Dear Editor,
I am writing in regards to the issue of saving the Rocky Fork Watershed, which is located in Unicoi County. As a boy, I had the great opportunity of moving to Erwin during the early 1970s when my father, who was with the U.S. Forest Service, was promoted to the office in Erwin.
My father has always had a love for the great outdoors and he took great strides to protect and provide outdoor recreational opportunities to the public he served.
The first trip I made with my father in Erwin was to go ‘native’ trout fishing in the Rocky Fork area. I’ll never forget the conservation lessons he taught me about how beautiful and how it is so important to keep areas like this preserved and protected, so as he put it, “More little boys like yourself in the future can have this much fun being out side in place so wonderful.” That lesson I’ll never forget.
If that Rocky Fork, the one that brings back so many great memories is lost forever, so a few can make money selling and developing it, who is to blame? All of us! Unicoi County has had the blessing of having that natural area at our doorstep for a long time. We now need to stand up for old Rocky Fork and protect her for future generations.
If we don’t, who will?
Duke Barr

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