NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Lee will be designating the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Natural Area as one of four new Tennessee state parks and is asking lawmakers for $776,300 in his proposed fiscal year 2023-24 budget to provide for a park manager, three park rangers and five other staffers for the 7,093-acre area near Soddy-Daisy.
Lee unveiled the plan to designate the natural area to park status, along with three other state-owned natural areas, during his State of the State address Monday. He said the goal is to have the "most accessible park system in the nation, regardless of your ZIP code, physical ability or demographics."
The governor also said Tennesseans should be able to enjoy outdoor experiences close to home.
State Department of Environment and Conservation spokeswoman Kim Schofinski said by email the move comes on top of $5.5 million appropriated last year to provide basic infrastructure to handle "intense demand" in the North Chickamauga Creek area.
Please click here to upgrade to a newer browser.
That includes a ranger contact station, a restroom facility, paved parking, entrance improvements and day-use improvements, while also providing access for people with disabilities.
"We are looking forward to working closely with members of the General Assembly as they evaluate the funding for this park," Schofinski stated in her email.
The natural area, mostly within Hamilton County but with some acreage in Sequatchie County, was created from land acquired through the years by the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy and managed by the group before it was ceded to the state. In 2012, it was linked to the state's Cumberland Trail. The conservancy for years has been a key player in protecting the creek.
That's not all that could be in store for the watershed, which flows from the top of Walden's Ridge to the Tennessee River at Chickamauga Dam.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Bo Watson, R-Hixson, and House Finance Committee Chairwoman Patsy Hazlewood, R-Signal Mountain, are moving legislation to include the creek in the state's scenic river program, a request made by the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy.
The nonprofit has successfully worked to assemble some 17,000 acres of land, including what is now the natural area, placing the property under conservation easements. Land owners, local foundations and others have supported the effort.
The Tennessee Scenic Rivers Program is intended to preserve and protect the free flowing, unpolluted and outstanding scenic, recreational, geologic, botanical, fish, wildlife, historic or cultural values of selected rivers or river segments in the state.
Hazlewood said Lee's designating the natural area as a park is an enhancement to the Scenic River designation.
"Being a state park will provide more management of the resources -- including the river," she said in a text. "Being a part of the state park system will also help to increase awareness of the area and the properties it offers on a statewide versus a local or regional basis. It really is a win-win."
Watson said in an interview at the legislature that rangers already monitor the natural area, but making it a state park elevates its stature. The natural area's character won't change, he indicated.
"They don't plan on doing campgrounds or any kind of stuff," he said.
The creek has 12 miles of navigable water, including rapids and whitewater with obstacles, which require more technical skills, as well as rapids with major obstacles even more difficult to avoid.
Lucien Scott, president of the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy and a kayaker, said by phone that the group generally stands against any type of development in the gorge.
"But this opportunity does promote recreational access to a wider variety of people," he said. "It increases the accessibility for people who might not be able to enjoy the space. Having more rangers here is going to cut down on all trash, the litter, the people hiking in and getting drunk in the middle of the summer," Scott said.
He said the parking lot is gravel and holds about 150 vehicles. Having designated spaces will help address a current situation where parking is like a free for all, Scott said.
The scenic river designation provides new legal protections for the river, too, Scott said.
"Right now, it's only really protected by land ownership," he said.
So if the land ever changes hands or if the state sells it, the Watson/Hazlewood bill provides protections covering future landowners, he said.
Scott said the area's head ranger told him Tennessee is redefining what it means to be a state park in a state where some have lodges, golf courses and swimming pools. North Chickamauga Creek park won't be a resort park, Scott said.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com.