“Those resources draw people to the region for tourism”
What it names
Roadless areas
Smoky Mountains
The comment
My name is Dr Heidi Middendorf and I have lived and paid taxes in North Carolina for 38 years. During my medical residency at UNC Chapel Hill I was assigned to a clinic in Asheville North Carolina. I have maintained a deep connection with the region, including the Blue Ridge, Nantahala and Smoky Mountains where my family and I have visited several times a year, enjoying camping, hiking, fishing and kayaking. As a physician, I am particularly concerned about the impact on water quality with roadways and logging. It is well established that undisturbed forest has greater water quality and biodiversity as noted by DelaSalla et al 2011. Those resources draw people to the region for tourism in North Carolina. I am also gravely concerned about the economic impact of the loss of tourism dollars in a region that continues to recoever from Hurricane Helene.
I strongly recommend that the Forest Service keep the 2001 Roadless Rule fully intact and choose the No Action Alternative. Thank you. Heidi Middendorf MD