Editor’s note: This article is substantially modified since first posted to correct the writer’s misunderstanding of the nature of this upcoming Monday’s event. This was brought to our attention by Callie D. Moore, Southwestern Regional Director of Mountain True, who wrote, “the gathering happening on the courthouse steps on Monday is not a protest. It's simply a Rally in support of keeping our public lands public. The residents who organized the People's Petition are calling on others to join them in (1) celebrating the Commissioners' rescission of their petition to privatize the land around Hiwassee Lake and (2) asking the "new" commission board for a resolution in support of keeping the lands public (Traci Kuykendall's agenda item).”
Murphy – Citizens who want to protect Cherokee County’s forests and shorelines against development are planning to hold a gathering Monday before the regularly scheduled board of commissioners meeting.
The gathering is expected to start on the steps of the Cherokee County Courthouse at 5:30 p.m. The board of commissioners meets at 6:30 p.m. Its agenda has not been posted, so it is unknown whether the topic will come up in the meeting.
There are concerns about a petition the board sent to state and federal governments in April 2025 calling for, among other things, the U.S. Forest Service to sell off its territory in Cherokee County for private development.
Following a petition against the petition that gathered more than 4,000 signatures, the board rescinded the petition earlier this year.
The county sent identical letters to N.C. Sen. Kevin Corbin and N.C. Rep. Karl Gillespie on March 9 notifying them that it rescinded the Petition for Redress of Grievances on Jan. 20.
“The petition, which was originally adopted on April 23, 2025, is now null and void,” according to the lettres, which were signed by Alan Bryant, chairman of the board of commissioners.
On March 9, the board of commissioners voted unanimously to withdraw its request for any federal land for a state park.
“There is no longer a desire by the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners to pursue these matters any further,” the letter said.
Then-commissioner Dan Eichenbaum, who authored the petition when he was chairman of the board in 2025, said he distributed the petition to federal lawmakers and agencies but did not elaborate.
The protest planned for Monday focuses on the lack of evidence that federal offices were notified that the petition was rescinded.
Forest lands
Then-Cherokee County commissioner Dan Eichenbaum penned the grievance petition and submitted it to the board, which passed it unanimously.
Eichenbaum argued that the large volume of forest service land in the county was costing it property and sales tax revenue at the expense of local services including schools, law enforcement and public health, while keeping property taxes higher for existing property owners.
The U.S. Forest Service has limited authority to sell National Forest System lands, typically focusing on exchanging land rather than selling it, per the U.S. Forest Service land disposal guidelines.
While they can sell small tracts via the Small Tracts Act, recent 2025 reports indicate potential for larger-scale sales, which has prompted intense debate and proposed administrative changes in 2026.
Proposals have emerged to make millions of acres of public land, including those managed by the USFS, available for sale to private parties, raising concerns about potential privatization, with some critics arguing these actions are illegal.
When sales occur, they often involve public land disposal, for which the Bureau of Land Management provides guidelines.
The Bureau of Land Management has broader authority and has historically sold much more land compared to the Forest Service.
When land is sold, both agencies are directed to receive at least fair market value, often determined by appraisals.
Roadless rule
Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service is in the process of rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a major policy shift that would remove long-standing protections from approximately 45 million acres of national forests and grasslands.
On June 23, 2025, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the intent to repeal the 2001 rule entirely.
The Forest Service is currently working on a draft environmental impact statement and a formal proposed rule.
A final decision and record of decision are expected in late 2026.
The original 2001 rule established prohibitions on road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvesting on nearly 60 million acres of undeveloped National Forest System lands. Its primary goals were to:
• Protect "inventoried roadless areas" from fragmentation and industrial development.
• Safeguard drinking water for over 60 million people in 3,400 communities.
• Preserve habitat for more than 1,600 threatened or endangered species.
• Support a $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy by maintaining backcountry trails and wild spaces.
The debate over the rule centers on forest management, wildfire risk, and economic opportunity:
• Restrictions prevent active thinning and road access for firefighters, increasing catastrophic fire risk.
• Roads are the primary source of human-caused ignitions; fires are four times more likely to start in roaded areas.
• Local Control: A "one-size-fits-all" national rule ignores local conditions and burdens local land managers.
• National standards ensure protection for resources (like clean water) that cross local and state boundaries.
• Repeal will "unleash" timber, mineral, and energy production, creating rural jobs.
• Industrial logging threatens the massive outdoor recreation economy and increases road maintenance backlogs.