We must save the wild treasures of East Tennessee

Think of how the forests and mountains of the southern Appalachians shaped the lives of the pioneers who crossed them to settle in places like Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol. Following trails blazed by Daniel Boone, Henry Johnson came here to found Johnson City in 1856, along the newly laid railroad running from Chattanooga to Bristol.

Now, young families like mine can relive some of that pioneering era of the East Tennessee wilderness, thanks to the Cherokee National Forest — public lands for all of us to enjoy. Some of the most untamed parts of this forest have been designated as “wilderness areas” by Congress, the strongest form of protection for wild nature on our public lands.

Growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I have been captivated by their beauty as long as I can remember and have become passionate to protect and conserve their ever-vanishing ecosystems. In these places, we can find trails to walk through the forests along pristine mountain streams to dramatic cascades or waterfalls. Here, we have the opportunity to leave behind the sounds of our mechanized world and instead, take in the sounds of nature, quiet and soothing for the soul.

In my work as a conservation photographer, I try to capture the spirit of the wildest places in the Cherokee National Forest. Sometimes I find myself overwhelmed, almost intoxicated by the beauty laid out before me in one of these natural sanctuaries. My dream is that my young daughter, Serén, will not only have these magnificent Cherokee wilderness areas to grow up in, but that the experiences she enjoys with us today, even as a toddler, will remain inviolate and be passed on by her to the next generation — a perpetual, living gift of the original Tennessee.

This is my case for better protecting the wilderness areas in the Cherokee National Forest, which is what is now proposed in Congress by Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker. Yes, these areas offer us recreation, but from a larger perspective, I want to see these special places preserved as a gift I believe our generation must protect and pass on to future generations of Tennesseans.

Here, not far from Johnson City, Congress established the Big Laurel Branch Wilderness in 1986, stretching along the south end of Iron Mountain. The new legislation championed by Alexander and Corker will improve on that first step, adding 4,446 acres extending further along the ridge, and protecting more of the wild country traversed by the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

Further south, the existing Sampson Mountain Wilderness, a neighbor to Rocky Fork, was also established in 1986. Here, the new legislation would add 2,922 acres to better protect the area for hiking, fishing and other family recreation activities.

Bear in mind that no private lands are involved in these proposals, since all of the land is already part of our Cherokee National Forest. After an extensive planning process, with many opportunities for everyone to let their opinions be heard, the U.S. Forest Service recommended these additions to our two nearby wilderness areas.

I hope you will join me and my family in exploring these wilderness treasures. And I hope you will join us in expressing your support to Alexander and Corker for their leadership and in asking our Congressman, U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, to get behind this legislation as well. If we all make our support known, our elected leaders can bring the proposed Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2010 to success this year.

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Jerry D. Greer of Johnson City is the founding partner of Mountain Trail Press and is the photographer of the book, “Blue Ridge: Ancient and Majestic.” For details about the wilderness proposals and to view Sen. Lamar Alexander’s speech explaining his new legislation, visit http://tnwild.org.