Chattooga Headwaters Conflict Resolution Meeting

August 30, 2006

Attendees: Mark Singleton, American Whitewater; Steve Scarborough; Joe Pulliam; Hank Belew, Chairman of the Board Chattooga Conservancy; Buzz Williams, Chattooga Conservancy.

Goal-Identify common ground as a basis of working together to craft a workable alternative to open the headwaters with sufficient restrictions to protect the outstandingly remarkable values of the headwaters.

Goal-Work together to participate in the Forest Service User Analysis to include all public stakeholders to achieve a reasonable alternative to open the headwaters to whitewater boating.

Goal-Work together to make the Forest Service User Analysis a fair and open process.

The Conservancy feels very strongly that American Whitewater should withdraw pending legal actions aimed at forcing the Forest Service to immediately open the headwaters with no restrictions. This is necessary to depolarize opposing groups and individuals, thus facilitating a cooperative effort to solving the headwaters issue. In addition, our efforts to find common ground over the headwaters issue should lead to working together on other important issues such as cleaning up Stekoa Creek and a host of other issues effecting the Chattooga River that will require a collaborative effort.

Please carefully consider these proposed conflict resolution goals and after necessary consultation with constituents we propose an expedited decision.

Buzz Williams
Executive Director, Chattooga Conservancy

Hank Belew
Chairman of the Board, Chattooga Conservancy