Cuffs
05-16-2008, 22:37
Help Stop Backcountry Development in Nantahala National Forest
Fires Creek Watershed at Risk
We take for granted that our public lands will stay free of the development that is covering many mountainsides and ridges in Western North Carolina. Your help is needed to assure that development does not happen deep within the backcountry of the Nantahala National Forest in the pristine Fires Creek Watershed. The Fires Creek Watershed is one of the most significant watersheds in the Southern Appalachians for its wild character and recreation potential. It is rare in the region to find an isolated watershed with a trail system where multi-day hikes away from any roads are possible. It is rare to find an entire watershed of streams where the water and rare aquatic species are relatively intact. It is rare to find such a unique watershed where there is so much potential for great recreation. However, development on a 50 acre in-holding could destroy and degrade all of that. The Forest Service is in the initial stages of considering a proposal for road access to the inholding. Your comments are needed to tell the Forest Service that the public's interest in the pristine streams and forest and recreation potential of the area are more important than a private development.
The Forest Service has asked for comments on the proposal. Written comments can be sent to Steve Lohr, District Ranger, Tusquitee District Ranger, 123 Woodland Drive, Murphy, NC 28906. Comments may also be sent via email to:
[email protected] ([email protected])
Comments are needed by May 23, 2008 (although we just learned that the comment period has been informally extended for 2 weeks until June 6). Don't delay in sending these important comments in, but if you can't get them in right away, you will have through June 6.
Let the Forest Service know you don't want development allowed deep within the national forest. Below are some specific points you can make. If you use or enjoy the Fires Creek Watershed or other areas of our national forest be sure to mention that.
The Fires Creek area is an invaluable public resource that should not be degraded by building a road deep into this public land that is not needed by the public.
The scoping notice makes it sound as though there is an existing road that is drivable almost to the inholding that would provide access for the developers. This is not the case. The Phillips Ridge Trail travels up Laurel Creek and Hickory Cove Creek, in many cases a few feet from the creek banks. The trail travels on an old logging road bed that had not been maintained in decades. In use and in condition it has been a trail, and in the view of the general public it has long been a foot and horse trail. The Forest Service is calling a portion of this trail a "road", but it would require major construction to make it a road suitable for access and home construction. Much of this "road" is currently unsuitable for vehicle use because it is too close to the streams. The public sees the Phillips Ridge trail as essential trail access for the area.
The Phillips Ridge Trail leads to the Fires Creek Rim Trail, a premier 26 mile backcountry trail that travels the entire rim of the Fires Creek watershed. Road access using the Phillips Ridge Trail would destroy or degrade this trail access to the Rim Trail.
The environmental impacts of constructing this road are unacceptable. There are rare species on Laurel Creek and in Fires Creek downstream from the proposed development that could be impacted by sedimentation and pollution from the road and development.
Laurel Creek is a prime candidate for native brook trout reintroduction. The proposed road access follows the creek closely, with the creek being only a few scant feet away from the route in places. There are already sedimentation issues from the route along the creek. These sedimentation issues should be addressed and the travel way returned to the trail use that the public wants.
The Fires Creek Watershed is prime habitat for wildlife that thrives in isolation from development. Bear and other wildlife are known to avoid active roads and development. When development moves in, they are inevitably harmed. A development with road access in the midst of this otherwise unspoiled area would degrade this otherwise prime wildlife habitat.
The Rim Trail is a unique 26 mile loop that traverses the rim of the watershed. Numerous trails like the Phillips Ridge Trail wind their way through the valley along beautiful streams with cascades and waterfalls to join the Rim Trail, offering one of the most appealing trail systems in the Southern Appalachians. The proposed development lies on top of the Rim Trail. A development would drastically degrade the backcountry experience of hikers through the area. Because of the steep slopes outside the inholding, relocating the trail outside the development may be difficult or impossible.
The combination of impacts to the Phillips Ridge Trail and the Rim Trail would impact the recreation potential of the entire watershed. Trail access around the Rim Trail would at best be made more difficult even if the trail can be relocated. The backcountry experience would be degraded by the close proximity of a development. The destruction of this public recreation resource for private access is unacceptable.
A 0.9 mile section of the Phillips Ridge Trail was upgraded in 2006 for higher level road use using public storm damage funds. This road upgrade was not in the public interest and was counter to the uses called for in the Nantahala Management Plan direction. Yet the proposed development access relies on this upgraded section of road. It is not appropriate to keep this upgrade that the public does not need or want for the benefit of the developers. This section should be returned to its service as a trail and stream impacts that resulted from this upgrade should be addressed.http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/TrackImage?key=612695578
Fires Creek Watershed at Risk
We take for granted that our public lands will stay free of the development that is covering many mountainsides and ridges in Western North Carolina. Your help is needed to assure that development does not happen deep within the backcountry of the Nantahala National Forest in the pristine Fires Creek Watershed. The Fires Creek Watershed is one of the most significant watersheds in the Southern Appalachians for its wild character and recreation potential. It is rare in the region to find an isolated watershed with a trail system where multi-day hikes away from any roads are possible. It is rare to find an entire watershed of streams where the water and rare aquatic species are relatively intact. It is rare to find such a unique watershed where there is so much potential for great recreation. However, development on a 50 acre in-holding could destroy and degrade all of that. The Forest Service is in the initial stages of considering a proposal for road access to the inholding. Your comments are needed to tell the Forest Service that the public's interest in the pristine streams and forest and recreation potential of the area are more important than a private development.
The Forest Service has asked for comments on the proposal. Written comments can be sent to Steve Lohr, District Ranger, Tusquitee District Ranger, 123 Woodland Drive, Murphy, NC 28906. Comments may also be sent via email to:
[email protected] ([email protected])
Comments are needed by May 23, 2008 (although we just learned that the comment period has been informally extended for 2 weeks until June 6). Don't delay in sending these important comments in, but if you can't get them in right away, you will have through June 6.
Let the Forest Service know you don't want development allowed deep within the national forest. Below are some specific points you can make. If you use or enjoy the Fires Creek Watershed or other areas of our national forest be sure to mention that.
The Fires Creek area is an invaluable public resource that should not be degraded by building a road deep into this public land that is not needed by the public.
The scoping notice makes it sound as though there is an existing road that is drivable almost to the inholding that would provide access for the developers. This is not the case. The Phillips Ridge Trail travels up Laurel Creek and Hickory Cove Creek, in many cases a few feet from the creek banks. The trail travels on an old logging road bed that had not been maintained in decades. In use and in condition it has been a trail, and in the view of the general public it has long been a foot and horse trail. The Forest Service is calling a portion of this trail a "road", but it would require major construction to make it a road suitable for access and home construction. Much of this "road" is currently unsuitable for vehicle use because it is too close to the streams. The public sees the Phillips Ridge trail as essential trail access for the area.
The Phillips Ridge Trail leads to the Fires Creek Rim Trail, a premier 26 mile backcountry trail that travels the entire rim of the Fires Creek watershed. Road access using the Phillips Ridge Trail would destroy or degrade this trail access to the Rim Trail.
The environmental impacts of constructing this road are unacceptable. There are rare species on Laurel Creek and in Fires Creek downstream from the proposed development that could be impacted by sedimentation and pollution from the road and development.
Laurel Creek is a prime candidate for native brook trout reintroduction. The proposed road access follows the creek closely, with the creek being only a few scant feet away from the route in places. There are already sedimentation issues from the route along the creek. These sedimentation issues should be addressed and the travel way returned to the trail use that the public wants.
The Fires Creek Watershed is prime habitat for wildlife that thrives in isolation from development. Bear and other wildlife are known to avoid active roads and development. When development moves in, they are inevitably harmed. A development with road access in the midst of this otherwise unspoiled area would degrade this otherwise prime wildlife habitat.
The Rim Trail is a unique 26 mile loop that traverses the rim of the watershed. Numerous trails like the Phillips Ridge Trail wind their way through the valley along beautiful streams with cascades and waterfalls to join the Rim Trail, offering one of the most appealing trail systems in the Southern Appalachians. The proposed development lies on top of the Rim Trail. A development would drastically degrade the backcountry experience of hikers through the area. Because of the steep slopes outside the inholding, relocating the trail outside the development may be difficult or impossible.
The combination of impacts to the Phillips Ridge Trail and the Rim Trail would impact the recreation potential of the entire watershed. Trail access around the Rim Trail would at best be made more difficult even if the trail can be relocated. The backcountry experience would be degraded by the close proximity of a development. The destruction of this public recreation resource for private access is unacceptable.
A 0.9 mile section of the Phillips Ridge Trail was upgraded in 2006 for higher level road use using public storm damage funds. This road upgrade was not in the public interest and was counter to the uses called for in the Nantahala Management Plan direction. Yet the proposed development access relies on this upgraded section of road. It is not appropriate to keep this upgrade that the public does not need or want for the benefit of the developers. This section should be returned to its service as a trail and stream impacts that resulted from this upgrade should be addressed.http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/TrackImage?key=612695578