About the issue

On April 21, 2025, the Cherokee County Commissioners unanimously adopted a Petition for Redress of Grievances to the US Government that states in part: “Lakefront land should be made available for private and commercial development such as private homes and commercial development to enhance the property tax base of Cherokee County and to support revenue generation for the benefit of the citizens of the county.”

The “lakefront land” to which the petition refers is comprised of hundreds of acres, including popular hunting areas and beloved recreation areas like Cherokee Lake, Hanging Dog, and Panther Top, just to name a few.  

Privatizing the national forest around Lake Hiwassee would be a devastating loss for the people of Cherokee County. These public lands belong to all of us — they’re where we hunt, fish, hike, and make memories with our families. Selling them off to developers or out-of-state investors threatens our way of life and turns shared treasures into exclusive playgrounds for the wealthy. Once this land is gone, we’ll never get it back.

MountainTrue is opposed to the sale of public lands, particularly for the purpose of private development. 

We recognize the need for better access to public lands and more developed recreation facilities in Cherokee County, including a campground on Hiwassee Lake. We are willing to advocate for this, as well as for development of a state park, as long as public lands are not relinquished in the process.

Get involved:

The next Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meeting is set for Tuesday, July 29, at 6:30 p.m. If you would like to speak, you must arrive early and sign up in advance. 

To receive future updates from MountainTrue on this project and other local happenings, click here to sign up for communications from MountainTrue.

Comment from MountainTrue member and former Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition board chair, Jason Chambers:

“To my friends in Cherokee County, NC, including deer hunters, bear hunters, coon hunters, fishermen, hikers, and anyone who enjoys our National Forest Land.  In case you weren’t aware, our local commissioners signed a petition stating their desire to sell the National Forest land surrounding Lake Hiwassee.  It would be sold not to you and me, but to rich developers. 

We cannot let this happen.  If the rich get a single inch of the land we all own, they will take a mile. Soon, it will only be the rich who will be able to hunt and fish because they will own all the land.

If you think I’m being silly, read the paragraph below. The big beautiful bill you’re hearing about in the news contains a provision you may not know about.  And yes, North Carolina is not on the list of states affected, but if this happens, it will set a precedent and we will be next.

‘According to a budget blueprint released Wednesday evening by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the federal government would be required to sell off between 2.2 and 3.3 million acres of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service over the next five years… The 11 states that would be affected by the proposal are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.’

So please tell your friends, call your congressman, representatives, commissioners, whoever.  But make your voice heard. Tell whoever will listen that our public lands are Not. For. Sale.“

Local Hiwassee Lake Popular Recreation Areas/Beloved Places

Cherokee Lake/Persimmon Creek Dam

Popular among locals for fishing in Cherokee Lake and Hiwassee Lake on both sides of the dam, camping on the shores, swimming and paddling in both Hiwassee Lake and Cherokee Lake, and hunting in adjacent USFS-owned land. Picnic area at Cherokee Lake is also heavily used.

Hiwassee Dam Recreation Area

Local swimming, fishing, and picnics at the pavilion on Hiwassee Dam Access Road at the dam.

Mickens Branch Boating Access

A WRC-managed boating access and some primitive camping sites managed by TVA. Located just before Hiwassee Dam on the access road.

Alabama Rock

A popular local swimming hole off Joe Brown Highway.

Shooks Marina

Locally run marina business off Joe Brown Highway offering boat rentals and slips, gas and supplies, and used by locals as a fishing access.

Dukes Hideaway Marina

Locally run marina business off Joe Brown Highway offering boat and slip rentals, gas, fishing, swimming, and a mini store.

Grape Creek Boating Access

Off Joe Brown Highway, WRC-managed boating access.

Shoal Creek Falls

Waterfall within short hiking distance of Hawassee Lake on Talking Trees Road.

Panther Top and Seed Orchard

Large expanse of USFS land bordering Hiwassee Lake and Nottely River, popular with locals for hiking, hunting, and other forest activities. Some primitive camping along the Forest Service roads in more remote areas adjacent to Hiwassee Lake. Panther Top Fire Tower is open in the fall for views of fall foliage and is very popular.

Hanging Dog Recreation Area

Once a campground run by the USFS, now a recreation area with hiking trails, a mountain bike trail, and two boat ramps – one for low water access and the other for higher water access. Picnic pavilion, swimming, a WRC fishing pier, and bank fishing are also popular with locals.

Payne Street and the “Backwaters”

Payne Street has full pool boating access in town, and the road follows the lake/river bank past the boat ramp. A local fishing favorite due to access to the fluctuating backwaters as the lake levels rise and fall, and its tendency to congregate game fish.

Hiwassee Street Boating Access

Just across from Murphy Fire Department in the downtown area is a high water boating access that gives year-round boating access to paddlers and summer access to motorized boats. 

Murphy Riverwalk and Canoe Trail

Run by Heritage Partners and the Town of Murphy, this greenway system follows the Hiwassee and Valley Rivers and offers canoe and kayak access in several areas along with boardwalks and the locally popular “Leech Place” from Cherokee Folklore. Used by locals for walking, fishing, boating access, and education. The greenway goes through a large portion of Downtown Murphy and has several access points along its four-mile length from Murphy High School to Konehete Park and on to the L&N Depot.

Photo: Wetlands around the shore of Lake Chatuge would be permanently impacted by a proposed new development.

One of our Swim Guide volunteers was wearing a t-shirt yesterday that said “Lake Chatuge is my happy place.” I’m sure many of you share that sentiment, especially given the number of comments submitted recently on the spillway repair project.

We need your help today to protect Lake Chatuge in a different way. A new residential development is being proposed off of Elf School Road in Clay County, NC. If it gets permitted as planned, the project will permanently alter the way water flows and is filtered before entering Lake Chatuge and wipe out more than 60% of the existing wetlands. Agencies are requesting public comments on this project by Friday, June 27.

Will you take action now to protect Lake Chatuge’s water quality & wildlife habitat?

There are two parcels involved in the development on either side of the road, one of which is upland that is currently forested with moderately steep slopes; the other is lowland on the Lake Chatuge shoreline. At the heart of the lowlands is approximately 0.36 acres of stream and 0.26 acres of wetlands. Developers propose to build a dam below the uppermost part of the wetlands to create a water feature and permanently destroy 0.16 acres — 61.5% of the total amount of wetlands on the parcel. Construction of 39 housing units in the small watershed of the intermittent stream would likely significantly degrade the remaining wetlands as well.

Wetlands sustain a large number of plant and animal species, some of which are only found there. They can improve water quality; reduce erosion and flooding; and moderate the effects of warming water temperatures. They can also be beautiful places for people to enjoy the outdoors. Hundreds of acres of wetlands have been lost to development projects just like this one over the years. While MountainTrue is generally not opposed to development and we recognize the critical need for more homes in Clay County, we want to conserve the remaining wetlands we have, especially along lake shorelines where they help to improve water quality. 

Please ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and NC Division of Water Resources to protect the existing wetlands and water quality in Lake Chatuge during this permitting process. We can’t afford to lose any more! Be sure to submit your comments before Friday, June 27.

Thank you for helping protect Lake Chatuge and the streams and wetlands around it.