a very primitive area, said Jay Coward, president of the Pinnacle Park Foundation for the past 15 years. One brown sign tells hikers that they have made it to their destination. There are no other markings to tell where the trailhead begins for the East Fork or West Fork trails. Luckily, both trails meet up at Black Rock, which features an amazing view.

With the park now under the town’s stewardship, there is a much better chance that more expensive infrastructure projects — such as a picnic area or a shelter — could be built, Coward said.

Coward also says the foundation plans to continue to be involved with the park’s conservation by assisting town leaders with trail development and applying for grant funding for additional signage.

Sylva town board members began discussing the possibility of expanding the foundation board in December 2007.

“It’s a jewel and we need to do the highest and best for it,” Mayor Brenda Oliver said. “I’d like for us to get enough people together that we cover all the aspects of it to protect it and not destroy it.”

Alderwoman Sarah Graham suggested that the foundation transition into a friends group similar to organizations like the Friends of the Smokies. By creating this type of organization it will spur more community involvement, Graham said.

“I think there’s a whole lot of interest in the community to serve on that board,” Graham said.

Alderman Maurice Moody agreed.

“I think that would be a good idea,” he said. “I want to include as much of the public as I can in using it.”

Some of the issues that town board members will need to decide is if the watershed will allow recreational uses such as mountain biking and horseback riding or if it will only be open to hikers.

But before these issues are addressed, Coward says that some of the park’s trails are in need of repair.

Erosion has caused some wear and tear. Members of the foundation have met with the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee River, which has suggested that a plan be developed to reduce erosion. The land trust has been helping town board members and the foundation with the park management.