Over the past decade, Jay Leutze has served as key leader and advocate for regional conservation initiatives in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. His experiences and passion for conservation were best accentuated through his relentless pursuit to stop a rock-crushing development along the Appalachian Trail on Belview Mountain in North Carolina.
Formally trained in law, Mr. Leutze did more than lead a legal battle to right the wrong brought on this small Appalachia community. Through his journey, he transformed the mindset of a region, and proved that a committed community can make an impact on a highly political system in the South.
“There’s a history of taking advantage of people in Appalachia,” he said. “There’s a suspicion of outsiders with new ideas of what you should do with your land. Our lesson is that we found we share many of the same concerns of what you lose when land use changes so radically. We've discovered we have the same goals of people that have been here for generations."
Mr. Leutze will speak at green|spaces from 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6. He will do a reading from his book and engage the audience in question and answers.
Mr. Leutze is the author of Stand Up That Mountain, which can be purchased at the event, and also here.
Watch a video interview with Jay on UNCTV
here.