Tag Archives: Tennessee’s Wildest State Park

TDEC Extends Deadline for Comments to March 15

Just giving everyone an update: You now have more time to make comments on the 10-year plan, details below.

This article appeared in yesterday’s Erwin Record. The deadline for submitting comments on Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s 10-year Statewide Parks, Recreation and Conservation Plan 2030—which includes state parks such as Rocky Fork—is tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 19.

While I can’t explain the short notice, we all still have time to review the document and submit comments. While this document goes into a wide range of issues, the management of state parks is included, buried within the material.

TDEC does not often give us such an opportunity to comment, so I hope folks will take advantage at this time to let your opinion be known to those who manage our parks.

Fact Sheet on the Rocky Fork Development Issue

The mission statement of Tennessee state parks reads in part “to protect and preserve the unique natural, cultural and historic resources of Tennessee.” The State Parks Act of 1937, which created the parks, reads in part “that every park under the provisions of this act shall be preserved in its natural condition, so far as to be consistent with its human use and safety, and all improvements shall be of such character as not to harm its inherent recreational values.”

The current development plans for Rocky Fork State Park are not consistent with these provisions and should be revised, with an abundance of public input, until they are. The following fact sheet was recently prepared by three conservation organizations to help raise awareness of the threat Rocky Fork faces. Please feel free to show it to friends or contacts who want or need to know more about what is going on. Feel free to email me if you cannot readily access the document or want a PDF or another format.

Other voices besides our own have begun to be raised and heard on the issue. We appreciate anything and everything you do to help Rocky Fork. Sharing information, even with a few people, goes a long way toward the overall goal of making everyone who loves this place aware of the situation. Thank you!