Asheville, NC -- The U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday rejected an appeal by conservation groups to refrain from logging the Globe Forest near the resort town of Blowing Rock, in western North Carolina. The groups said the move was disappointing, though not unexpected, and vowed to continue their fight to permanently protect the forest as a national scenic area.

Asheville NC – Conservation groups, concerned about the ongoing pollution of the Tellico watershed in national forests in two states from heavy off-road vehicle (ORV) use, expressed cautious optimism at steps announced today by the U.S. Forest Service to address the problem. The agency said it will close all ORV trails in the Tellico area for the winter – when wet weather exacerbates muddy runoff into streams, and will close for a year four trail segments that are especially eroded.

Asheville, NC – Conservation groups met with the U.S. Forest Service yesterday in an attempt to resolve a number of issues surrounding the Globe Forest project, but no agreements were reached. The groups will now pursue their appeal of the agency’s final decision to proceed with its controversial plan to log 212 acres of the Pisgah National Forest, which lies directly below the resort town of Blowing Rock in western North Carolina.

Blowing Rock, NC –The U.S Forest Service issued a final decision today to proceed with its controversial plan to log over 210 acres of the Pisgah National Forest directly below the resort town of Blowing Rock in western North Carolina. The decision immediately drew fire from the community, which has opposed the project.