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Cherohala Skyway and Chickadees



Some of us in NC are quite familiar with the Cherohala Skyway. It is
been open for 5 years or so, and is designated as NC 143 in western
Graham County, connecting Robbinsville /Joyce Kilmer to Tellico Plains,
TN. Basically, it was constructed to be another Blue Ridge Parkway -- a
National Scenic Byway, it is called. It is two lanes, with some
pullovers, some trails, etc. The problem with the road is that it is a
major blight on the landscape. Most of the trees along the road were cut
away to provide sweeping views of the landscape. This has resulted in
lots of rip-rap, guardrails, etc. on the downslope side, and huge
scrapes with some rip-rap on the upslope side of cuts. It is not nearly
as shaded as the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Rather than running the road
around the sides of ridges, doing relatively little damage to the
landscape, the road is a straighter shot that required lopping off ends
of ridges.  I don't find it a beautiful road at all from that respect. I
know a lot of conservation-minded folks who have been there share my
view.  Besides, it is so new that native wildflowers have not had a
chance to colonize the roadbanks -- if they ever will. (Dr. Peter Weigl
of Wake Forest U., who has studied the Federally listed Northern Flying
Squirrels in that area, has complained that the road and associated
rip-rap are too wide for the squirrels to glide across at night (not
true for most 2-lane forested roads).

As for chickadees, the Black-capped Chickadees reported in the previous
e-mail were likely Carolinas. BCC are widespread in Great Smoky Mts. NP
and along the BRP toward the Richland Balsam and Devils Courthouse. They
are not present in Grham County, as far as I know. As for roads in
western Graham county, I much prefer the scenery, birding, and
butterflying along the dirt road that parallels the Skyway to the north
-- Forest Road 81, which parallels Santeetlah Creek for 10 or more
miles. It doesn't provide the "panoramic" views that the Skyway does,
but it gets at the essence of montane scenery much better than does the
Skyway.

--
Harry LeGrand
NC Natural Heritage Program
1615 MSC
Raleigh, NC 27699-1615
(919) 715-8687 (work)
FAX: 919-715-3085
e-mail: harry.legrand@ncmail.net