Since then, the state of Tennessee has disregarded that input and offered a disastrous proposal that would destroy both the park’s primitive nature and its wildlife habitat. None favored RV sites.”Īn approximate representation of the path of the proposed road that would begin along Rocky Fork Creek, wind its way up Flint Mountain to a proposed large campground, then continue to a scenic overlook about half way up. None were in favor of road development within the park. Foster Levy of Johnson City, TN, who served on the steering committee for almost two years, said, “all supported the concept of a primitive, low development park. To oversee and control development, a Rocky Fork steering committee met on a bi-monthly basis. With abundant wildlife, some of the region’s cleanest water, and unlimited backcountry opportunities, the park was acquired and established to preserve this primitive experience. That road ends at a small gravel parking lot, surrounded by trailheads.
TCF then sold pieces to USFS until approximately 8,000 acres had been added to Cherokee National Forest and approximately 2,000 was sold to Tennessee for the park, which was recently renamed Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park, in honor of US Senator Alexander, a champion of conservation.Īs it exists today, the park has a single, narrow, paved one-lane road, 16 feet wide and wedged between Rocky Fork Creek and the mountainside. Fortunately, several conservation organizations fought to secure the property and, in 2008, The Conservation Fund (TCF) purchased 7,387 acres and the US Forest Service (USFS) purchased 2,237 acres. BackgroundĪt 10,000 acres, Rocky Fork represented one of our last great opportunities - a chance to secure for future generations an undeveloped wilderness that’s home to dozens of imperiled species. That is indeed the case for a wildlife haven tucked in the heart of the Southern Appalachian Mountains: Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park in Unicoi County in the far northeast corner of Tennessee.Īlthough the park was established and “saved” in 2013 - and only narrowly avoided being turned into a housing development - Rocky Fork is facing one of its greatest challenges yet: a massive road-building scheme proposed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) that would destroy the very qualities the park was established to protect. Conservationists must often defend and secure wild places more than once. Brower understood that, even with formal protections, few landscapes are truly and permanently safe. As the director of the Sierra Club for almost two decades, Brower successfully spearheaded efforts to save the Grand Canyon from a dam-building project secured protections for Redwood and North Cascades National Parks and inspired the conservation movement as we know it today. That person was one of the 20th century’s most influential environmentalists, David Brower. When we win, it’s merely a stay of execution.” A famous conservationist once said that, “when they win, it’s forever.
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