Interviewer: My question is you know the movement of Khao Yai for the last 5 years is unbelievable, like black and white. You know the last 5 years until today, it’s so many new housing projects and many new you know hotels, resorts, gold courses, restaurants and even the house of the rich people coming. Now the point is mostly of the just built in any places that they have road, you know? But the problem is we still don’t have the good master plan in the next 10, 20 or30 years yet. What is your comment? What we should concern? How to do? I know that you talking about the local government and the community about the those people who have a business that is they cooperate together with your National Park at the Great Smokies. But from your opinion here, what you feel and how you would like to suggest?
Maria: Well I do think the example we heard from Gatlinburg and Great Smokies that a cooperative and coordinated planning program is very important. Zoning, thinking about the capacity of how much water there is, how much land there is, how many roads you’ll need to make sure that everyone can get to and from their house. So that these things are planned and coordinated and you don’t find 10 years from now all of a sudden too many people here and not enough water there, power plant is inadequate, you know not enough electricity or whatever. And the worst part about that is I think not only are people going to be uncomfortable, property values will fall but the visit to the National Park will be effected too. People will be driving through this mess and coming into the National Park and that’s not ideal.
Kevin: I think to get to another part of your question that’s important is, it takes leadership. Takes people like you who have a place in Khao Yai, it takes government officials who are strong leaders, it takes other members of the community and the business community who have a willingness like Dale described in the Gatlinburg who are willing to sit down and put their position aside and come together based on their collective interest in making improvements and ensuring that growth is done in a smart responsible way. Ok? And not just what’s in it for me but what’s in it for all of us. And that’s what it takes, it takes people willing to lead and lead smartly and then you can preserve the future and have a good vision for all to enjoy.
Interviewer: In Gatlinburg how long it takes..took us the kind of corporations?
Dale: Well the 3 things that I’ve mentioned that took place in the town, of architecture and underground power and the vista or the view protection probably about 15 years.
Interviewer: 15 years. Wow!
Dale: From the first meeting of the foundation which they had a set of a vision to be the best gateway community to a park to the actual implementation of those things was about 15 years.
Interviewer: And the leaders, mostly is by the National Park to be leading the ideas, visions?
Maria & Dale: No
Interviewer: or what? How that operates?
Kevin: You know it was interesting in that, the foundation was led by people in the community. The park service’s role was we were invited to sit in and attend as an ad-hoc member to the committee but we didn’t vote. We shared our opinions but the decisions were made by the people who were most affected by it. And that’s why it was so effective. It wasn’t the government telling them what to do. They wanted to make that positive change and they initiated it and it wasn’t necessarily popular with everyone. Not everyone in the community agreed. You know? Some wanted what you know, what’s theirs’ was theirs’ and not for anybody else. But it took strength, fortitude, will..
Maria: vision.
Kevin: ..vision and to make it successful.
Interviewer: So it can say that the operator is the people there?
Maria &Kevin: Yes.
Interviewer: But you are the one who advise or leading some ideas and support some..
Dale: Yea.
Interviewer: .. kind of information or whatever for them.
Dale: They ask us for examples in other National Parks. At Zion National Park, at Rocky National Park, at Grand Teton National Park. They ask us what were those communities doing that made them a gateway to a National Park. And we could offer that experience as well.