TOWNSEND, TN – Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) and R&R Fly Fishing co-owners Ian & Charity Rutter visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park today. They navigated the Laurel Falls trail to observe dilapidated infrastructure sites and take part in fly fishing along the Little Greenbrier River. GSMNP currently faces $151 million in deferred maintenance projects that negatively impact visitors’ ability to enjoy the Smokies.

Congressman Tim Burchett (left), Ian and Charity Rutter (right); image submitted

In February 2019, Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander reintroduced the Restore Our Parks Act. The bipartisan bill created a dedicated source of funding for the $12 billion in deferred maintenance projects the National Park Service currently faces nationwide. Multiple members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation, including Reps. Phil Roe (TN-01), Chuck Fleishmann (TN-03), Jim Cooper (TN-05), and Steve Cohen (TN-09) have co-sponsored companion legislation in the House of Representatives. Former Congressman Jimmy Duncan, who preceded Congressman Burchett, also co-sponsored a previous form of the legislation in the 115th Congress.

GSMNP is the most visited national park in the country, with over 11.4 million visitors in 2018 according to NPS. As a result, the Smokies contributed over $943 million in economic impact to East Tennessee businesses in 2016 alone, including to Ian Rutter’s R&R Fly Fishing. As a former mayor of Knox County, Congressman Burchett understands the pivotal role Knoxville plays as a gateway to the Smoky Mountains.

During their visit, Congressman Burchett and the Rutters enjoyed fly fishing along the Little Greenbrier River. After, Burchett said he looks forward to reading the Restore Our Parks Act and believes investing in our national parks is a wise use of taxpayer money.

“This bill is something I believe I can support. It’s a wise use of our money to invest in our parks. A lot of economists will say you get all your money back, but it’s bigger than that. These parks are oxygen tanks,” said Rep. Tim Burchett. “If we allow them to go by the way side, I suspect we will too. I’ve lived here my whole life, caught fish in these streams, caught trout in the park before and outside the park, I remember camping up here before as a kid with my mom and dad and brother and sister, so I do not want to see it fall by the way side.

“Not only do millions of visitors enjoy the Smokies each year, millions more Tennesseans rely on the money spent in the communities that surround GSMNP,” said R&R Fly Fishing Co-owner Ian Rutter. “Charity and I thank Congressman Burchett for coming out today and witnessing how popular the Smokies are and the repairs needed to ensure they remain that way.”

For more information on deferred maintenance projects in our national parks, visit the Pew Charitable Trusts. Visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park.