The Associated Press
June 17, 2003
CHEROKEE, N.C. (AP) - A National Park Service environmental impact report on a proposed land swap with the Cherokee Indian tribe says Great Smoky Mountains National Park's overall resources would not be impaired if the
deal goes through.
The long-awaited report, released Monday, does not take a position on the proposal to give up to 168 acres of national park land to the tribe for development of a complex that would include three schools and sports fields.
In return, the tribe would give the park service 218 acres of land in Jackson County at Waterrock Knob - land that would be added to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
According to the report, Cherokee schoolchildren would benefit from the new campus, which would take the place of aging and overcrowded schools on the tribe's reservation in Swain and Jackson counties.
At Cherokee Elementary, more than 700 students now attend a school originally designed for 480.
The park service also notes that development of the school complex could harm dozens of species of insects that live in the Ravensford area and would damage scenic views from the Blue Ridge Parkway's Raven Fork and Oconaluftee overlooks during the winter months.
The report stops short of saying whether the park service should go through with the proposed swap.
"This is an extremely emotional debate. Schools versus a national treasure," said John Yancy of the park service's regional office in Atlanta.
Cherokee leaders say the Ravensford parcel is the only appropriate site for the schools, but conservation groups have argued it sets a bad precedent to take land out of a national park.
"The issue here is not an issue of scenery versus schools," said Greg Kidd of the National Parks Conservation Association. "There's absolutely no question that any kind of development (on the Ravensford land) would have a negative impact, would impair the park."
The park service plans another round of meetings next month before making a final decision on whether to exchange the land early next year.
The park service is considering three alternatives - no land swap, exchanging 168 acres or exchanging a 143-acre tract.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor, R-N.C., is lobbying in Congress for a bill that would force the land swap regardless of what the park service decides.