<< Back 12/11/02 Speak up about national park issues By Carolyn A. Shepherd Powerful forces are seeking to dismember key portions of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Retiring Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina and Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) are pushing controversial and destructive proposals long opposed by the National Park Service (NPS) and conservation groups. The North Shore Road proposal is an issue that has been fiercely debated for decades. With the prodding of Congressman Taylor and Sen. Helms, Congress gave it new life in 2001 when it appropriated $16 million to begin the road’s construction. If built, the road would bisect a wild section of the park and become an environmental disaster. The other proposal, a 144-acre land swap with the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, would be no less a disaster for the natural, cultural and scenic integrity of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Blue Ridge Parkway. Most recently, Congressman Taylor introduced HR 5468, legislation that would circumvent environmental reviews currently underway and direct the NPS to transfer the 144 acres in exchange for steep acreage elsewhere in North Carolina near the parkway. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Dale Kildee (D-Mo.), and Brad Carson (D-Okla.). These plans have generated opposition from those concerned with park conservation. Last month, The Washington Post reported that David Mihalic, a Park Service veteran who had been scheduled to take over as superintendent of the Great Smokies, chose to retire rather than take orders to approve these projects that he had opposed 15 years earlier when stationed in the Smokies. Indeed, in 1971 the NPS denied a similar request from Cherokee to build a golf course on the same property along Big Cove Road. The parklands currently in question are primarily flat, open meadows that stretch for two miles along Raven Fork Creek and the Oconaluftee River, only a few hundred feet from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near the North Carolina park entrance. The land is rich in both history and in science. The tract, known as Ravensford, was acquired and settled by white settlers in the late 1700s. In the 1930s, North Carolina purchased it and donated it to be included in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The site is also rich in ancient cultural significance, with site occupation going back 8,000 years. Findings important to science have also been discovered on the land. On the property in question alone, natural scientists have discovered 51 species new to science. The property lies in a major undeveloped floodplain and contains two miles of stream frontage along the two aforementioned major scenic waterways. More than one mile of this frontage includes both sides of Raven Fork Creek. Although the municipality of Cherokee desires the property in order to move and rebuild three reservation schools, the enormous impact from this action and the cost associated with loss of sensitive parkland does not justify doing the land swap. Noise and lights from development would intrude on the now peaceful adjacent visitor center complex. Traffic congestion would increase, snarling traffic on U.S. Highway 441 at the park entrance near Cherokee. In addition, development on the site that adjoins and crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway would impact two miles of the parkway’s scenic vistas. Furthermore, children in Cherokee and other surrounding communities can receive far greater benefits from using this parkland as an “outdoor classroom.” The 56,000-acre Cherokee reservation contains several alternative sites for the schools. It is almost inconceivable that this land request is receiving serious consideration. The proposal to remove a two-mile piece of land from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is simply not necessary. Early park leaders and promoters fought against tremendous odds to create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and thus save an incredibly beautiful natural area. In turn, this beauty has contributed to the economies of surrounding counties through travel and tourism. By law, the government is mandated to preserve and permanently hold unimpaired the parkland for the enjoyment of future generations. The Park is one of the crown jewels of America’s natural heritage. It is a priceless treasure whose value is entrusted to the National Park Service to protect, interpret, and administer for the benefit of all citizens. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park belongs to ALL people. We are obligated to respect, defend and take care of this special place. Accordingly, we must hold elected representatives and the NPS accountable in meeting that obligation. Members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate need your voice on this issue — let them know your opposition to HR 5468. Fran Mainella, director of the National Park Service, also needs to hear your voice, as she will soon be making a decision on the land swap. She can be contacted at the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., 20242. (Shepherd resides in Jonesborough, Tenn. She is a regular visitor to the park and a member of the National Parks and Conservation Association, which defends National Park System areas.)