Tellico Off-Road Vehicle Area (NC/TN)

For generations of Southerners, the brook trout has been a symbol of the region's natural bounty and plentiful outdoor recreation opportunities. The native species, which survives only in the cleanest, coldest water, is also a symbol of water quality in our mountains.

A Rare Refuge

Decades of intensive logging, sprawl development and other impacts have polluted trout streams and extirpated brook trout from much of their historical range. In the South, some of the last, best habitat for this fish is on public lands.

One of these areas is the upper Tellico River watershed, a popular destination for anglers in the Nantahala National Forest.

“Monster” Problem

The Tellico area has also become one of the largest and most intensively used areas in the Southeast for off-road vehicle (ORV) users. The sport entails driving customized "monster" trucks and smaller all-terrain vehicles through rugged terrain - the steeper the trails, the more challenging, and the more damaging to the forest floor and water quality.

Years of heavy use and erosion have turned the trails in the Tellico ORV area into massive ditches, some more than seven feet deep. In wet conditions, these ditches channel muddy water into nearby streams.

U.S. Forest Service Follies

The U.S. Forest Service has designated 40 miles of trails in the Tellico area for ORV use - twice the legal limit. Further, in violation of federal and state law, many of these trails are within 100 feet of streams and creeks.

The agency's own studies show that brook trout populations in the area and downstream in Tennessee have declined due to impacts from ORV use. Yet the agency has failed to take the necessary steps to protect and restore the trout streams.

Since 2007, SELC and our partner groups have taken a series of legal and other actions involving the Forest Service and the ORV user groups; our goal is to ensure that the agency properly manages future ORV use in the Tellico area while also protecting water quality and trout habitat.