Murphy – A “petition for redress of grievances” by the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners that flew under the radar when it was passed in April has resurfaced with widespread condemnation over a call to sell off federally managed lakeshore property at Hiwassee Lake.
The petition, signed by all five members of the board, was directed at the federal government over federally owned land, forest management and wilderness designations that commissioners say are harming Cherokee County’s economy.
The Cherokee Scout published a report about the petition in its April 30 edition. Grumblings about the petition were appearing weeks later and continue to gain momentum.
The part of the petition that has drawn sharp criticism is a call for the federal government to sell off federally owned shoreline at Hiwassee Lake.
Much of the lake’s shoreline is federally owned except for the Bear Paw community, which was established to house construction workers when the dam was built in the mid-20th century, and a handful of private marinas on lake tributaries.
Proposed by Dr. Dan Eichenbaum, chairman of the board of commissioners, the petition lacks the force of law but may tap in to the Trump Administration’s sensitivity to overreach by federal agencies.
Federal bureaucracy has, over time and without remedy, deprived the citizens of Cherokee County of their “respective and collective rights to utilize property within the borders of the county,” according to the petition.
Forest Service owns 31%
Cherokee County consists of 298,482 acres, of which the U.S. Forest Service owns 31% – a total of 92,637 acres. Much of that federal land was acquired by the Tennessee Valley Authority when it built Hiwassee Dam.
“The TVA took more land than necessary to build the dam and fill the lake,” according to the petition. “Instead of giving the land back to the original owners, the TVA deeded the land to the USFS, which now owns almost all the shoreline. The USFS actively restricts private and commercial development of the land.”
The petition states that lakefront land should be made available for private and commercial developers to enhance the county’s property tax base.
“TVA lakes in our neighboring counties allow such development putting our county at a disadvantage in terms of recreational facilities, property tax and tourism dollars,” the petition says. “The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners petitions and demands action by the Executive Office of the President and its cabinet departments as well as the United States Congress, without delay, to address and grant the relief herein above stated by the Petitioners.”
Commissioner Ben Adams was expected to hold a virtual town hall Zoom meeting addressing the controversy Tuesday evening, after the Scout’s deadline for this week’s edition. He has also offered to meet with constituents following the board of commissioners’ meeting July 29.
Adams did not propose the petition, but he did vote in favor of it, along with Eichenbaum and Commissioners Alan Bryant, Cal Stiles and Mark Stiles.
The board will publish its agenda for the July 29 meeting Friday. It’s not yet known whether the board will discuss the controversy at that meeting.
Also in the petition
The petition calls on the Forest Service to loosen restrictions on logging and cease any requests for wilderness designations.
“The Forest Service is not capable of maintaining roads and property it now owns,” the petition says. “This limits citizen access to forest areas for recreation and hampers wildfire control. USFS has been guilty of ‘windshield management,’ i.e., managing its property from the cab of a USFS truck.”
The petition also calls on the Forest Service to relinquish a portion of its holdings in Cherokee County for the state to build a state park. The Forest Service closed its only public campground in Cherokee County near Hanging Dog years ago.
Opposition emerges
Displeasure about the concept of private ownership of Hiwassee Lake shoreline started emerging weeks after the board passed it, and momentum continues to increase.
Various posts on individual Facebook pages and groups have drawn hundreds of responses and shares, with the overwhelming majority expressing opposition to privatizing Hiwassee Lake’s shoreline. On July 17, Traci Kuykendall posted an online poll on the Murphy Mouth 2.0 Facebook page asking, among other things, whether followers were for or against the petition.
“On April 21st, the Cherokee County commissioners signed a Petition of Grievance to the USA government requesting USFS land to be returned,” Kuykendall posted. “They plan on developing the shorelines of the Hiwassee Lake, resuming large scale logging, developing a state park and demanding that all requests for wilderness designation areas cease.
“These actions, while generating a great deal of tax revenue which is needed after the $50+ million DSS judgment against the county, will forever change our beautiful area. The commissioners petitioned ‘on behalf’ of the residents of Cherokee County, yet, 90% of the people I have spoken to (and have noted online) knew nothing of this. I would like to be able to present some actual resident info to the commissioners at the July 29th meeting.”
The poll drew 642 votes as of Monday, of which 76% are against the petition, 2% were for it, 5% agreed with some parts, to a choice added by Terry McDonald 7% want a state park and to a choice added by Drew Ellis, 1% said development by the county will benefit more than what the U.S. government plans to do with it.
Similar polls appeared in at least two other local Facebook pages and had similar results.
A columnist’s take
Bruce Voyles, who writes a twice-monthly local history column for the Scout, was critical of the idea in his column published in the July 16 edition.
“If one had to pick a single unique gem of our area, it is our near pristine shoreline of Hiwassee Lake,” Voyles wrote. “Other towns nearby have casinos, long-range mountain views, closer access to better highways or even more boutique tourist shops. ...
“Instead, what do our county leaders have in mind? Petitioning the U.S. Forest Service for release of Hiwassee’s lakeshore for private development. (More land taxes would be the assumed goal.),” he wrote.
Hiwassee Lake is a gorgeous mountain lake created by TVA before 1940, 6,000 acres with 180 miles of shoreline “for the most part unsullied by private docks and McMansions butted together to soak up every inch of lakeview property,” Voyles wrote.
“Our pristine mountain jewel lake is under attack,” he wrote. “I can only assume greed and lust for dollars has prompted local leaders to petition to open Forest Service land that surrounds Hiwassee Lake for private development. Do we need another overcrowded Nottley or Chatuge?
“Where did such an idea originate? Certainly not by polling the area’s voters. Destroying our area’s primary gem for mere dollars? ... Hiwassee Lake’s unsullied vistas are available for everyone and should remain so – not just the wealthy. But that may change,” he wrote.
A commissioner’s take
Besides his planned July 22 virtual forum on Zoom, Adams said he will meet with anyone who wishes following the board of commissioners’ July 29 meeting at the Cherokee County Courthouse.
“I am extending an invitation to anyone who wishes to discuss any topic to meet with me after the commissioner meeting on 7/29,” he posted. “I will ensure that all questions receive thorough responses, whether in a one-on-one or group setting, without limiting our conversation to a specific time frame. While Facebook debates are not something I will engage in, I am eager to participate in in-person discussions.
“If you have any questions, please message me. Moreover, it’s essential to maintain a critical perspective when consuming information online and avoid accepting everything at face value.”