"lifestyle resort". Hah. Ya gotta love the developers.

This side of the Smokies reminds me of the Disney area in Florida. I rarely go there. When living in the Orlando area I probably visited that area 10 times in 17 years. Now back in East TN for 7 years, we have been to that side of the Smokies maybe 4 times.

Why go out into the actual National Park when you can stay inside or on the compound and enjoy fake forests, fake streams, and fake everything.

Oh, wait. Maybe that's not such a bad idea. Make the park less crowded.

One of the primary reasons the elk reintroduction was done in Cataloochee Cove was due to the lack of people in that area of the Park. This development will change that factor obviously. The National Park infrastructure is very poor in that area with the main road in to the Cove being a narrow gravel road full of potholes, and the road in the Cove just abruptly ends rather than a loop like in Cades Cove. It will be interesting to see how the fake natural area impacts the real one.

p.s. The NPS webcam at Purchase Knob might actually have to be turned in the direction to view the Park.

Fletch, my apologies. I admit that I was real busy and in my haste I did not follow the link and did not realize we were talking about Cataloochee, and assumed we were talking about that Wilderness at the Smokies Indoor Water Park deal or whatever it is in Pigeon Forge that has been in the news lately. (I know, lazy, assume, etc.) This is a lot worse. Really, really bad.

i noticed that dean moses name. a throwback to the beginnings of the butcher days. mail fraud if i am not mistaken. might be a different dean moses-that era is starting to get some real age on it.

ultimately part of a huge loan loss for UAB-Knoxville along with melvin goldberger and earl worsham.

The developers say in the article that they don't want to be like Pigeon Forge and then they go on to say that they will build all sorts of "fake" stuff to simulate the mountain experience. That is EXACTLY what Pigeon Forge has done. Earlene Teaster, the mayor of PF supports the massive development of Pigeon Forge Village with it's "fake" streams and waterfalls, etc. Maybe she supports it just because it is being built on "Teaster Lane." Do you think the developers went to the state first to line up support for the project and head off any attempts from the pesky locals that might object?

I am ashamed to admit that my first thought while reading the article was relief that it was not in Blount County. So many battles, so little time...

I do find it disturbing that among other disastrous environmental effects from such huge developments, this will particularly raise the bar of resource intensiveness in terms of water use and carbon burning.

Meanwhile the state of Georgia, from where the development company is located (Atlanta), is holding mass public prayer vigils for God to end our record drought.

Update: An interview with the local promoter at Smoky Mountain News.