Call to Action!!

Pay attention, please. A new development threatens the watersheds of not one, but two, of the Jocassee Gorges’s wild rivers. Both rivers are federally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers, the only two such designations in this part of our world. What is presently a forested acreage protecting the headwaters of both the Chattooga River and the Horsepasture River has been proposed for a high-density development, right at the intersection of Hwys. 107 and 64 just over the state line in North Carolina. This proposed development would excavate 40 to 50 feet deep into the Chattooga Ridge, and would involve intensive blasting, excavation, and grading into the steep topography of this 31 acres. Runoff from storm water and erosion are inevitable in our temperate rainforest climate; the impact of sedimentation on these two rivers could be irreversible. Imagine: another 195 residential dwellings, plus a four-story hotel, in the heart of Cashiers, at an intersection which already requires three stoplight changes to cross. We don’t do this often but if the Jocassee Gorges are as dear to your hearts as they are to ours, PLEASE contact the Jackson County, NC Planning Department at (828) 631-2261 and voice your strongest opposition to this “Cashiers Marketplace.” Hearings on this development begin November 13th. ~K

Lear more:https://mailchi.mp/08feec9b17e2/chattooga-currents-20233230?e=[UNIQID]