Conservation

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"National Park Service Selects Monetary Settlement to Resolve North Shore Road Issue"

On December 28, 2007 Paul Anderson, the Acting Southeast Regional Director of the National Park Service, signed a Record of Decision
(ROD) that officially calls for a monetary settlement to Swain County, North Carolina as the conclusion to the Environmental Impact Statement
process at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The decision clears the way for a new agreement to be crafted between the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) and the other three parties to a
1943 Agreement which called for the construction of a 34-mile long road on the North Shore of Fontana Lake as a replacement for an earlier road that was flooded by the Lake during WWII.

Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said, “We anticipate scheduling a meeting early in the new year between a representative of the
Secretary Interior and representatives of the Swain County Commission, North Carolina Governor Easley, and the Tennessee Valley Authority to develop a new document that will replace the 1943 Agreement. In anticipation of negotiations towards a new agreement and a monetary settlement, Representative Heath Shuler (NC) and Senator Lamar Alexander (TN) were successful in including $6 million in the 2008 DOI budget which was signed on December 26 to be available as an initial payment to Swain County.”

Ditmanson continued, “We sincerely appreciate the involvement of the public as well as local and national government officials throughout
the EIS process that has allowed us to reach a solution that will both compensate Swain County and protect the resources of the Park.”

Bob Miller
Management Assistant
Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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Big Change for the Chattahoochee National Forest

It almost looks as though we have a new national forest in northern Georgia. Instead, it is a much “remodeled” (revamped) version of the good ol’ Chattahoochee National Forest.

Now after some years of changes, combining, and closing of district offices, the Chattahoochee has been reduced from seven to three districts, with new names, district lines, and acreage.

So now let me introduce you to the new, and only, ranger districts (RD) of Georgia’s northern forest: Chattooga River Ranger District (eastern third replacing the Chattooga and Tallulah districts), Blue Ridge Ranger District (central third replacing the Brasstown and Toccoa districts), and the Conasauga Ranger District (western third replacing the Cohutta and Armuchee districts). Along with a district formerly centered in Dahlonega that was closed some years ago, this is a reduction in districts finally from seven to three.

AN IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: To help avoid confusion, please note that the newly named “Blue Ridge Ranger District” has its office in Blairsville and should not be confused with the former Toccoa Ranger District which had its office in the town of Blue Ridge, GA.

So far as this affects our BMTA management contacts, a key ingredient of this shift is the movement of the dividing district lines eastward between the district office in Chatsworth (now Conasauga) and the former office in Blue Ridge (Toccoa RD) that is now in Blairsville (now Blue Ridge RD). The dividing district line is no longer here along the eastern rampart of the Cohutta Range and Tumbling Lead. The new Conasauga - Blue Ridge districts’ line follows Hwy. 515/76 north between the towns of Ellijay and Blue Ridge, then turns almost due north along GA 5 to the Tennessee line. All the Cohutta Range and the BMT therein is now in the Conasauga District.

With this great restructuring, the Blue Ridge district is now the forest’s largest with 301,986 acres; Chattatooga River is second with 260,951; and Conasauga concludes with 187,976. This gives a total of 750,913 acres in the Chattahoochee NF.

The combining of offices and overall restructuring has been done over the spring and early summer this year, with completion by the end of July 2007.

The new districts and boundaries are shown on the website www.fs.fed.us/conf - then choose “Digital Forest Map.” Another much more detailed option is to purchase the new Chattahoochee National Forest map that became available this May in district offices for $9.00.

The Supervisor’s Office for the Chattahoochee National Forest remains at its same Gainesville address.

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