Cherokee Forest Voices is a not-for-profit educational association of conservation groups and volunteers whose mission is to encourage increased emphasis on the ecological values of the Cherokee National Forest.
Cherokee Forest Voices was founded in the mid 1980’s and incorporated as a 501(C) (3) in 1999, is a coalition of 200 individual members and 6 conservation groups, Wilderness Society, Wild South, Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, Tennessee Audubon Council, and Tennessee Chapter Sierra Club. These groups act in an advisory capacity.
A Few Examples of CFV’s Accomplished Work:
• CFV was part of the Cherokee National Forest Wilderness Coalition responsible for the designation of eleven Wilderness areas on the CNF totaling 66,349 acres.
• Secured 20,000 acres of wilderness recommendations in the 2004 Forest plan.
• Mapped 85,000 acres of Inventoried Roadless areas on the Cherokee NF.
• Found and mapped the 4,574 acres of old growth forest on the Cherokee NF.
• Passage of the Tennessee Wilderness act of 2018 adding 19,556 additional acres of Wilderness to Cherokee National Forest. This brings the total to 85,905 acres of Wilderness.
“I spend a great deal of time in the George Washington and Jefferson national forests. I believe I have hiked practically every trail within them. I relish that experience all the more because for years the Virginia Wilderness Committee has had a hand in protecting these lands through collaboration and compromise with various stakeholders. But under this rule, many of the tools that help us work together simply disappear. This new rule shifts the important burden of scientific research to small citizen groups like ours, but we don’t have the resources to step into the Forest Service’s shoes.” -- Mark Miller; executive director of the Virginia Wilderness Committee
“I grew up hiking in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It stimulated my curiosity, helped me connect with family and friends, and led me see the value in protecting the plants and animals that call it home. But this rule undercuts the critical role people like me and organizations like Georgia ForestWatch play in preserving balance in our national forests. Among other things, this rule would allow most logging operations to move forward without review, and worse, to stack up several small projects at the same time, all just small enough to escape environmental review. That cumulative impact could be devastating to the Chattahoochee National Forest, and under this rule it could happen without meaningful public input.” -- Jess Riddle; resident of Dahlonega, Georgia; executive director of Georgia ForestWatch
“In college, I worked as a raft guide on the Chattooga River. I so fell in love with its beauty that I have spent my career protecting it. This new rule is built on the flawed notion that the bureaucracy of the U.S. Forest Service is the only group that knows what’s best for our forests and watersheds. That wrongly discounts the decades of experience citizens like me and those I work with have amassed and bring to bear when faced with challenges. We have a long history of rolling up our sleeves to help craft the best management practices for our watershed, and this rule seeks to cut out folks like us from the process. It is the height of hubris and arrogance.” -- Nicole Hayler; resident of Mountain Rest, South Carolina; executive director of Chattooga Conservancy
“I have personally seen the difference an informed public can make on forest management. Some projects have not been controversial. On the other hand, some projects have been very bad as proposed but have changed dramatically to avoid harm and to satisfy public concerns. Taking away the public voices responsible for those improvements would be a huge mistake.” -- Catherine Nell Gidens Murray; resident of Johnson City, Tennessee; director of Cherokee Forest Voices
“It’s hard to read this rule as anything other than the government stacking the deck against its citizens. NEPA was an important tool that provided the public with ample documentation to fully understand proposed projects but, without that, we’ll have to rely on open-records requests that take months, even years, to fulfill. By then I worry people like us who care about the forests will be locked out of the process.” -- Josh Kelly; resident of Asheville, North Carolina; public lands field biologist for MountainTrue
Cherokee Forest Voices is a not-for-profit educational association of conservation groups and volunteers whose mission is to encourage increased emphasis on the ecological values of the Cherokee National Forest.
Cherokee Forest Voices was founded in the mid 1980’s and incorporated as a 501(C) (3) in 1999, is a coalition of 200 individual members and 6 conservation groups, Wilderness Society, Wild South, Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, Tennessee Audubon Council, and Tennessee Chapter Sierra Club. These groups act in an advisory capacity.
A Few Examples of CFV’s Accomplished Work:
• CFV was part of the Cherokee National Forest Wilderness Coalition responsible for the designation of eleven Wilderness areas on the CNF totaling 66,349 acres.
• Secured 20,000 acres of wilderness recommendations in the 2004 Forest plan.
• Mapped 85,000 acres of Inventoried Roadless areas on the Cherokee NF.
• Found and mapped the 4,574 acres of old growth forest on the Cherokee NF.
• Passage of the Tennessee Wilderness act of 2018 adding 19,556 additional acres of Wilderness to Cherokee National Forest. This brings the total to 85,905 acres of Wilderness.
“I spend a great deal of time in the George Washington and Jefferson national forests. I believe I have hiked practically every trail within them. I relish that experience all the more because for years the Virginia Wilderness Committee has had a hand in protecting these lands through collaboration and compromise with various stakeholders. But under this rule, many of the tools that help us work together simply disappear. This new rule shifts the important burden of scientific research to small citizen groups like ours, but we don’t have the resources to step into the Forest Service’s shoes.” -- Mark Miller; executive director of the Virginia Wilderness Committee
“I grew up hiking in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It stimulated my curiosity, helped me connect with family and friends, and led me see the value in protecting the plants and animals that call it home. But this rule undercuts the critical role people like me and organizations like Georgia ForestWatch play in preserving balance in our national forests. Among other things, this rule would allow most logging operations to move forward without review, and worse, to stack up several small projects at the same time, all just small enough to escape environmental review. That cumulative impact could be devastating to the Chattahoochee National Forest, and under this rule it could happen without meaningful public input.” -- Jess Riddle; resident of Dahlonega, Georgia; executive director of Georgia ForestWatch
“In college, I worked as a raft guide on the Chattooga River. I so fell in love with its beauty that I have spent my career protecting it. This new rule is built on the flawed notion that the bureaucracy of the U.S. Forest Service is the only group that knows what’s best for our forests and watersheds. That wrongly discounts the decades of experience citizens like me and those I work with have amassed and bring to bear when faced with challenges. We have a long history of rolling up our sleeves to help craft the best management practices for our watershed, and this rule seeks to cut out folks like us from the process. It is the height of hubris and arrogance.” -- Nicole Hayler; resident of Mountain Rest, South Carolina; executive director of Chattooga Conservancy
“I have personally seen the difference an informed public can make on forest management. Some projects have not been controversial. On the other hand, some projects have been very bad as proposed but have changed dramatically to avoid harm and to satisfy public concerns. Taking away the public voices responsible for those improvements would be a huge mistake.” -- Catherine Nell Gidens Murray; resident of Johnson City, Tennessee; director of Cherokee Forest Voices
“It’s hard to read this rule as anything other than the government stacking the deck against its citizens. NEPA was an important tool that provided the public with ample documentation to fully understand proposed projects but, without that, we’ll have to rely on open-records requests that take months, even years, to fulfill. By then I worry people like us who care about the forests will be locked out of the process.” -- Josh Kelly; resident of Asheville, North Carolina; public lands field biologist for MountainTrue
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The newly established "Make America Beautiful Again Commission," created under a Trump executive order, may sound harmless, or even beneficial, but beneath the surface, it represents a major threat to public lands. While the order uses polished language about "stewardship" and "recreation," its real intent is to expand industrial access to previously protected areas. History shows that when Trump talks about increasing recreation like hiking and hunting, it paves the way for oil drilling, mining, and logging under the guise of "multi-use." Millions of acres in states like Alaska, Nevada, and New Mexico have already been opened to fossil fuel and hard-rock extraction using similar language.
This order also continues a broader rollback of climate and conservation protections. By stripping safeguards from fragile ecosystems and endangered species habitats, it clears the path for activities like clearcutting forests, building new pipelines, and launching deepwater drilling operations. Wildlife corridors and vital habitats could be destroyed, accelerating the biodiversity crisis and undermining climate resilience efforts.
Even the commission's focus on outdoor recreation raises red flags. While promoting activities like hiking and biking sounds positive, it's a front for justifying new roads, motorized vehicle access, and infrastructure development that can fracture ecosystems and invite more commercial exploitation. The use of public access rhetoric to dilute conservation efforts is a form of greenwashing, one that prioritizes convenience and profit over ecological health.
Perhaps most concerning is the power structure of the commission itself. Led by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who is closely aligned with the fossil fuel industry, the body centralizes land-use decisions in pro-development hands. This undermines scientific input, public transparency, and environmental oversight especially since these decisions will largely be made behind closed doors.
In short, despite its "patriotic" title, the Make America Beautiful Again Commission prioritizes economic development over environmental stewardship. It represents a stark shift away from conservation and could lead to irreversible damage to some of the last intact wilderness areas in the U.S. If you care about clean water, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, or Indigenous land rights, this executive order should be a major concern. It reframes our shared natural heritage as little more than a commercial asset, and that's a dangerous
Cherokee Forest Voices is a not-for-profit educational association of conservation groups and volunteers whose mission is to encourage increased emphasis on the ecological values of the Cherokee National Forest.
Cherokee Forest Voices was founded in the mid 1980’s and incorporated as a 501(C) (3) in 1999, is a coalition of 200 individual members and 6 conservation groups, Wilderness Society, Wild South, Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, Tennessee Audubon Council, and Tennessee Chapter Sierra Club. These groups act in an advisory capacity.
A Few Examples of CFV’s Accomplished Work:
• CFV was part of the Cherokee National Forest Wilderness Coalition responsible for the designation of eleven Wilderness areas on the CNF totaling 66,349 acres.
• Secured 20,000 acres of wilderness recommendations in the 2004 Forest plan.
• Mapped 85,000 acres of Inventoried Roadless areas on the Cherokee NF.
• Found and mapped the 4,574 acres of old growth forest on the Cherokee NF.
• Passage of the Tennessee Wilderness act of 2018 adding 19,556 additional acres of Wilderness to Cherokee National Forest. This brings the total to 85,905 acres of Wilderness.
“I spend a great deal of time in the George Washington and Jefferson national forests. I believe I have hiked practically every trail within them. I relish that experience all the more because for years the Virginia Wilderness Committee has had a hand in protecting these lands through collaboration and compromise with various stakeholders. But under this rule, many of the tools that help us work together simply disappear. This new rule shifts the important burden of scientific research to small citizen groups like ours, but we don’t have the resources to step into the Forest Service’s shoes.” -- Mark Miller; executive director of the Virginia Wilderness Committee
“I grew up hiking in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It stimulated my curiosity, helped me connect with family and friends, and led me see the value in protecting the plants and animals that call it home. But this rule undercuts the critical role people like me and organizations like Georgia ForestWatch play in preserving balance in our national forests. Among other things, this rule would allow most logging operations to move forward without review, and worse, to stack up several small projects at the same time, all just small enough to escape environmental review. That cumulative impact could be devastating to the Chattahoochee National Forest, and under this rule it could happen without meaningful public input.” -- Jess Riddle; resident of Dahlonega, Georgia; executive director of Georgia ForestWatch
“In college, I worked as a raft guide on the Chattooga River. I so fell in love with its beauty that I have spent my career protecting it. This new rule is built on the flawed notion that the bureaucracy of the U.S. Forest Service is the only group that knows what’s best for our forests and watersheds. That wrongly discounts the decades of experience citizens like me and those I work with have amassed and bring to bear when faced with challenges. We have a long history of rolling up our sleeves to help craft the best management practices for our watershed, and this rule seeks to cut out folks like us from the process. It is the height of hubris and arrogance.” -- Nicole Hayler; resident of Mountain Rest, South Carolina; executive director of Chattooga Conservancy
“I have personally seen the difference an informed public can make on forest management. Some projects have not been controversial. On the other hand, some projects have been very bad as proposed but have changed dramatically to avoid harm and to satisfy public concerns. Taking away the public voices responsible for those improvements would be a huge mistake.” -- Catherine Nell Gidens Murray; resident of Johnson City, Tennessee; director of Cherokee Forest Voices
“It’s hard to read this rule as anything other than the government stacking the deck against its citizens. NEPA was an important tool that provided the public with ample documentation to fully understand proposed projects but, without that, we’ll have to rely on open-records requests that take months, even years, to fulfill. By then I worry people like us who care about the forests will be locked out of the process.” -- Josh Kelly; resident of Asheville, North Carolina; public lands field biologist for MountainTrue
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