[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 9, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4747-S4749]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself and Mr. Corker):
  S. 3470. A bill to designate as wilderness certain public land in the 
Cherokee National Forest in the State of Tennessee, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Corker and myself, 
I rise to introduce the Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2010. The 
legislation will implement an important next step in conservation for 
some of the wildest, most beautiful and pristine areas in east 
Tennessee near where I live. To say that these are among the wildest, 
most pristine and beautiful areas sets a very high bar since the region 
is home to the Appalachian Mountains, and our Nation's most visited 
national park, a World Heritage site--in fact, one of the most visited 
sites in the world--the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, much of 
which is managed as if it were a wilderness area.
  From growing up in these mountains and my many years of hiking the 
quiet trails of the Cherokee National Forest, I can attest that the 
wilderness areas we protected there are something very special. 
Congress began protecting wilderness areas in the Cherokee National 
Forest in 1975, with additional wilderness areas being established by 
the Tennessee Wilderness Act of 1984 and the Tennessee Wilderness Act 
of 1986. I was Governor of Tennessee during that time. I remember 
testifying on behalf of and strongly supporting our congressional 
delegation as we did that. I know sometimes our western friends are 
surprised to see Tennessee Republicans advocating wilderness, bragging 
about the fact that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is managed 
in large extent as if it were a wilderness area and adding certain 
sections of the Cherokee National Forest to wilderness.
  The Federal Government doesn't own very much of our land, but we have 
lots of visitors. Two or three times as many people visited the Great 
Smokies as visit Yellowstone. We have lots of visitors but very little 
Federal land. We like to protect it. We like to have clean air. We like 
to enjoy it ourselves.
  We like the Cherokee National Forest because it gives us an 
opportunity to do some things we can't do in the national park. We can 
hunt, fish, ride horses, camp, do things in a great many ways. I 
believe this legislation, the Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2010, will 
create for Tennessee families and especially Tennessee youngsters, who 
need to be outdoors and away from the computer screens and television 
screens, an even more attractive opportunity to enjoy this beautiful 
part of our natural heritage.
  I emphasize that the lands that will be designated as wilderness by 
this legislation are already Federal lands. They are part of the 
Cherokee National Forest. The areas covered were recommended for 
wilderness by the U.S. Forest Service in the development of its 
comprehensive 2004 forest plan which included extensive opportunities 
for public comment. Those areas have been managed as if they were 
wilderness areas since that time.
  This new bill will officially designate as wilderness nearly 20,000 
acres as recommended by the Forest Service. The bill establishes one 
new wilderness area, the 9,038 acre Upper Bald River Wilderness in 
Monroe County. This new area complements the existing Bald River Gorge 
Wilderness. It lies just south of that existing area, separated only by 
the Bald River Road, which will, of course, remain an open public road.
  By protecting the Upper Bald River Wilderness as well as the existing 
wilderness area, we will be protecting most of the Bald River 
watershed. Excellent trails traverse the Upper Bald River area, 
including the Benton MacKaye Trail, offering excellent hiking, 
backpacking, and horseback riding, as well as access for hunters and 
fishermen.
  The rest of the lands designated as wilderness in this legislation 
are relatively small but important additions to some of the areas 
Congress established in 1975, 1984 and 1986. They have the effect of 
better protecting not only ecosystems and watersheds but also the 
diverse recreational value of these areas.
  At the southern end of the Cherokee National Forest is one of the 
largest national forest wilderness complexes in the Southeastern United 
States. It comprises the Cohutta Wilderness, most of which lies in 
Georgia, and the Big Frog Wilderness in Polk County, TN. The new 
legislation makes a small but important addition of 348 acres to the 
Big Frog Wilderness. The Big Frog-Cohutta combination, with adjacent 
primitive areas, creates the largest track of wilderness on national 
forest lands in the Eastern United States.
  In the same way, the new legislation makes two small but important 
additions to the Little Frog Mountain Wilderness, also in Polk County. 
These additions, totaling 966 acres, were recommended by the Forest 
Service to give more logical boundaries to the Little Frog Mountain 
Wilderness and protect the corridor for the Benton MacKaye Trail.
  In upper east Tennessee, in Unicoi and Washington Counties, this new 
legislation would add 2,922 acres to the Sampson Mountain Wilderness. 
This is at the heart of a marvelous scenic region of our State. Along 
these scenic trails, visitors can see flame azalea, mountain laurel, 
rhododendron, trailing arbutus, crested dwarf iris, mayapple, 
bloodroot, toothwort, magnolia, dogwood, redbud, and many other 
flowering plants, shrubs, and trees. The last 2 or 3 months have been 
the time of year to visit that area with its many species of shrubs and 
trees.
  The 1986 Tennessee Wilderness Act established the Big Laurel Branch 
Wilderness in Carter and Johnson Counties at the furthest upper east 
Tennessee end of our State. The new legislation proposes to add 4,446 
acres, including some 4.5 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic 
Trail. The addition lies along the slopes of Iron Mountain just north 
of Watauga Lake, one of the cleanest lakes in America.

  The final element of the new legislation is an important addition to 
the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness. Here visitors will find perhaps 
the most impressive stands of virgin eastern forest in the United 
States. The 1,836-acre addition includes remnant old-growth forest. The 
Benton MacKaye Trail passes through this area, making it a

[[Page S4748]]

popular destination for horseback riders and hikers.
  This is a simple bill, but it will make a significant contribution 
for these wild and pristine areas of the Cherokee National Forest.
  I thank and salute the Cherokee National Forest staff and the many 
citizens of Tennessee who worked to define these proposals and to build 
grassroots support. These proposals have broad support from outdoors 
clubs, trail maintenance groups, local businesses, and conservation 
organizations.
  I specifically want to thank Will Skelton, a Knoxville lawyer who has 
been instrumental in conservation for decades in Tennessee. No one has 
done more to help more families appreciate, enjoy, and hike in the 
Cherokee National Forest than has Will Skelton. I thank the Tennessee 
Wild group for their role in this proposal.
  Getting out in the woods and mountains of east Tennessee is an ever 
more popular activity. People go to the wilderness to experience nature 
most wild, walking a trail to some resting place where the noises are 
trees creaking, the smells are of wet moss and leaves, the colors are 
pure, and the world is at peace. That is why these protected wilderness 
areas have such immense value for our people, and it is why the value 
will multiply many times as our world grows more crowded.
  The foundational statute under which we protect the wilderness areas 
is the 1964 Wilderness Act. The Congress of that time showed 
extraordinary prescience about the threats that destroy wilderness:

       In order to assure that an increasing population, 
     accompanied by expanding settlement and growing 
     mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas of the 
     United States and its possessions, leaving no lands 
     designated for preservation and protection in their natural 
     condition, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the 
     Congress to secure for the American people of present and 
     future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of 
     wilderness.

  We need more opportunities for young Americans to get away from the 
computer screens and into the American outdoors. Eastern Tennessee 
provides a beautiful place to do that, and this act will provide more 
opportunities for that as well.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill and 
support material be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3470

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Tennessee Wilderness Act of 
     2010''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map entitled 
     ``Proposed Wilderness Areas and Additions-Cherokee National 
     Forest'' and dated January 20, 2010.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Agriculture.
       (3) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of 
     Tennessee.

     SEC. 3. ADDITIONS TO CHEROKEE NATIONAL FOREST.

       (a) Designation of Wilderness.--In accordance with the 
     Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following 
     Federal lands in the Cherokee National Forest in the State of 
     Tennessee are designated as wilderness and as additions to 
     the National Wilderness Preservation System:
       (1) Certain land comprising approximately 9,038 acres, as 
     generally depicted as the ``Upper Bald River Wilderness'' on 
     the Map and which shall be known as the ``Upper Bald River 
     Wilderness''.
       (2) Certain land comprising approximately 348 acres, as 
     generally depicted as the ``Big Frog Addition'' on the Map 
     and which shall be incorporated in, and shall be considered 
     to be a part of, the Big Frog Wilderness.
       (3) Certain land comprising approximately 630 acres, as 
     generally depicted as the ``Little Frog Mountain Addition 
     NW'' on the Map and which shall be incorporated in, and shall 
     be considered to be a part of, the Little Frog Mountain 
     Wilderness.
       (4) Certain land comprising approximately 336 acres, as 
     generally depicted as the ``Little Frog Mountain Addition 
     NE'' on the Map and which shall be incorporated in, and shall 
     be considered to be a part of, the Little Frog Mountain 
     Wilderness.
       (5) Certain land comprising approximately 2,922 acres, as 
     generally depicted as the ``Sampson Mountain Addition'' on 
     the Map and which shall be incorporated in, and shall be 
     considered to be a part of, the Sampson Mountain Wilderness.
       (6) Certain land comprising approximately 4,446 acres, as 
     generally depicted as the ``Big Laurel Branch Addition'' on 
     the Map and which shall be incorporated in, and shall be 
     considered to be a part of, the Big Laurel Branch Wilderness.
       (7) Certain land comprising approximately 1,836 acres, as 
     generally depicted as the ``Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Addition'' 
     on the Map and which shall be incorporated in, and shall be 
     considered to be a part of, the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock 
     Wilderness.
       (b) Maps and Legal Descriptions.--
       (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file maps and 
     legal descriptions of the wilderness areas designated by 
     subsection (a) with the appropriate committees of Congress.
       (2) Public availability.--The maps and legal descriptions 
     filed under paragraph (1) shall be on file and available for 
     public inspection in the office of the Chief of the Forest 
     Service and the office of the Supervisor of the Cherokee 
     National Forest.
       (3) Force of law.--The maps and legal descriptions filed 
     under paragraph (1) shall have the same force and effect as 
     if included in this Act, except that the Secretary may 
     correct typographical errors in the maps and descriptions.
       (c) Administration.--Subject to valid existing rights, the 
     Federal lands designated as wilderness by subsection (a) 
     shall be administered by the Secretary in accordance with the 
     Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except that any 
     reference in that Act to the effective date of that Act shall 
     be deemed to be a reference to the date of the enactment of 
     this Act.
                                  ____


                       To Protect and To Preserve

         [From the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Sept. 8, 2009]

                           (Editorial Board)

       There seemingly are few exceptions to the paroxysms of 
     partisanship that have paralyzed the nation's capital lately, 
     but there is at last one issue of vital importance where 
     widespread agreement provides immeasurable benefit to the 
     nation. Even in the current political climate, usually 
     antagonistic members of Congress continue to provide broad 
     support for the federal wilderness program. Good for them.
       Such bipartisan agreement has been the case since the 
     inception of the Wilderness Act, which was signed into law by 
     President Lyndon B. Johnson 45 years ago this month. At its 
     inception, the program protected 9 million acres in 54 
     wilderness areas. Today, there are more than 109 million 
     protected acres in 44 states. Expansion efforts, thank 
     goodness, continue unabated.
       It is a matter of record that the valuable program has 
     grown continuously under both Democratic and Republican 
     administrations. President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, 
     signed more laws to increase wilderness property than any 
     other president, but Democrat occupants of the White House 
     have done their duty as well.
       President Barack Obama is the latest to do so. In March, he 
     signed a bill that established 52 new wilderness areas and 
     that increased acreage at more than two dozen existing 
     wilderness areas. His signature added more than 2 million 
     acres to the protection program.
       Every president since Mr. Johnson has now signed 
     legislation to expand wilderness areas. An examination of the 
     record, in fact, shows a steady increase over the years in 
     the number of protected acres regardless of who occupies the 
     White House or which party controls Congress. It's proof that 
     unanimity of purpose in politics is possible if not always 
     procurable.
       There are now more than 800 wilderness areas in the United 
     States. They range in size from tiny--the five-acre Rocks and 
     Islands Wilderness in California--to the stagger-the-
     imagination nine million acres in the Wrangeli-Saint Elias 
     Wilderness in Alaska. The latter state has the most protected 
     acreage with more than 57 million acres. Ohio, with 77 acres, 
     has the least.
       Georgia and Tennessee are in the middle of the pack. The 
     former has nearly 500,000 protected wilderness acres and the 
     latter just over 66,000 acres. Those numbers are likely to 
     grow. Efforts to add acreage to protected wilderness areas 
     and to related areas such as the nearby Cherokee National 
     Forest, already the largest tract of public land in 
     Tennessee, are ongoing. All deserve widespread support.
       By law, wilderness areas are protected and managed to 
     preserve their natural condition. Use of the land is severely 
     restricted, and properly so, to non-invasive activities such 
     as hiking, backpacking and horseback riding. That's 
     appropriate. Wilderness preservation and protection programs 
     help ensure that future generations can enjoy the nation's 
     patrimony. They also are powerful reminders that we all share 
     an obligation to preserve and to protect such singularly 
     American open spaces.
                                  ____


               OP-ED--Skelton: New Areas Need Protection

           [From the Knoxville News Sentinel, Oct. 24, 2009]

                           (By Will Skelton)

       On Oct. 30, 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed into law a 
     landmark bill that protected many of the outstandingly scenic 
     portions of the southern Cherokee National Forest in 
     Tennessee from timber harvesting, mining and road building.
       Thousands of Tennesseans and Americans have used and 
     enjoyed those areas protected as wilderness in 1984; without 
     that bill, many

[[Page S4749]]

     such areas would have been clear cut and roads built through 
     them. The areas range from the lofty peaks of the Citico 
     Creek and Big Frog Wildernesses to the waterfalls of the Bald 
     River Wilderness and to the quieter streams of Little Frog 
     Mountain Wilderness.
       The bill was called the Tennessee Wilderness Act of 1984 
     and was supported by then-governor Lamar Alexander, then-U.S. 
     representative John J. Duncan, and both of our senators, 
     Howard Baker and James Sasser. The bill protected 32,606 
     acres (out of a total of 640,000 acres in the Cherokee) in 
     areas known as Big Frog Mountain, Bald River Gorge, Citico 
     Creek, and Little Frog Mountain.
       Such areas were designated as ``wilderness,'' the highest 
     form of protection for our federally owned public lands. It 
     protects forests ``in perpetuity'' from logging, mining and 
     road building while allowing for traditional activities like 
     hiking, hunting, horseback riding, fishing and camping. 
     Wilderness also protects wildlife habitat, ensures clean 
     water supplies, and sequesters carbon.
       I was coordinator of the Cherokee National Forest 
     Wilderness Coalition that led the effort to have these areas 
     protected. I edited a guidebook to the Cherokee's trails that 
     was published by University of Tennessee Press (``Hiking 
     Guide to the Cherokee National Forest''), and to which 
     Alexander did the forward for both the first (1992) and 
     second (2005) editions.
       It has been 25 years since any additional wilderness has 
     been protected in the Cherokee National Forest, in spite of 
     several qualified candidates. These areas include the 
     wonderful Upper Bald River and several additions to existing 
     wilderness areas. The U.S. Forest Service recommended 
     wilderness protection for most of these areas. However, its 
     recommendations can only become ``wilderness'' if Congress 
     approves under the Wilderness Act of 1964.
       A newly formed coalition, Tennessee Wild (http://
tnwild.org/), is urging the protection of the additional 
     areas recommended by the forest service.
       Several points are important to consider regarding this 
     current wilderness proposal:
       1. The Cherokee National Forest consists of 640,000 acres, 
     roughly the same as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 
     with 340,969 in the northern Cherokee and 298,998 in the 
     southern Cherokee. Only 66,389 acres or 10.37 percent of the 
     forest is designated as wilderness; the areas listed above 
     would add only 17,785 acres, so we are talking about a very 
     modest increase.
       2. No land is to be acquired by the forest service, as the 
     land proposed for wilderness is already owned by the 
     government.
       3. Pursuant to the forest service's current management 
     plan, the service's recommended areas are currently managed 
     as wilderness. So no additional management or change would be 
     required and, because of the nature of wilderness, its 
     management is extremely low cost.
       4. No roads would be closed; nor would any facilities be 
     affected as a result of the forest service's recommendation.
       5. Finally, and maybe most important, the areas recommended 
     for wilderness are the best unprotected scenic and natural 
     areas in the southern Cherokee National Forest.
       We are hopeful that our current political leaders, 
     especially Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. and Sens. Alexander and 
     Bob Corker, will act to protect these additional areas. Let 
     the words of John Muir, featured recently in the Ken Burns' 
     PBS special on our national parks, inspire us to action: 
     ``Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in 
     and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body 
     and soul.''
                                 ______