The ‘Gatlinburginazation’ of Red River Gorge would ruin this fragile gem forever

A lot of commotion has erupted down here in Red River country. A few years ago, a group of politically well-connected businessmen from primarily outside our area leveraged a million dollars of taxpayer money to fund a study proposing the creation of a Gatlinburg-type model for the Red River Gorge area. The centerpiece was a high-end upscale resort complex at Slade.

The study was funded under the guise of “economic development.” Economic development for whom?

A well-researched editorial published in this paper showed that the Gatlinburganization of any area causes negative environmental outcomes, accompanied by low-paying seasonal jobs that do little good for the local citizens. National corporate restaurants and motels suck money from the area and into the pockets of outside investors.

Down here, this model would destroy the very reason people come to visit us in the first place — our natural beauty.

The high-end resort/Gatlinburg model is just the latest form of exploitation-by-extraction by wealthy outside investors that has plagued our region for well over a century. Coal. Oil. Natural gas. Timber. These industries do create local jobs until the exploitation of our natural resources is complete. Then, the corporate investors take their profits and leave us the mess. And, of course, another round of poverty because they also took the temporary jobs.

This time, outside investors are trying to exploit our natural beauty. When they finish extracting that, they will pocket their profits and again leave us the mess.

A group of citizens formed “Red River Gorge United” to fight this terrible assault. I leave it to them to explain the many reasons why the million-dollar proposal is bad for this relatively small, ecologically fragile area.

My concern is that the proposal is also bad for the rest of Eastern Kentucky.

The proposed model at Slade would not be a gateway to Eastern Kentucky. It would be the stopping point, the final destination. It would be a wall to keep visitors from entering the rest of the region.

Eastern Kentucky has countless treasures to discover. We have many locations for spectacular outdoor adventure. We have strong traditions in music, literature, history, and the arts. We have a unique culture worthy of visitation, celebration, and appreciation. These opportunities can and should benefit local communities through tourism dollars. But that can’t happen if the visitors get no further than an overcrowded Red River Gorge area.

Tourists are coming. The dollars should be spread across all of Eastern Kentucky, not consolidated at one overburdened venue. Every county has something unique to offer.

Rather than a wall to keep visitors out, we need to entice them up and over Slade Hill and into Appalachia proper. A solution is a state-of-the-art Welcome and Information Center that is interesting enough to bring tourists to see it—but not as a final destination. Rather, its function is to educate, inform, and then disperse the visitors across the entire region.

The Red River area is booming. Small, locally owned businesses are popping up and doing well. These small businesses show the unique visions of the proprietors. They’re different. They’re cool. They add variety and spice. They hire locally. The money stays and circulates within the community.

This is good news. However, too much of a good thing is not a good thing. The geological sites are already overcrowded. Parking is difficult, the road congested. Many say the Gorge is being “loved to death.”

The proposed high-end resort complex at Slade and the Gatlinburginazation of the Red River Gorge area would ruin this fragile ecological gem for everyone.

Forever.

David Musser is a retired instrument builder and children’s music teacher who lives in Wolfe County.

This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 10:19 AM.