Southern Appalachian Wild Lands
Southern Appalachian Wild Lands
Southern Appalachian Wild Lands
Southern Appalachians
Southern Appalachia's Smoky Mountains contain some of the wildest land in America.
At the center is Greater Smoky Mountains National Park, which is surrounded by a vibrant network of national forests on the North Carolina-Tennessee border.
Visitors love this lush outdoor destination. But suburban sprawl and increased recreational pressure threaten the forests of the Southern Appalachians. This region is home to the most visited National Park, the most visited National Forest in the East, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, the most visited unit of the National Park system.
Why the Southern Appalachians
Spanning the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, the Southern Appalachians region provides a wild escape for millions of visitors and local residents annually. They contribute to local economies and help provide clean drinking water to local communities.
Stories from Southern Appalachians
Find out more about the Southern Appalachians region from the people that live, work and play there.
Experience the Southern Appalachians
The national park and forests of the Southern Appalachians are beloved by nearby residents. The Cherokee, Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests are all within a day’s drive of one-third of the nation’s population and attract millions of visitors each year.
Focus areas in the Southern Appalachians
The Southern Appalachians form the largest concentration of public land east of the Mississippi. They include 3.7 million acres of wild forests. At The Wilderness Society, our work is concentrated within the forests and parks of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.
Other campaigns
Maintaining trails and wilderness areas is important to the work we do in the Southern Appalachians Region. Find out how you can get involved in stewardship of this beautiful area, and how we are working with regional partners on important public and private land conservation issues.
Help protect the Southern Appalachians
There are many ways you can help ensure the Southern Appalachians Region remains a vibrant network of wild forests for generations to come.
Notes from the Field
Learn more about issues affecting the places we work to protect with our Notes from the Field.
Take Action
Add your voice to important wilderness causes and take action to stop threats to our wildlands by joining our community of wilderness activists.
Policy and Science Library
Find fact sheets, reports and other resources related to wilderness policy and conservation.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013If the Senate is any indication, your support of wilderness bills may meet success this year.
Saturday, June 15, 2013Whether you intend to visit a major city, or you live in one and are looking for a quick weekend trip, a visit to Wilderness is often nearby.
Friday, June 14, 2013Just as you rely on wild places to rejuvenate and restore you, those places rely on you to keep them in good condition.
Friday, June 14, 2013A final plan for the SunZia transmission project raises serious concerns about impacts to Arizona’s sensitive San Pedro Valley.
Friday, June 7, 2013The memorandum specifically calls on federal agencies to collaborate on identifying suitable places on public lands that avoid sensitive na
Wednesday, May 15, 2013Yet, here we are, with people and the government unable to stop furloughs, job losses, and lower revenue to keep the government functioning. Our public lands have certainly not been spared from this indiscriminate budget ax.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013It was at the Three Forks Natural Area in Snoqualmie, WA where Sen. Patty Murray and Rep.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013Like a dutiful sentinel, the lookout quietly watches over the wild, waiting for visitors to make their way through beautiful alpine meadows to the summit of Green Mountain.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013But Alaska’s Sen. Lisa Murkowski refused to accept that decision. She and residents of the tiny community of King Cove are fighting to have the decision overturned.
A factsheet about the Green Mountain Lookout.
A support letter for H.R. 908/S. 404, the Green Mountain Lookout Heritage Protection Act, introduced in February by Reps. DelBene and Larsen and Sens. Murray and Cantwell.
Dear Representative Gosar:
On behalf of the National Association of Counties (NACo), I am writing to express our support of the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act (H.R. 596). This landmark legislation would extend royalties and lease income from solar and wind projects developed on Federal lands to home states and counties.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013The Wilderness Society tonight applauded the passage of five wilderness and conservation bills in the U.S. Senate. We are hopeful that the passage is a sign of things to come in the House, as the previous Congress – the 112th – was the first since 1966 to not designate a single new acre of wilderness.The wilderness and conservation bills that passed include:
Tuesday, June 18, 2013Contacts:
Alan Rowsome, (202)285-8134, alan_rowsome@tws.org
Emily Diamond-Falk, (202) 841-8605, emily_diamond-falk@tws.org
WASHINGTON (June 18, 2013) – The Wilderness Society today took a position on several bills being marked-up in the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Friday, June 14, 2013A final plan for the SunZia Southwest transmission project was released today by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) identifying the agency’s preferred routes in Arizona and New Mexico.