Goforth Creek Canyon named on Top 10 list of Endangered Places for 2013

SELC’s 5th annual Top 10 Endangered Places list targets areas of exceptional scenic, ecological, or cultural value that face urgent, potentially irreversible threats in the coming year. Goforth Creek Canyon, Tennessee, has been named on the 2013 list due to the threat of Corridor K. 

TDOT has proposed several routes that would push new asphalt through the Cherokee National Forest and across the canyon — a beautiful and popular spot for hiking, camping, and trout fishing on the Ocoee Scenic Byway. Building a highway here would destroy the natural character of this mountain setting, eliminate access to a scenic overlook, and pollute the creek’s trout waters with oil, muddy runoff, and even sulfuric acid from the unstable rock formations exposed by the project.

SELC is urging TDOT to shift its focus away from spending up to a billion dollars to a build an unnecessary new highway in this rugged terrain, and instead make targeted, cost-effective improvements to the existing two-lane highway. Learn more.