U.S. Forest Service Allows Car Rally Road Race Near "Protected Wilderness" in Polk County TN

The Cleveland TN office of the U.S. Forest Service is allowing race car zombies to turn a narrow forest service road into a weekend-long race car rally on June 14-16, 2024--in the
Starr Mountain Wilderness.

Update: Contact USFS District Supervisor Philip Earhart for comments and legal casework. philip.earhart@usda.gov

The staging area will be the Polk County High School Hwy 411 on Saturday morning June 15th, 2024. The Tennessee Rally USA organizers are allowing what they call "spectator friendly viewing." ...They do not own your national forest. Come and witness your national forest turned into a racetrack--take pictures and gather information which could be used in court.

A petition with over 600 signatures was signed last year voicing strong opposition to allow our treasured national forest to be used for a Daytona Race Car-like event.

The idea of holding such an event in the national forest has raised rumors of a possible 'kickback' or 'bribe' since it seems so unreal and may possibly be in violation of several federal laws. Call any other U.S. Forest Service district and ask if you can get a permit for a rally car race on a narrow and secluded forest service road, which borders a protected wilderness..."You Wanna do What?"...

Contact as many environmental activists as possible. Come to the event and show your support for our beautiful forests and wildlife. Your support will shape our future for generations to come. 

The Wilderness Act was passed in 1964, passed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This Act established the National Wilderness Preservation System ..." for the permanent good of the whole people." This law also directs federal land management agencies, including the National Park Service (NPS), to manage these wilderness areas and preserve their wilderness character.

The Southern Environmental Law Center is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan environmental legal advocacy organization in and focused on the South. As lawyers, policy and issue experts they take on some of the toughest challenges to protect our air, water, land, wildlife, and the people who live here.

The video below shows where the same race group did a preparation/practice run on Lost Creek Campground Road near Reliance TN last year--notice the placard in the video, in a Wildlife Management Area: they referred to it as a "Special Event" as a way to hide or lessen public awareness. On the day of the practice "special event" (April 8, 2023) it rained hard all day long; windshield wipers in vehicles could barely keep up. 

   

"All who enjoy the natural wonders of the Starr Mountain Wilderness will be victimized by the roaring of engines, the screeching of tires, and the aftermath of damaged roads and trails through our beloved forest, all in the name of entertainment."

"A similar event was allowed to happen back in 2002 that caused a lot of problems as far as local residents being behind closed access roads, and a funeral procession being held up for over an hour due to the rally race. It's going to cost our county, it's going to tear up roads, disrupt wildlife habitat, cause an increased danger to residents, and impact all emergency services for the entire weekend...it's a wacko idea proposed by greedy city slickers."