Photo of Turtle Island's Eustace Conway on his ranch in N.C. from theadvocate.com

It's hard to say how much “reality” is in the History Channel's “Mountain Men” TV series – but I confess to watching and enjoying the program. Here's an interesting article on Eustace Conway, the North Carolina mountain man who promotes sustainable and primative living. It's a tale of man v's government and how the popular TV series may have saved his beloved Turtle Island near the Pisgah National Forest:

“Acting on a complaint about alleged illegal building, officials from the Watauga County Planning and Inspection Department raided Turtle Island last fall and found dozens of structures without required permits. Citing numerous potential health and safety code violations, the county attorney gave Conway three options: Bring the buildings up to minimum state standards, have an expert certify that they already met code and obtain proper permits, or tear them down.”

http://www.wral.com/reality-tv-meets-real-world-mountain-man-style/12764635/