FRIENDS.
WE WON!
𝕘𝕠 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕜! 𝕔𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕓𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕖! YES!
...AND we are not taking off our work boots yet.
Let me tell you why...
In their official statement, the Hamilton County Mayor's Office announced Tuesday Jan 6, 2026 that they are pulling the plan to remove PERMANENT protections on "the previously identified 535 acres" of OUR public parkland to sell off for industrial development.
This is a huge win for our community. To every neighbor, volunteer, advocate, and friend—thank you. What we have accomplished together is extraordinary. And in record time!
You made signs. You canvassed neighborhoods all over town with flyers. You called and wrote to elected officials. You talked with friends, neighbors, and local business owners. You showed up at County Commission and stood beneath the dais to speak truth to power. Each action mattered. Together, they made impact.
This effort was only possible because thousands of people made a simple but powerful decision: I can do something. And you did.
We are deeply grateful to the Sierra Club Cherokee Group, The Conservation Kid, Unity Group of Chattanooga, SORBA Chattanooga, Sunrise Movement Chattanooga, and Southern Environmental Law Center whose support and collaboration strengthened this movement every step of the way. Thank you to reporting at the Chattanooga Times Free Press that gave our community a head start to do the right thing. Thank you to Trust for Public Land, Audubon Society, and National Park Partners for being models in our community for how to approach these types of efforts. And thank you to Greg Vital for being a champion on this issue and for conservation efforts across our state.
Because of each of you, more than 12,600 people so far have signed this petition to retain permanent protections for our county’s largest park. Because of you, the County’s official public input page was 99% saturated with comments against the land swap. Because of you, hundreds of residents showed up—at volunteer meetings, park events, and County Commission meetings—to make it unmistakably clear that this land is our land. Because of your sustained pressure and participation, the proposed land swap has been pulled—a meaningful and hard-won step forward.
!!!At the same time, we want to be clear and honest with our community: there is still reason for concern. The Hilltop Extension road project, which is already in a $1.5 million design phase, remains unresolved. We cannot guarantee that the park is truly safe until county officials publicly and unequivocally demonstrate that this road will not cut through parkland or disturb Old Summit Cemetery. Our advocacy continues because permanent protection requires transparency, accountability, and clear commitments—not assumptions.
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In addition to remaining a local watchdog group for the future of our park, Save ESNP plans to shift our energy and the resources you all contributed into continuing the following efforts:
- Preservation and restoration of Old Summit Cemetery
- Documentation and interpretation of previously unrecorded Civil War artifacts and earthworks on the land
- Ecological survey of the land
- Environmental and historical education programming for the park
- Community events
- Exploration of options for additional layers of protection (i.e., conservation easement) for the parkland
Each of these projects will act as a buffer against future developmental threat. The more everyone knows and cares about this land, the harder it will be for political and corporate interests to take it in the future.
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If you'd like to stay involved and in-the-know, please continue looking out for petition updates like these, and sign up for our newsletter by going to our website: www.SaveESNP.org
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From Save ESNP's cofounders, Elspeth, Hadrien, Melissa, and Nathan- Thank You.
We are so grateful to be a part of this effort with you.