|
|
 |
New Study Outlines Value of Wilderness and Cherokee National
Forest to the Monroe County, TN economy: Read the report below
Monroe is a fast-growing county in southeast Tennessee. Along with
Polk and McMinn Counties, Monroe is home to the southern section of
the Cherokee National Forest, including the Citico Creek and Bald
River Gorge Wilderness Areas, and a portion of the Joyce Kilmer
Slickrock Wilderness Area.
To some, these two facts — rapid growth on the one hand, and
protected wildlands on the other — may seem at odds. But economic
research and the experience of communities across the nation
indicates that those two hands are pulling the same direction. A
brief summary of this research and a solid understanding of Monroe’s
current economic conditions can help its communities ensure that
same “win-win” result if the County does gain additional designated
wilderness.
The Value of Wilderness to the West Virginia Economy
The “Wild Monongahela Act” has been introduced and co-sponsored by West Virginia’s Congressional Representatives (Nick Rahall, Shelley Moore Capito and Alan Mollohan). It would create four new wilderness areas within the Mon encompassing 27,141 acres and add 19,987 acres to three wilderness areas created in the 1970s and 1980s.
Read a new report on the economic value of adding Wilderness Areas to the Monongahela National Forest
New Study Outlines Value of Wilderness and Cherokee National
Forest to the Monroe County, TN economy:
Read the report here.
Monroe is a fast-growing county in southeast Tennessee. Along with
Polk and McMinn Counties, Monroe is home to the southern section of
the Cherokee National Forest, including the Citico Creek and Bald
River Gorge Wilderness Areas, and a portion of the Joyce Kilmer
Slickrock Wilderness Area.
To some, these two facts — rapid growth on the one hand, and
protected wildlands on the other — may seem at odds. But economic
research and the experience of communities across the nation
indicates that those two hands are pulling the same direction. A
brief summary of this research and a solid understanding of Monroe’s
current economic conditions can help its communities ensure that
same “win-win” result if the County does gain additional designated
wilderness.
|
|
