2014 Accomplishments

2014 was an excellent year for us to build and branch out.  Our work has expanded beyond the Cherokee National Forest to other federal lands like the Land Between the Lakes, state forests, including Prentice-Cooper, and local wildlands like Stringer's Ridge in Chattanooga. Just as importantly, we are building vital partnerships. 

  • Negotiated with the Forest Service for the Unaka district to reanalyze the Paint Creek Sale after our research and monitoring of past projects raised valid concerns about logging on sensitive slopes.
  • Broke records in sales at our volunteer booth at the Riverbend Music Festival.  Thanks, volunteers! Join us again this year!
  • Our hard work vending at Riverbend raised funds to pay for an interpretive sign system at Stringer's Ridge urban forest in Chattanooga.  Our partnership with students from Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences was both fun and a learning experience as kids learned about biodiversity and tree taxonomy.  Stringer's now has 25 signs identifying common native trees. 
  • Expanded our work to the Cherokee's neighboring forest to the south the Chattahootchie-Oconee National Forest.   Check out our friends at Georgia Forest Watch!
  • Got involved in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. We're partnering with our friends at Kentucky Heartwood to stop the mismanagement of an amazing forest that deserves more attention!
  • Progressed to year two of our monitoring of the Hogback timber sale at the Cherokee, gathering important evidence on the long-term effects of "restoration" logging. 
  • Became a partner with the American Chestnut Foundation, discovering new sites of surviving American Chestnut to add to the Foundation's pool of genetic diversity. 
  • Negotiated a fire exclusion zone at Smith Mountain with the Ocoee district at the Cherokee.  These places will become more important as fewer and fewer of our public lands are allowed to develop in natural processes. 
  • Began monitoring timber cutting at Prentice Cooper State Park. 
  • Presented at the 2014 Eastern Forest Summit, the first conference devoted to National Forest protection in the East in many years.
  • Working actively to prevent logging damage to Tumbling Creek by the Dinkey Timber Sale in the Ocoee district.
  • Began monitoring the Stonepile Timber Sale in the Hiwassee district.