7/28/07
I-3 The Third Infantry Division Highway
Letter to Sen. Johnny Isakson

1/12/07
Stop I-3 Board Comments, Questions Nuclear Complex 2030 Environmental Impact Statement

11/7/05
A Letter from Bob Massey to the Cherokee County, N.C. Commissioners

10/31/05
Mountain High Hikers
Letter to Governor Perdue

8/05
Interstate 3 Information
Letter to Clay County Officials

7/26/05
Everybody's Mountains: Georgia Wildlife Federation Opposes I-3
Letter to Representaive Norwood

Everybody's Mountains:
Georgia Wildlife Federation Opposes I-3

Letter to Representative Norwood
from the Georgia Wildlife Federation

July 26, 2005

Dear Representative Norwood:

This letter is being written on behalf of more than 40,000 members of
the Georgia Wildlife Federation who enjoy hunting, fishing, bird watching,
hiking and other outdoor activities in the state of Georgia, including the
North Georgia Mountains. Conservation of wildlife habitat is an important
issue for the members of our organization and I am writing to express our
opposition to the proposed Interstate highway 3 that will link Savannah with
Knoxville, Tennessee by way of the mountains of North Georgia and Western
North Carolina.

The topography of the mountains creates an environment that is
extremely sensitive to soil disturbance. A major road project on steep
slopes will result in siltation into many lakes and streams in the area,
endangering fish populations. An interstate highway through the mountains
will also bring more development to the area as well as feeder highways,
resulting in loss of wildlife habitat, as forested areas are cleared. The
proposed route will skirt at least four wildlife management areas including
the Lake Russell WMA and the Chattahoochee WMA. The increase in traffic on
this major interstate will have a negative impact on wildlife in these
Wildlife Management Areas. It will also diminish the experience of hunters
who used these areas, not only for hunting but also for the chance to escape
from the rigorous pace and noise of the city.

As proposed, Interstate 3 likely would intersect the Appalachian Trail
in the vicinity of Unicoi Gap in Georgia, where Ga. 75 now crosses. This is
one of the most primitive and remote stretches of the trail. In this part of
the Chattahoochee National Forest the trail passes through five federally
designated wilderness areas and the Kelly Ridge Roadless Area, which is
managed by the Forest Service as a "remote backcountry recreation area."
These areas are managed to protect and enhance the outstanding natural
beauty, watershed integrity, mature forest habitat, and outstanding
recreation values. An interstate highway through this area will do nothing
but diminish the values that the Forest Service has been directed to
protect. Even if existing roads are used for I-3, the effects will not be
diminished, since the roads will still require widening in order to upgrade
them to interstate standards.

The building of an interstate highway through the North Georgia
Mountains will not be an asset to the area, to the people of Georgia, or to
the wildlife of Georgia. It will endanger wildlife, water quality, and the
peace and solitude that so many seek in the forests of North Georgia. It
will change the way of life for those living in the area and those who
visit. The Georgia Wildlife Federation opposes this project and urges you
not to seek funding for a feasibility study for this unneeded interstate.

Sincerely,

Jerry L. McCollum
President and CEO
Georgia Wildlife Federation

Cc: Senator Johnny Isakson
Senator Saxby Chambliss
...dated July 26, 2005

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