The U.S. Forest Service announced that the agency is requesting public comments on a proposal to permit a Heritage Center and establish a Southern Appalachian Farmstead living history interpretive site on 20 acres in the Wild and Scenic Chattooga River corridor in South Carolina. Read the press release here. The proposed site is on highway 28 "near" the Wild and Scenic Chattooga, see map.
Activities being considered in the proposal include the construction and remodeling of historic structures, placement of 12 additional relocated historic buildings, the construction of a 30-vehicle parking lot and the installation of public restroom facilities. The Forest Service scoping letter can be found here.
A public meeting is scheduled for August 31, 2009 at the Oconee Heritage Center in Walhalla from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. where Forest Service officials will discuss the proposal and answer questions.
American Whitewater is not opposed to limited preservation of some parts of the old farmstead and stagecoach route with recognition for the site and its history. However, we are concerned about the following points of the proposed plan:
- New tourism attractions inside the Wild and Scenic corridor.
- Invasive or non native species being introduced inside the Wild and Scenic corridor.
- New erosion and sedimentation inside the Wild and Scenic corridor.
- Use of pesticides or fertilizers inside the Wild and Scenic corridor.
- Construction, reconstruction, or replacement of buildings, roads, or farms inside the Wild and Scenic corridor.
Paddlers who are interested in the Chattooga River are encouraged to attend the Forest Service meeting on August 31, 2009 at the Oconee Heritage Center in Walhalla from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Or, your comments can be emailed to the US Forest Service here. Comments must be submitted by September 4.
The image below is the site being evaluated, it’s the open fields on river left below or south of the 28 bridge.Unfortunately, the Forest Service documents omitted their appendix that includes a map of the proposal.
