Tennessee Wild News Commentary

 

A bill currently in the U.S. Senate - the Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2011(S.1090) - will permanently designate nearly 20,000 acres of the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee as wilderness.  This is good news for those that value Tennessee's incredible natural heritage and their own health  

The Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2011 is now before Congress. It has the support of our two senators, Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, as well as a coalition of environment and wildlife groups.

It is a measure that deserves to be passed and enacted into law. Tennessee Wild is a coalition of groups working to expand wilderness in Tennessee's Cherokee National Forest. Member groups include Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, Smoky Mountain Hiking Club, Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and The Wilderness Society, among others.

A bill now in Congress would place 19,556 acres of Tennessee located in Cherokee National Forest in a permanent wilderness area.

In addition to permanently protecting areas already being managed administratively as wilderness by the Cherokee National Forest, the bill would not close any roads, would not require new appropriations and would not cause any loss of taxes to local communities. Congress is the only authority who can make a wilderness area permanent.

A passion for the outdoors led me on a journey 11 years ago to walk the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. From that point on, I have worked to get people out and explore the many wild places that our country has to offer.

             Strolling along the Tennessee Riverwalk heading east, you look toward the mountains that give rise to the great river that dominates Chattanooga.  While the Tennessee River has significant water quality problems due to urban runoff and sewage waste, they would be worse were it not for protection of the mountain watersheds, including the Ocoee River, the Bald River and the Little Tennessee River.

 

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Tennessee Wilderness Act of 1986.  That important legislation created five wilderness areas (Big Laurel Branch, Unaka Mountain, Pond Mountain, Sampson Mountain, and Little Frog) and expanded the Big Frog Wilderness. The 1986 Wilderness Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan, Sr., marked the last time any land in Tennessee received Wilderness status.

We often hear politicians and business leaders talk about “win-win” situations to describe solutions that benefit all the parties involved. Even so, we don’t see this cliché put into practice very much in Washington. Extreme partisanship leaves little room for compromise.

There are some issues, however, that should transcend political bickering. Finding an agreement on raising the debt ceiling is certainly one of them. We have no doubt Congress will resolve this issue before the Aug. 2 deadline, although we doubt the end results will be anything groundbreaking.

With the budget battles looming in Congress and with politicians posturing for the 2012 presidential race, adding acreage to the Cherokee National Forest might not be an attention grabber - but it is important to Tennessee.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jan/02/to-guard-americas-wilderness/?opiniontimes

 http://www.oakridger.com/columnists/x109289581/Wilderness-protection-ensures-American-access-to-nature