Thanks for the reminder Scott. Yeah, we (
www.wildsouth.org) were pretty happy with the end result. As I was telling crc somewhere else on this board, we worked pretty closely with the Forest Service and I think we got a project that marks a decent compromise. No lawsuits or appeals, which rarely leads to a satisfactory conclusion. Here's the fishing details of the decision:
- Create parking for 3-5 cars. Currently there's no parking and a private gate keeps folks from entering the forest. Cars will drive across Shope Creek's cement causeway to get to the parking lot.
- Test for impacts on aquatic bugs below the causeway, to see if stream crossings are compromising water quality.
- Fell ~10 trees into Shope Creek to create more pool/riffle habitat for trout. We'll target dying hemlocks and pines for felling, rather than knocking down healthy trees. There's a trout farm adjacent to USFS land, and the escapee rainbows have pretty much eliminated specks from the Shope headwaters. There isn't a natural barrier to preclude bows from getting way up there, so USFS is hesitant to try a brookie restoration project on Shope. We're still exploring the possibility of restoring brookies with the agency, and I'll keep yall posted if we make any progress.
Other non-fishy details include:
- Logging 23 acres of hardwoods (two plots) to create wildlife openings and log another 17 acres of pines, to promote oak and hickory regrowth.
- Designating 123 acres of old growth forest, which will not be logged in the future. As an aside, Shope Creek has the potential to look like Joyce Kilmer if we give it enough time (oh, like maybe 300 years. At least our great-great-great -great grandchildren might thank us).
- Develop a partnership with Warren Wilson College to conduct research and restoration projects. For you grouse hunters, one project may involve creating a network of small (less than 5 acres) openings in the areas that were previously clearcut, to see if that attracts wildlife. Those clearcut areas are now choked out with young tulip poplars that provide little wildlife benefit.
The Forest Service won't consider creating a
trail system in Shope, which is a bummer IMHO. The agency will not add any trails to the system until it concludes what it's calling a region-wide "recreation realignment." Basically, the agency is looking at all recreational facilities in the Southeast and deciding which ones give them the biggest bang for the buck. The least-used, least-profitable facilities may be closed. The agency is currently strapped for money, in part because so much $$ goes towards the fires out West, and also because this administration has slashed the Forest Service's overall funding.
My biggest concern is that we're edging towards a pay-to-play system, where folks will have to pay-per-visit when they go to a national forest (most likely thru parking fees and use permits). They're trying this out West right now, but the public is generally rejecting it. I feel I already pay for our national forests every April 15, but that's another debate for another post. They've got a pilot program underway in Georgia that I'm researching. I'll report back here when I find out more. If anyone has any specific questions, PM me or go to the website I listed above and check it out there.
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Shope Creek (Read 2766 times)
