Even Jimmy Carter and Newt Gingrich agreed on protecting the Chattahoochee
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter, long an advocate for the Chattahoochee River, signed into law legislation that created the 48-mile Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, extending from the city of Atlanta to Lake Lanier.
In the late 1990s, House Speaker Newt Gingrich personally championed dedicating $25 million in federal funding to protect thousands of acres and more than 80 miles of riverfront along the Chattahoochee as public land.
Georgia’s two most prominent leaders of the 20th century shared little in common politically, but they found common ground in our public lands, particularly along the Chattahoochee.
Because two very different leaders had a shared interest in metro Atlanta’s defining natural feature, the Chattahoochee RiverLands is possible.
For those unfamiliar with the RiverLands, it is an audacious vision to create 100 miles of parks, trails, kayak launches, campsites and other amenities along the Chattahoochee as it flows through metro Atlanta.
Metro Atlanta is building parks across communities
In 2018, Trust for Public Land, the Atlanta Regional Commission, Cobb County and the city of Atlanta championed a nearly two-year planning effort that engaged seven counties, 19 cities, dozens of nonprofits and hundreds of others to create a common vision for what we wanted our river to be — to reimagine our relationship with the river.
The plan was finished five years ago, and it’s already coming to life. Federal, state and local governments, as well as private foundations, companies and individuals, have committed nearly $300 million to make it happen.
New parks and trails have been built or are under construction in Johns Creek, Douglas County, Smyrna, Roswell, Carroll County, Duluth, Atlanta, Chattahoochee Hills, Cobb County, Sandy Springs and elsewhere.
In March, Trust for Public Land and its state and local partners opened a 48-mile camp and paddle trail extending from Atlanta to McIntosh Reserve in Carroll County.
It now is possible to spend four days and three nights paddling and camping (with hot showers!) through the sixth-largest metropolitan area in America.
America is at its best when its citizens rally behind a shared purpose — from putting a man on the moon to defeating polio. Our leaders spend a lot of time fighting each other nowadays. Too often we divide into teams and seek to tear each other down. Too many elected officials consider scoring a personal insult a greater accomplishment than solving a problem.
The good news is that, despite today’s chaotic and divisive political environment, people of diverse beliefs and backgrounds continue to come together for a shared purpose. In communities across the country, Trust for Public Land and other park groups are bringing neighbors together to support investments in their communities, in their public lands.
Every day, people are putting aside their differences to join us.
America needs less anger and more RiverLands
The Chattahoochee is a case in point.
In 1975, state Rep. Joe Mack Wilson noted that Cobb County residents “want to keep (the Chattahoochee) as a moat. They wish they could build forts across there to keep people from coming up here (from Atlanta).” Former Cobb County Commissioner Emmett Burton said he would “stock the Chattahoochee with Piranha.”
Today, thanks to work started by Carter and Gingrich, Cobb and Atlanta are working to build a new bridge to connect these same communities to each other.
We are finding common ground in our common grounds.
Perhaps it’s because spending time outdoors reduces anxiety and stress while promoting joy. Perhaps it’s because spending time in nature has been shown to decrease aggression and crime. Whatever the reason, building stronger, healthier, more cohesive communities through improved public spaces works.
Today, more than ever, America needs less anger and more RiverLands — ambitious, shared endeavors that require us to roll up our sleeves and work side-by-side with our neighbors. Because we cannot build a 100-mile park without building a 100-mile community.
Instead of fighting over our differences, projects like the RiverLands can bring us together to create a better world for ourselves and our children.
George Dusenbury is Georgia state director for the Trust for Public Land.
