SELC joins sportsmen, other conservationists in protecting native trout streams in Nantahala National Forest
Severe erosion of ORV trails in the Tellico Area of the Nantahala National Forest channels muddy water to nearby streams, threatening some of the last brook trout populations in the Southern Appalachians.
For generations of Southerners, the brook trout is a symbol of the region's natural bounty and plentiful outdoors recreation opportunities. The native species, which survives only in the cleanest, coldest water, is also a symbol of water quality in our mountains.
Decades of intensive logging, sprawl development and other impacts have polluted trout streams and extirpated brookies from much of their historical range. In the South, some of the last, best habitat for this fish is on public lands.
One of these areas is the upper Tellico River watershed, with headwaters in the Nantahala National Forest in Cherokee County, North Carolina; the watershed flows into the Cherokee National Forest in bordering Tennessee. For years, Tellico has been a popular destination for anglers.
It's also become one of the largest and most intensively used areas for off-road vehicle (ORV) users. The sport entails driving customized "monster" trucks, as well as smaller all-terrain vehicles through rugged terrain - the steeper the trails, the more challenging. And the more damaging to the forest floor and water quality.
Years of heavy use and erosion have turned trails in the Tellico area into massive ditches, some more than seven feet deep. In wet conditions, these ditches channel muddy water into nearby streams.
The US Forest Service has designated 40 miles of trails in the Tellico area for ORV use - twice the legal limit. This doesn't take into account the innumberable smaller illegal trails forged by ORV users. Further, in violation of federal and state law, many of these trails are within 100 feet of streams and creeks. The agency's own studies show that brook trout populations in the area and downstream in Tennessee have declined due to impacts from ORV use. Yet the agency has failed to take the necessary steps to protect and restore the trout streams.
On June 28, SELC filed a "notice of intent to sue" the agency for failing to enforce the law. We are representing Trout Unlimited, both the North Carolina and Tennessee Councils, as well as Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and the Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project. We are calling on the Forest Service to permanently close the most environmentally damaging trails, and seasonally close the entire system.
With ORV use growing rapidly in the South's national forests, our legal action aims to make clear to the Forest Service its responsibility to get on top of the problem now.http://www.selcga.org/cases/tellico_orv/index.htm