Everything in Conway’s Turtle Island Preserve is organic and made from nature. The preserve’s website notes the property’s buildings are “carved literally from the wilderness.”
But the naturalness of the property is precisely what has sparked county officials to take notice. Officials say unless Conway can meet building codes and safety regulations, the camp and school will be closed.
“If we complied to everything the county is requesting, we would cease to exist as we are,” one Turtle Island staffer said. “We are inherently primitive.”
The county says it is just looking to fulfill its duty to protect public health and safety.
“The primary concern of the county is that these visitors are in and out of these buildings which were neither permitted nor inspected for compliance with the NC building code,” said the Watauga County Planning and Inspections Department.
“This is supposed to be the land of the free. Government is supposed to help people, protect their individual liberties and freedom — that’s not what’s happening here,” said Conway.